Jonathan Taylor wrote:

Hope you've got a good mine detector, because you have just walked into a mine
field.

My comments are interspersed.

>
> From: "Jonathan Taylor" <visionik@...>
>
> Hello everyone --
>
> A brief introduction: my name is Jonathan Taylor. I'm a "serial
> entrepreneur" in Santa Cruz, California. I'm basically in the business of
> starting new businesses. My last company was IRdg, where we created iPost,
> an industry leading Unified Messaging solution for service providers. I'm a
> long time Borland/Inprise customer -- iPost was written entirely in Delphi
> and BC++. I also do strategic consulting for many of the top technology
> companies in Silicon Valley.
>
> Among other things I am working with Inprise on the effort to open source
> InterBase and spin the product out into a new company focused on ongoing
> development, service, and support of the open source InterBase and other
> InterBase related products.
>
> Yesterday I spent over an hour on a conference call with Dale Fuller and
> others from Inprise on this exact subject. Many of the points those of us
> on this list have brought up were discussed. Dale explicitly wanted to make
> sure that those on this list knew that your points are being heard.
>

If he is really listening then he has plans to relinquish control of InterBase
and pass it fully over to the IBDI. In which case, where do you fit in?
Shouldn't you be applying to _us_ for a job?

And if Dale really wants to keep us informed, why doesn't he start a thread up
on this list? I for one have a few questions I'd like answers to.

> Until the final details are decided, I can't say much specifically. What I
> can say though is that between open source contributions and the creation of
> a new, aggressive startup company focused on InterBase, things have never
> looked better for InterBase users and fans.
>
> Inprise is already starting to look for folks to join the new InterBase
> focused company. I should have an email address to send resumes to shortly.
> Or if you want to get your foot in the door as soon as possible, feel free
> to send me your resume and I'll make sure it gets immediate attention.
>

I may have missed something here, but until 17th December InterBase had a solid,
dedicated team of employees. What happened to them? While you are discovering
the answer to that question, maybe you could find out why Dale rejected the
previous business plan proposed for InterBase. If he had ever understood
InterBase there would not be a need to start a 'new, aggressive' company (or
rather, the previous management would have jumped at the opportunity.)

I have strange feeling that, whatever the employment situation is in California
the vacancies at your new company are going to be rather hard to fill with the
right people (and the right qualifications). My advice to you would be to get
serial somewhere else. The IBDI is quite capable of running InterBase and
without its' support any new company set up by yourself is not going to fly.
There has been nothing but sheer, bloody arrogance from Inprise since this whole
thing started. And I haven't seen any signs that things are changing. If Inprise
really wants to do the right thing it is time to stop playing to the gallery and
start talking with the InterBase community. We have the heart and soul of
InterBase. Inprise just owns the title deeds.

If you really want to provide value for money to your new client then advise him
to sell the majority stake in InterBase to the IBDI forthwith. Anything less
just ain't gonna cut it.

Just my tuppence.

Paul
--

Paul Reeves
Fleet River Software