ShadowRAM: March 6, 2006
The day before Thursday's Web event, which was to feature a "pre-taped message" from special guest star Larry Ellison, McNealy helpfully posted an open letter to HP CEO Mark Hurd, recommending that the two companies converge their respective HP-UX and Solaris Unixes (Unices?). His PR corps also helpfully forwarded the URL to said letter to reporters.
Of course what that really means is, "Hurd: Don't strand your Unix faithful in your silly Wintel/Linux push, send them to us."
No word on whether Ellison phoned in his comments from the yacht.
Triple-check your grammar if you see Chuck Robbins, Cisco's U.S./Canada channel chief. Robbins, a self-described stickler for proper use of the English language, keeps a notebook full of gaffes he's encountered in the business world, ranging from misused vocabulary to words that are just made up. He's threatening to publish the collection. Hopefully, names will be changed to protect the illiterate. ShadowRam won't show up in his little black book, at least not this weekafter seeing the bright orange tie Chuck wore to CRN's Channel Champions awards dinner, we were at a loss for words.
HP is apparently auditing on a quarterly basis many of its solution providers for rebate and marketing fund compliance. That's like suddenly being audited every year by the IRS. There seems to be no logic behind it. But then again, maybe there is.
Pat Walsh, president of Computer Station of Orlando, has a plan to keep his employees productive no matter where they do their business. He strategically places copies of CRN in the smallest room in his office. He reasons that's the best place for employees to catch up on the news without distractions. One question: How do they keep up on sports?
A small-business solution provider at XChange discovered how to get top-notch, face-to-face field support from CA: Raise a ruckus.
After a presentation by CA Senior Veep James Hanley, David Lair, business and technology consultant at Xpedeus Information and Technology Business Solutions, Brandon, Fla., stood up loudly complaining to solution providers seated around him about how uninspiring CA's program was.
CA salespeople quickly swarmed Lair, full of concern, asking things like, "What sort of deliverables can we provide for you?" And the next day, Lair said, a carload of CA sales people appeared at Lair's offices peddling love from Islandia.