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This year's inductees recalled Comdexes past and poked fun at old rivals to the delight of more than 1,000 attendees, who gathered Nov. 17 at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. Comedian Bill Cosby added his own touch of humor as he handed out Oscar-style awards during the movie-themed event. "This was exciting," Cosby dead-panned after handing out the last award to Michael Dell, founder of Dell Computer. "I was impressed that all the common people, sitting behind you, didn't have to wear tuxedos."
Dell drew a rise out of the audience, which included hundreds of solution providers, when he said it might seem a bit unusual that he was being honored at a channel-oriented event, and then added, "When you think about it, Dell is just another channel."
Groupware pioneer and former Lotus CEO Jim Manzi also drew a hearty response when he reminisced about famous Comdex announcements, particularly Microsoft's declaration that OS/2 would be its OS of choice going forward. Microsoft Group Vice President Jeff Raikes, a fellow Hall of Fame honoree, later issued a rejoinder during his acceptance speech by saying, "Now I know why I'm here. It's to announce Office for OS/2 86."
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THE 2003 CRN HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES: AN ENSEMBLE CAST
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This year's honorees played a range of roles: inventor, entrepreneur, businessperson, leader, innovator and crusader. Pictured clockwise from top left: Emcee Bill Cosby, Dell Computer founder Michael Dell, GM CIO Ralph Szygenda, PC modem pioneer Dennis Hayes, former Lotus chief Jim Manzi, 3Com founder and Ethernet creator Bob Metcalfe, Comark founders Phil Corcoran and Chuck Wolande, Software Spectrum co-founder Judy Odom and Microsoft's Jeff Raikes. Bottom and far right: Inductees with CRN's Michael Vizard and Heather Clancy.
Software Spectrum co-founder Judy Odom recalled that one of her best Comdex decisions was agreeing to sell products from a little company called Microsoft, while Bob Metcalfe, the father of Ethernet and founder of 3Com, said one of his biggest mistakes during 14 years of exhibit booth work at Comdex was when he threw Novell founder Ray Noorda out of the booth for suggesting they go into business together. Metcalfe also poked fun at his dictum, known as "Metcalfe's Law," which states that the utility of a network rises with its number of users. "It's fun having a law," he said. "Unlike Moore's Law, Metcalfe's Law has never been true."
Dennis Hayes, who now chairs the U.S. Internet Industry Association, was inducted for his development of the PC modem. During the ceremony, Hayes urged industry members to lobby against the threat of Internet taxation.
Phil Corcoran and Chuck Wolande were honored together as channel visionaries for founding Comark, which they sold to Insight Enterprises last year. "We're still standing here and enjoying each other's company," Corcoran said of his 20-year partnership with Wolande.
One inductee who had little to say about past Comdexes was Ralph Szygenda, CIO of General Motors, who was honored for championing outsourcing. "Since I buy at least $3 billion from information-technology companies, it's nice to be recognized for doing that," Szygenda said.
Published for the Week Of December 15, 2003