Bit Management and Blaxxun Focus (WAS RE: [www-vrml] RE: [x3d-public] Shaders and Triangles: was dedicated working-group focus on X3D interoperability)

["Len Bullard" <cbullard@hiwaay.net>]

That explains the fast evolution of the BS client:  Holger Grahn.  With a
dominant designer and a small team, things can go fast.

The failure of Blaxxun to work on the chat server and not to license the
client further is odd.   The market is picking up what with SL and the
government agency initiatives.  One would think they would be positioning
themselves for some of that work instead of ceding it to BS.  As I recall,
Intergraph was using BS because of Eric.  On the other hand, their internal
expertise was next to nil and unless that changed in the last few months, it
still is which would mean New York is using BS via LockMart and Ingr.

I ran into John Halsema at lunch recently but only inquired how he was
doing, not what the company was doing.  He said the VRML work all made it
through cert so the US/NY transportation industry should have the simulator
soon.  With the other announcements from the OGC (virtually an Ingr thrall
in some respects) and the new simulation trainer software announcements, the
pace for industrial 3D on the Web using X3D and SVG is quickening even
though Intergraph Development in Huntsville wasn't that thrilled about it
(Business Development drove that initiative).  

It seems like an odd time for Blaxxun to go dormant.  Companies with focus
should be doing pretty well with the possible problem that with Congress
changing dominant parties, funding for some projects is going to be dicey.
They don't cut things like homeland security but the pork tends to go to the
states that have reps on the winning side.  Intergraph and Alabama
definitely backed the wrong horse this time.  Existing contracts go forward
but I suspect the product planning focus is still out of whack at ingr/hsv
with the internal disarray and the sale.  There are too many cooks and not
enough of the power players are current or conversant with the technology
and the market at the same time.  It isn't enough to pick a direction; it
requires a helmsman who navigates well.  That is where the team of Peter and
Holger excel.

And Microsoft remains oddly quiet for a company that was partnering with
Ingr on public safety/homeland security marketing forays.   I have to wonder
if the analysts and consultants all have their beanie caps tightened down
too tight or are making this up as they go along.

len


From: Russ Kinter [mailto:pyth7@verizon.net] 

Besides the possible format conflict, why bother to support a company 
that out right refuses that fix a major flaw in their chat client? 
That's why I didn't bother to mention them in the first place.




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