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Lead Bullets (2011)

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Re: Lead Bullets (2011)

#31

The other time this story was discussed here (probably in 2011, linked to techcrunch) someone pointed out very insightful comment from person claiming to be employed at a time at the Netscape in Marketing (or Sales?). According to this employee the real reason why the web server was selling was not the regained technical supremacy, but mere fact that it was boundled with mail and directory servers that customers were…

Free mail and directory servers would not have been enough to overcome a massive performance deficit. Especially not in the 90's when web server performance was still a major issue.

Here the source comment is reproduced in this old HN discussion: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3156724

Re: Lead Bullets (2011)

#32
post #2

It's so much easier to win when the product is the best. You can still lose because of 5000 other reasons, but the best product makes everything else so much easier.

Being the best is overrated. Three times in my career I was on an engineering team that built an objectively best in class product. Three times it failed because the competition out marketed us and/or beat us in the customer service department. Despite them having inferior products. Don't get me wrong. You need to have a good product. Your product can't be awful but it only needs to be about 80% as good as the compet…

I think something similar can be said for (hardware/products) China/Shenzen. Example: https://www.wish.com/

Re: Lead Bullets (2011)

#33
post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree. But i think it was not meant to be read like a roman rather than a reference book. :) Which makes it hard to read it like roman - storyline missing.

You might be interested to know that 'roman' is a False Friend ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_friend ). You probably mean to use the word 'novel.'

> You might be interested to know that 'roman' is a False Friend

What is the source language?

Re: Lead Bullets (2011)

#34
post #33
post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You might be interested to know that 'roman' is a False Friend ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_friend ). You probably mean to use the word 'novel.'

> You might be interested to know that 'roman' is a False Friend What is the source language?

Could be Russian.

Re: Lead Bullets (2011)

#35
post #13

2011

In the past six years, technological advances have rendered this essay obsolete. The SBaaS (Silver Bullet as a Service) market has allowed many companies that previously had to work hard to have the best product to simply add a service that makes them better than the competition.

SBaaS will be extinct by the time the PaaS (Profit as a Service) offerings hit the market.

Re: Lead Bullets (2011)

#36

Can someone explain this metaphor for me? My understanding is that a silver bullet kills mythical creatures. You can't also kill a werewolf with a bunch of lead ones.

I thought the article applied to real life very well.

You often procrastinate by overthinking and overplanning when the best approach to check off that item on the to-do list is to just do it.

silver bullet == not acting in hopes to eventually come up with a magical solution

lead bullet == the solution is dull but obvious, you just do it

Re: Lead Bullets (2011)

#37
post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In the past six years, technological advances have rendered this essay obsolete. The SBaaS (Silver Bullet as a Service) market has allowed many companies that previously had to work hard to have the best product to simply add a service that makes them better than the competition.

SBaaS will be extinct by the time the PaaS (Profit as a Service) offerings hit the market.

Ah, Economics 2.0. I, for one, welcome our new robot overlords.

Re: Lead Bullets (2011)

#38
post #33
post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You might be interested to know that 'roman' is a False Friend ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_friend ). You probably mean to use the word 'novel.'

> You might be interested to know that 'roman' is a False Friend What is the source language?

french, maybe others

Re: Lead Bullets (2011)

#39
post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In the past six years, technological advances have rendered this essay obsolete. The SBaaS (Silver Bullet as a Service) market has allowed many companies that previously had to work hard to have the best product to simply add a service that makes them better than the competition.

SBaaS will be extinct by the time the PaaS (Profit as a Service) offerings hit the market.

PaaS is called Investment Banking.

I hear Goldman Sachs does pretty well at it.

Re: Lead Bullets (2011)

#40
post #33
post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You might be interested to know that 'roman' is a False Friend ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_friend ). You probably mean to use the word 'novel.'

> You might be interested to know that 'roman' is a False Friend What is the source language?

German has that word.
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