This might be just my wishful thinking … but hopefully not.
I think there’s a change happening, a shifting of focus.
Two years ago, and for a long time before that, graphics cards and other bits of hardware were the talk of the town. In the mindset of the general populance, and throughout the webosphere. Mostly. Prevalently.
The winds are bringing change. And it’s good for the Developers amongst us.
I think, with the surging power of Google, and the massive influx of interest in web software RE Ajax and other development tools, software is coming to the fore. But not just "software". Microsoft has been around, all through the graphics years, and is still here.
I guess I’m talking about innovation, and how much people care about it. The buzzwords today are not to do with graphics power, ram, cpu … they’re all about Ajax, Google, … The Innovation of software (in all it’s forms) has the wave at the moment. It’s a good time to be in development. There is a lot of press out there, and it’s not too hard, with Digg,
It’s still way too early to gauge the success of this community, but so far so good. We’ve managed to create enthusiasm, interest, and a platform for participation with an extremely low cost footprint. No launch parties, no advertising, no PR, no Aeron chairs, and no frivolous spending. Well, that’s not true actually. We did spend about $50 per person on a parasailing field trip a few months ago.
It’s never been easier for a small outfit, even a one-manner, to get some attention.
So what’s holding us back? Information and the Implementation. That is, Innovation.
I recently put to bed (began the process) a piece of software I’d written and sold. It wasn’t working, I’d made mistakes at the beginning in design, mostly from a lack of business understanding. And lack of foresight. I’ve been able to think back over the time, and take stock. It’s a relief to know that I now don’t have to have it in the back of my head as a responsibility. I can actually start implementing some of the ideas I’ve had over the past year. But also, the experience has taught me (hopefully) caution. I don’t want to be in the same place again in a years time.
Anyway, starting to ramble.
It’s good to be a developer. We’re at the cusp of excellence. Bill had his turn, so did NVidia and Radeon … It’s now time for us, the little guys, to step up.
—
As an aside, it’s always been the time. People have, since computers began, done just that. Innovated their way to the top. In software, and other places. But because this is me, at my stage in life, the way I perceive things centres (inherently badly i’m sure) around my experiences. So I take what is out there on the interweb, and form my own opinions. This one is … that the time is now. But I put this disclaimer in to let anyone who has read through thus far know that whatever time it is … it is now. If you get my obtuse drift.
Apologies for the incoherency of this post. The night of night terrors must still be affecting me.