Just saw on Nick's blog that Borland has finally spun off their dev tools into a separate business called CodeGear. I really want them to succeed, as I think it's good for the industry and -- on a more personal note -- I know a lot of my old friends and colleagues there have paid their dues and deserve a little success. However, I can't help my mind from going to dark places on this, so I need to blurt out a few things... why couldn't they find a buyer for "DevCo"? (Tod Nielsen's story about not being able to find a suitable adoptive parent for his baby rings a little hollow) When it comes to a viable business for independent developer tools vendors, is there still a there there? Why oh why would they announce a new company in the year 2006 with a website that contains only a line of code and an email link for press inquiries? Is it a good idea to market their tools under a new brand when the Borland brand has undoubtedly been a key asset of their tools business? I suppose time will reveal how successful the strategy is, but meanwhile I look forward to lots of enthusiastic coopetition. :)
1. Buyer - there is none.
2. Strategy - there is none.
3. Web site - there is none.
What is the pattern?
As an ex-Borland customer and avid supporter, I continue to be dismayed by their decision-making process. We were a staunch C++Builder shop, but after Borland "left us out in the cold" for a number of years, we switched to Visual Studio and have never looked back.
I kind of feel sorry for the developers there - I'm sure there are a lot of fine folks there with great ideas. But Borland's management is totally clueless, so unfortunately, everyone's hard efforts don't amount to much in the end.
You got a typo, it's "CodeGear" not "GodeGear".
Tom: Yes, their managerial/business history has been unsettling. It'll be interesting to see how they run the railroad given that the dev tools people now control their own destiny. I think we should be able to tell a lot in the first 90-days, and if the first 90-days don't tell us much, then I think that will tell us a lot. :)
Jelon: Oops. Some kind of Freudian something or other. Anyhow, it's fixed.