Path: utzoo!telecom-request Date: Sun, 19 May 91 01:16:32 -0700 From: Jeff Sicherman Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Re: Wanted: Recommendations For Small Key-System Message-ID: Organization: Cal State Long Beach Sender: Telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Approved: Telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 11, Issue 378, Message 2 of 8 Lines: 33 In article The Super User writes: > NT should be giving away the developer kit to encourage as many > applications as possible. As Brian pointed out, anyone who wants to > run these app's will have to buy NT hardware. > Northern Telecom has the right idea (opening up the architecture), but > they need to make it affordable to the very kind of companies that > have the potential to develop the killer applications that could make > their Norstar the standard key system around which all custom > applications are built. I suspect there's more to this policy than than mere technical innovation considerations. A company as large as NT is going to want to have there product associated with VAD's who have the financial, development, and marketing resources to adequately support what they sell. This often does not apply to the garage type operation. If there are problems, who do you think the customer is going to go to (or after) if the system doesnt work and the developer doesnt have the resources to deal with it or goes out of business? There is also a prestige issue of who their product is associated with and what effect this may have on sales. In this context, the high cost of the kit is intended as a barrier to those who either lack the resources or are not very serious about their ideas (and can convince others of the value). It's more of a test than a reflection of the kit's value or cost (to NT). Jeff Sicherman