CompuServe Messages

{continued …} One lesson to be learned from these earliest days of directed, purposeful research and development, is that we must stay focussed on functional goals, on the task at hand. People and companies who get too hung up on their own approach may lose out to superior execution. A few individuals take their big ideas all the way to success (like Gillette). But too often the people who originate the big idea lose out because they cannot adapt to new ways to capitalize on their ideas. Did you know the earliest principles of tv were demonstrated in the 1880's? Color tv in the 1930's? FM radio in the 1920's? That the mouse, remote computer communications, CRT's for computers and computer-generated graphics were all demonstrated in the mid-1960's? And the people who developed all these ideas and demonstrated them first, benefited only minutely from their accomplishments. A great book is "Getting It Right the Second Time" by Gershman. It is fascinating to see how Pepsi, Kotex, ballpoint pens and a host of other products evolved from their original failed executions. I don't know if CDROM itself will be around in 20 years or not. And, to some extent, I don't care. The fact is that the lessons we learn from working with digital multimedia publishing today are pushing the envelope. What we must watch for are the best ways to execute the concept, to its ultimate success. Have a great Christmas! — Rich Bowers