From: Emlyn O'regan (oregan.emlyn@healthsolve.com.au)
Date: Tue Jun 03 2003 - 19:11:37 MDT
> I have an idea for one, but I'm dead-seriously not going to
> post about it
> in the clear on this list. I suggest others consider this
> carefully too.
> I'll codename this idea of mine Tarmac.
>
> Care to suggest a secure channel? Sorry to be so coy, but that's what
> happens when I try to get serious about wearing a business
> guy hat. I had
> to learn that. There's a time for going public, so to speak,
> and this ain't
> it. Spiders do crawl the Javein archive. :)
>
> MMB
>
> --
> I am not here to have an argument. I am here as part of a
> civilization.
> Sometimes I forget.
>
I'm not enough of a business guy to worry about that (although when bound to
secrecy, which is relatively common, I abide by my contracts).
I have noticed that the ideas that *need* secrecy are limited in potential.
Once they are out of the box, first mover advantage can be strong enough, or
it can fail to work for various reasons, but the big boys catch up with you
eventually.
OTOH, really truly good ideas seldom require secrecy, imo. The kinds of
ideas that people don't understand until the rubber of the finished product
hits the road and people say "Oh, I get it now, damn, that *is* a good
idea". Like the photocopier, for example.
I think that real ideas usually require skill and time and effort to
implement, and aren't hugely stealable - what you would be "stealing" is a
starting point, still requiring heaps of blood sweat & tears (and
investment) before being able to prove itself.
I also concur with Adrian that peer review is often worth more than secrecy.
I've worked for more than one small org that thought it had an amazing,
secret idea that it was working on for ages, that seemed clearly to me to be
really far less remarkable (and marketable) than the org thinks. Secrecy,
and the associated isolationism, can very easily lead you to empty your bank
account to no good end.
Emlyn
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