A monthly column of technology rambling, rumination and reality

By: Jud Early, Corporate Vice President, Research, [TC]²

October 2003

Notes From The Field

The Impact of Globalization On Software Development
Globalization, coupled with advances in technology, is yielding an unexpected dividend. Five years ago, software for the management of global apparel sourcing via the Internet was at best in its infancy. With the continual migration of manufacturing to lower wage countries, and the increased levels of private label product being sourced directly by retailers, a means to communicate effectively and with minimal error became a necessity. Product data management applications running in a client / server architecture required expensive connection through private network services. Many offshore contractors did not have access to such networks and were relegated to fax communication, or slow, dial-up modem services.

The dot.com boom firms were increasingly using the Internet, with promise beyond practical realities. With the bursting of the bubble, loss of stock values and the eradication of companies that failed to develop a business plan that included making a profit, huge amounts of bandwidth and server capacity were available. Globally, Internet growth was happening at a rapid rate, and the deployment of broadband in the US was actually lagging some less developed countries. According to a recent survey published in PC Magazine, South Korea has 70% of it's internet users on broadband, while here in the US, we are just reaching the 50% mark. Of course, larger companies could afford the T1 lines to connect to the Internet backbone here, but the availability of broadband at the other end was key to the next stage of application development.

The migration from client / server to browser based product data management was a logical step. Gerber Technology began the transition, and introduced a web-enabled version called WebPDM. Although limited in its ability to edit all forms and data fields, it provided a foundation upon which to grow. Other vendors have followed in recent years with web-enabled offerings. The evolution to WebPDM version 4.0 yielded a product that served many of the needs of major brands and retailers in communicating product specifications, photos, and manufacturing operations.

I recently attended the Gerber WebPDM users conference in Grapevine, Texas. At that conference I saw the evidence of the usefulness of a web PDM product, and the loyalty of the users who are now on version 4.0.x and some later beta versions. The conference was well planned and well executed. Sessions were designed to convey information from Gerber to attendees in a one-way fashion, then in multiple sessions, provided a two-way opportunity for personnel from Gerber to listen to the customer's needs. One might presume that such an environment could become a big gripe session, with the minor irritations of one customer, building upon the same from another. Far from that, the attendees were uniformly pro-WebPDM, and seemed to be accepting of the current product and its admitted limitations.

In an opening presentation, Sabrena O'Brien spoke about the future direction in customer service and touched briefly on architecture, leaving the detail of that topic to Ron Gordon, Executive Director of Software Architecture. In a carefully crafted presentation, Ron explained the evolution of products from Microsoft, and the impact they have had on the PC world. From PC-DOS in 1985, to a real working version of Windows in 1993 to the introduction of the .NET software platform in 2002, each represents a milestone, with .NET being the most recent, and of equal significance to the previous milestones. I was glad to hear that stated, as it is also my belief, and until this presentation had not heard an endorsement so strong from anyone who is not a Microsoft representative. The .NET application environment will take computing with PC and thin or remote clients to a new level.

Having laid the ground work for the planned changes, a transition schedule was outlined, during which the current client server version will be phased out, a new interim release, version 4.1 introduced late this year, and another yet, one year later. I was amazed at the calm manner in which this news was received. Instead of an outcry to "not disturb my installed base", the general mood of the attendees was "great!". I did speak to one person who expressed concern for some changes in licensing that are being made, but with regard to the change in platform to .NET and the accompanying changes that will be required in hardware, training, and changeover, the mood seemed to be "can't this happen faster?" or, "I want it now!" These comments from experienced users attest to the value they now obtain, and the expected value that the functionality that the new releases will provide. There will be some file incompatibilities, and the database used with .net will be SQL, and storage space may be presumed to grow, due both to the application platform and the richer data that can be easily added to forms. Certain administrative functions will, of necessity, remain at the server level, but functionality will allow browser based product data management to be done faster, and to be available globally with only a browser required at the other end to access, view, and within permission levels, be modified by the remote user.

Admittedly, the enthusiastic reception may be the result of a self-selecting group. The attendees were for the most part, already using WebPDM, but there were some in attendance who are in the process of making a purchase decision. The disclosure of such a well-planned migration from the current environment, with its C++ and VB programming to the .net platform did not seem to be off-putting to an attendee with whom I spoke. Rather, he expressed confidence in the migration after hearing the detailed plan and the rather aggressive dates to accomplish the transition. Is there a risk? Of course there can be no guarantee that the release dates will be met exactly, and the potential for unexpected events cannot be ignored. In all, though, the current product with its years of maturity in a non-web platform provides the basis for functionality, while the adoption of .NET provide the universality across platforms and the ability for users to develop their own functionality through a systems developer kit, without needing to understand the arcane requirements for writing a Windows .dll .

Not discussed at the conference, last week Microsoft was judged to be infringing on browser technology patents held by The University of California, and a private company. The penalty assessed is $521 million. Just pocket change to Microsoft, but they have already indicated that they intend to appeal and will probably be able to keep that in the courts for some time. The areas in question are concerned with browser plug-ins and are an integral part of all browsers. If, however, they are found to still be infringing, and if they elect to redevelop certain areas of the IE browser, there could be some impact on functionality, and potentially the need to redesign some of the browser client applications. In a private conversation with Ron Gordon, I asked about this, and how it might impact Gerber's schedule. Ron acknowledged that there might be some change required, but it is of course too early to tell, and that as a Microsoft development partner they will have adequate notice of any required change. I again complemented him on the corporate planning, and development roadmap. All in all, I was impressed with the product, the new attitudes, and the potential that this transition will provide.

The unexpected dividend then, is the adoption of technology that enhances the ability to provide information globally, and the advantage of the .NET platform and the richness that it provides.

You Too Can Be A Programmer!
In a March visit to Assyst in Munich, my colleague Mike Fralix and I were introduced to a new product in the Assyst family, Smart Pattern. For those familiar with the Visio application, and its shape templates, the ability for a template to carry additional information is already known. Smart Pattern, by its name, implies a similar functionality. Although this description can be generally used, Smart Pattern is much more than a template with a properties sheet attached.

The first week of September brought a trainer from Germany, as well as the CEO of Assyst, Thomas Heinrichs to North Carolina. A training course at [TC]2 took place over three days. I was able to attend most of the first day, and monitor small bits of days two and three. The product provides a means to automate any function that is available in the AssyCAD application.

Unless you are an experienced typist, or one who works daily with Excel spreadsheets, the term Macro probably means "find another way". Microsoft provides a wizard to write, and a visual basic editor to modify macros, but for most non-power users, the time to write a macro and debug it requires more of a commitment of time than the final result warrants. So when the term Macro was used in the context of an apparel CAD system, it brought visions of hours of writing, debugging and learning the intricacies of yet another language. Far from the truth, the macros are already written. You are trained to write your own, but from a library of over five hundred macros and functions, the user is required to select a function from a menu list on the left side of the screen, and to drag the function into a right pane, where it is automatically inserted into the command tree. From the observations of an inexperienced user, the ability to create entire sequences of automated actions, without requiring the services of a programmer and many months to program and debug, is nirvana. The addition of seam allowances, notches, and other detail features without manual intervention, provides a means to an automated made-to-measure pattern that can be driven by other data sources. For those with Assyst CAD systems who have a need to automate the activities that you are now doing manually, I suggest an investigation into this product.

Another Assyst offering that is experiencing growth beyond initial projections, is Automarker.com . Highly efficient markers are produced from your patterns in a matter of seconds from a server farm in Northern Ireland. The resulting markers are available to anyone with proper permission at any place on the globe having Internet access. Priced for economic use, this service helps the company who wishes to make patterns or CNC cut files available to contractors or owned facilities anywhere in the world a seamless process. According to Thomas Heinrichs, brand owners with an existing installed base of hardware/software are using the service to allow time shifting for points half-way around the world, and to eliminate the expense of transporting paper markers to distant cutting rooms. Marker efficiency is at least as good as is currently done manually, and as has been discovered, many markers purporting to have great efficiency are not optimal, due to the press of production, and the need to move onto the next job.

Upon my return from the Gerber WebPDM conference in Dallas, I spent a day at the B2T Conference, sponsored locally by Business Leader Magazine. Described as a conference to "Bring technology to business, and business to technology", the conference did both. In sessions dealing with Marketing and Technology, Wireless, Spam, and Internet Security, the topics were presented in the context of how we must deal with these negative issues, just as we do with the essential aspects of running our businesses. Technology is a blessing to us all, but must be managed and must be properly utilized. Information systems are in jeopardy with constant attacks from hackers and amateur virus writers. In order to maximize the benefit of information systems, we must take all necessary steps to ensure the reliability and integrity of our networks.

Now, for my soapbox speech… If you are a computer user, and have one or more computers connected to the internet, you have the same potential for attack as businesses, but probably do not have the same level of digital competence that is expected of one's corporate IT manager. If your computer operating system is a version of Microsoft Windows, your vulnerability is increased, unless you apply the patches necessary to guard against unwanted viruses, worms, and intruders. If your browser is Internet Explorer, it too, must be patched. Visit the Microsoft Update site www.windowsupdate.com ; identify your operating system and the patches available for free download. Patches are essential to safe computing, and yes, we all are tired of managing patches and security updates, but that's the price we pay for connecting to the world at large. Linux and Unix are not immune to attacks, but most hackers are targeting the largest and softest deployment. Broadband is another wonderful improvement over the dial-up services, but with broadband comes more vulnerability. With cable and DSL services, the connection is always on, and hackers will send millions of probes over the web, looking for systems with unprotected IP addresses. Having broadband without a firewall is like playing Russian roulette. Some day the hacker will probe, find your machine open to their snooping, and your credit card, bank account or other sensitive data will be in the hands of one who can use it to drain your bank balance, open new credit card accounts, or assume your identity.

My home system consists of a primary machine that holds all my current work, applications, data, and serves as my world-wide communication center. The secondary machine is a back up, connected by a wired Ethernet network, and with a wireless firewall/router to isolate my machines from the bad guys. My wireless notebook accesses the network from an upstairs bedroom, for web research or printing on two networked printers. Each machine is up to date with the most recent patches, the router firewall provides hardware isolation, and the machines also run a software firewall from a well-known vendor. The wireless is encrypted, and does not transmit an SSID. If all this seems a bit paranoid, it is. I cannot afford to allow hackers into my personal life, nor do I have the time to sort out the chaos that would result if one were successful. I strongly urge each reader to take the necessary steps to secure your PC from harm. There is help available, just use it.

Now, some final notes from the Grapevine conference; for those who have been using Corel Designer as a sketch and drawing application, it has been updated to version 10. Is this good news? From talking with several folks at the conference, it may not be. As is the case with many software updates, new features and new function are present. Also present are a new menu, a more difficult learning curve, and some incompatibilities with old versions. Gerber has supplied and supported the application in its previous versions. That may not continue, and if the older version is dropped as planned, may not bode well for people who do not have access to the earlier versions. Corel and Gerber were in discussion regarding the future of sales and support, with Adobe Illustrator popping up in conversation with several affected users to whom I spoke.

There is much more to write, but I must be like a gracious guest, and know when to leave.

Next month: More notes from the field- Munich and Mass Customization

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