【YAKOV】心中的五大软件公司

这里列出的公司顺序并不代表其重要性，每一个对我的日常生活来说都很重要，同时这也会持续一段时间

Microsoft 微软
在过去的20年里，当我打开我的电脑，首先引入眼帘的肯定是windows操作系统的LOGO，这难道不代表了一些东西么？你能说出其他的软件对于人们的日常生活如此重要的么？我不能。微软也是程序员乐于讨厌的对象，他们肯定能够给你列出一大堆的理由，为什么微软那么讨厌而Linux很讨人喜欢。

虽然我能接受一些讨厌微软的技术上的原因，但是我不能接受那些在博客里倾泻其愤怒于微软的做法，对于这样的愤怒无非有两个理由：
a) 90年代微软无疑是吸引世界上最优秀程序员的公司，对于那些能够指出微软系统设计漏洞上错误的能力确实会让人比较爽
b) 盖茨是个50多岁的巨富的人而你不是
博客撰写的自由让大家喜欢这样来泄私愤：“盖茨太恶心了”。对于某些人这已经成了日常生活如刷牙一样必不可少的一部分了。
我不是微软的程序员，我知道微软做生意的方式不好，谁又做的好呢？但是我总是记得微软是我生活的一部分，因此我必须澄清这一点

Sun Microsystems
追溯到98年，那个时候我用PowerBuilder编程并且正准备转向另一个领域。当然PowerBuider那个时候还没有被淘汰，但是我总是希望我是个独立的人希望自己的利益最大化，而PowerBuilder只是一个工具，我希望不要被这样的工具因为感情因素而被限制了PB和其他的集成环境一样只是工具，如果对于你的工作有更好的工具，不要迟疑的使用之，不要和编程语言产生爱情，你能爱上一个驱动器么？不要去爱上任何不能反过来爱你的东西。【^_^】

不管怎么说我转到了JAVA开发阵营我不后悔，现在Java是很多企业及IT应用的主梁，这使得我在很多工作环境非常舒适，很多年来Java成为我收入的唯一来源，这是件不能也不该忘记的事情，我的家庭只是这种靠Java生存的很多家庭中的一个，且不说这些家庭和国家，Java使得想印度这样的大国历史得以改写，因为Java很多印度人得以脱贫致富，改写了这样的传说：如果你出生在贫穷家庭那么你不可能进入上流社会。
【笔者注：我想这是作者对印度的偏见了，似乎是SUN拯救了印度人民是的，我不同意这种观点】

我从孩提时代就记得RajKapoor的电影，这些电影有一个共同的特点就是一个出生贫苦的人爱上了一个出生高贵的美丽小姐，当然女方的家庭肯定不会同意这桩婚事，整个电影院都笼罩在同情和泪水之中，我想如果Raj知道Java的话，他就会来到美国，作出一番事情然后开着白色的本田轿车体体面面的回去。【太扯蛋了】

严肃的说，Java以积极的态势改变了我的生活，虽然现在它失去了它的光彩，人们在抱怨他已经不如年轻时那么吸引人了，也许是这样，但是我还是很喜欢它，因而很尊重给予我们这样一个伟大技术的SUN公司

Google
它的搜索引擎的速度是如此的快以至于它完全改变了我做事情的方式，虽然没有精确的统计过，但是我每天至少上50此GOOGLE，Google使得很多事情只有一个点击那么远，想要找你在使用的API的帮助文档？Google可能比你装载在计算机上的API帮助文档还要快。如果你想要买一只蓝色眼睛的狗，一条腿比其他三条长？Google会帮你联系世界另一端的卖家；……

emm，在google地图之前有生命么？没有它人们是如何认路的？为什么小巧的广告商业模型没有得到微软的注意呢？微软还在坚持要想赚钱就要出卖许可证么？

去年我收到了来自Google招聘的电话问我是否去面试，我当然没去-我可不想受辱：让那些25岁的小伙子问我"你如何数美国的湖“这样的 问题，虽然很尴尬但是我不得不承认我没法数清那些该死的湖，只是不想再面试中被这些小伙子刷掉，然而GOOGLE很重要，我不得不承认它是我生活的一部分

Adobe
三年前我对Adobe的认识只是停留在创建了PDF阅读器和其他一些图片工具的公司。

两年半前他们收购了另一家生产标价过高的Web开发工具公司，在整合之后，新一版本的FLEX就诞生了，我很清楚这是服务器端最好的Web API了

两年前我开始写一本如何使用Flex的书，我的两个合作者和我创办了一个公司来帮助RIA应用程序，这是技术驱动业务公司的一个很好的例子，现在越来越多的公司开始意识到Flex对于RIA是不可或缺的，并且开始采用这些技术。但我们嗅到了市场的先机首先采用了这些技术，市场前景对于我们来说只会越来越广阔，Flex使得我的餐桌上开始出现加餐了。你要和我共进晚餐么？

Farata Systems
这家公司对于我来说非常重要那是因为一个原因：我是这家公司的创建者之一。在我冗长的编程生涯中，我有时会想到点子开发个什么产品，或者是别人想到了点子，然后和我说：我想到了什么什么点子，我们一起来开发这样的程序吧，它会很热卖的”。我总是拒绝这样的事情，因为我知道任何产品最重要的生命周期总是销售，你可以有世界上最好的点子，你甚至能够实现它，但是销售这些软件可是需要懂市场，需求的艺术。但是两年前我开始打破这个规则，我们创建了这家公司，我们有自己的软件，我们接受咨询，我们自己创建软件，我们雇了很多人，我们在会议上推销我们的产品，我们在创建我们的品牌，但是这是项非常有趣的工作

外面有很多的软件公司，每个人都有他的爱好，我只是列出了我的喜好，我也衷心的希望你们都能成功。

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I did not list these companies in the order of importance, but each of them is a part of my daily routines, and it’s going to stay this way for a while.

Microsoft
During the last 20 years, when I turn on my computer it displays the familiar logo of Windows OS. Isn’t it something? Can you name any other software which became a fabric of life of so many people around the world and has such longevity? I can’t. Microsoft is also the most popular object for bashing. Programmers of all nations love to hate Microsoft. They’d give you some technical reasons trying to explain why Windows sucks while Linux or Unix or Mac rules.

While I can often understand technical reasons for not liking a specific feature of Windows, I do not accept the amount of anger in most of the blogs or articles writing about them. IMO, there are two main reasons for such anger:
a) In the nineties, MS was attracting the best programmers in the world, and it would give a warm feeling to an average Joe when he could point at bugs or design issues in Windows;
b)Bill Gates is a filthy rich person and Joe is not.

The freedom of blogs allows everyone to proclaim something like, “Bill Gates sucks”. For some people it became a daily habit like brushing teeth.
I’m not a Microsoft developer. I know that Microsoft is not a kosher company when it comes to running business (who is?). But I always remember that Microsoft is a part of my life one way or the other, and I give them a credit for this.

Sun Microsystems
Back in 1998, I was programming in PowerBuilder and was looking to make a move to another field. It was a kind of a jumping the sinking ship situation. This ship was not exactly sinking at that time, but I was an independent contractor and was looking for a way to maximize my hourly rate. PowerBuilder as all other programming tools or languages are just the tools, and I try not to get emotionally attached to them. If it does the job, fine. If there is a better tool for the job – just use it. Do not fall in love with a programming language. You can’t love a screwdriver, can you? Do not love something that can’t love you back.

Anyway, I switched to Java and do not regret it. Today Java is a backbone of most of the enterprise IT shops, which makes me feel home in so many working places. For many years Java put bread and butter on my family’s table, and this is something that can’t and won’t be forgotten. And my family is just one of the millions and millions of homes that make a better living than in a pre-Java times. Let alone families – countries. Java brought such a huge country as India to a different level of their history. For thousands of people in India Java gave a chance to break out from poverty, to break the written in stone caste laws that stated that if you were born to a family of a street vendor, you did not have a chance to move to a higher society.

I remember Raj Kapoor movies from my childhood… Most of these movies had pretty much the same plot – a poor guy working in the factory falls in love with a beautiful girl (with a sexy belly) from a rich family. Her parents would never allow a marriage with this low caste guy. The entire movie theater was in tears. If only Raj knew Java! He’d go to America, made some serious dough and would have come back to his loved one in white Toyota Camry (remember the ending of Pretty Woman with Richard Gere?)

Seriously, Java affected my life in a very positive way. These days it lost its glamour, people are complaining that it’s not sexy anymore, it’s obese and has cellulite. Maybe. But I still like it and respect Sun for giving us such a solid product.

Google
Its search engine is sooooo fast that it changes the way I do things. I never counted, but I go to google.com at least fifty times a day. Google makes everything a click away. Need to find help for the API you are currently using? Google will respond faster that the IDE of this API that is installed on your local hard disk. Want to purchase a dog that has long years, one leg longer than other and blue eyes? Google will connect you with the right breeder in another part of the world in split of a second. Need to send a $1000-an-hour prostitute to your hotel room in Washington? Go to google.com. I like gourmet food, and a couple of Zagat guides that rate restaurants are sitting on my book shelf. But, why standing up and making a step toward the book case to pick this Zagat if I can go to Google and get up to date info about dining places?

BTW, was there life before Google maps? How people would find places without it?
How about this simple and smart advertising business model that was overlooked by Microsoft that was positive that the only way to make money was selling licenses?

Last year I got a call from Google’s recruiter asking if I wanted to apply for a job there. I did not apply for a simple reason – did not feel like going through their humiliating interviewing routine what a 25-year old kids would ask me question like, “How would you count all lakes in the USA?”. I’m embarrassed to admit, but I have no idea how to count these freaking lakes. Just do not want to fail the interview. But Google is da man, and I really like the fact that it’s a part of my life.

Adobe
Three years ago I knew that Adobe is a little company that created a PDF Reader and a couple of tools for photo hobbyists and illustrators.

Two and a half years ago they’ve purchased yet another small company that had a couple of little known overpriced tools for Web developers and a player for Internet banners and skip-intro pages. After the merger, a new version and new pricing policy for their tool Flex was announced, and it was clear to me that this is the best Web API for server side Java applications.

Two years ago I was writing a book about use of Flex; my two co-authors and I have founded a company to help enterprises develop rich Internet applications that include Flex. This is a good example of technology driving business. Today, more and more companies realize that Flex is the best choice for RIA, but we had a good nose and were one of the first adopters of this technology, which opens up a market for us that will only get bigger and bigger. Flex allowed to add a little of black caviar to Java’s bread and butter. Do you want to share this dinner with me?

Farata Systems
This company is influencing my life for a simple reason - I am one of the founders of this small software development and consulting boutique. In my rather long programming career several times I either had an idea of developing some product, or I was approached by other programmers, “Hey, I’ve got this idea - let’s develop such-and-such program together. It’ll sell like hot cakes”. I was always rejecting these offers understanding that the main word in a life cycle of any product is “sell”. You can have the greatest idea in the world, you can even implement it, but selling the software is an art that must be backed by some substantial and often expensive PR and marketing. But two years ago I broke the rule, and we’ve created this company. We have our own software, we consult, we write, we hire and manage people, we speak at the conferences promoting our services and software products. We are building a brand, which is a time consuming but interesting job.

There is a lot of good software companies out there, and each person has his favorites. I listed mine and wish all of them success and prosperity.