Things are moving so fast in the immature world of multimedia and the World Wide Web that there is no time or money to hold products until they are ready for a formal launch – when they may fly or flop. You need to get people thinking your way and trying out the things you are working on at as early a stage as possible, and IBM Corp is doing just that with the launch of the alphaWorks on-line laboratory. The initiative appears to be an audacious attempt to accelerate the pace at which Internet technology, under development in the labs, is either turned into products, licensed or junked. IBMers from labs and individual skunk-works projects will submit their pet gizmos to a new Web site at www.alphaworks.ibm.com for the world to download and evaluate. IBM is also hoping that it will improve sluggish communications within the company, bringing hot technologies to the notice of product managers within IBM. We realized we had a dire need to figure out a better way to get these technologies out into the world, says alphaWorks manager Andrew Morbitzer: we want to get them out very early in the life cycle so we can quickly get the money behind the technologies. As part of the scheme, IBM has streamlined the intellectual property clearances that IBM researchers need to undertake before releasing technology. A Notes-based internal system has reduced the time for clearance – including name clearance, patent protection and so forth – to around three weeks in most cases, says Morbitzer – maybe six if there are complications. The site launches with six technologies, including the long-awaited Java system for Windows 3.1 (now named ‘applet development kit for Windows 3.1,’ to avoid Java trade mark issues). Also included is Bamba, a real-time audio and video streaming, encoding and player package that IBM reckons outperforms both RealAudio and VDONet. And Panoramix, which sounds as if it should give Apple Computer Inc’s QuickTime VR a run for its money – is claimed to enable Internet users to construct panoramic views of landscape or rooms without the need for a special camera. Morbitzner says that he had around 40 technologies already queueing up to go on the site before the project had even been announced internally, and some six new items will go up every Friday. AlphaWorks was the charge of John Patrick, vice-president of Internet Technology, who presented at last May’s IBM senior management meeting and gained the approval of Lou Gerstner. Morbitzer claims that alphaWorks has achieved wide support within IBM itself, despite the risk involved in effectively inviting the competition in to look around the labs: There will be a small number of occasions when we have something that is revolutionary he says; but in the majority of cases IBM will be in competition with firms that are attempting to develop something similar …and they will be getting it out there early – you have no choice but to take the risk says Morbitzer, who adds: this was a dream project – I really haven’t had to battle anybody. The initiative is a challenging development, and a disconcertingly un-IBM thing to do. Since several people usually come up with similar ideas around the same time, www.alphaworks.ibm.com will be a must-visit site every Friday. IBM says it will also one day allow others to describe their own alpha stage products at the site.
