By. Ajeet Khurana
These days we look at the word "hardware" and think, "computers". If you are one of those people, let me tell you that this article on hardware talks about purchasing pipes, plumbing, wires, power tools and so on.
If you are looking for new pipes for your bathroom, don't just buy the first set of pipes that you see in a hardware store window. Remember, these are not clothes you are buying. Clothes can be replaced for a relatively low expense. However, even if just one pipe decides to burst, you would definitely have to spend a fortune on plumbing. Wouldn't it be better to save yourself that money and buy yourself a set of pipes that have a greater staying power instead?
Durability and usability are two factors that are of the utmost importance when it comes to hardware products. So when it comes to even a measly difference of rates, be more partial to a hardware store that charges more. At least until you are absolutely certain that the cheaper hardware store owner is offering a product of equally superior quality.
The best thing about going to an Acme hardware store, or to some other hardware store that has a good reputation, is that you are assured of the quality of the product you are buying. I'm sure you don't want to have to return to the hardware store again and again simply because the things that you bought to plug the leak in your room or below the basin, were not up to the mark.
Whenever a person goes shopping, he or she looks around for products that fulfill some specific basic requirements. The same concept holds true whether you are shopping at an Acme hardware store, or simply at the unnamed hardware store near the bus station.
So what do you look for in the products that you buy from a hardware store, whether an Acme hardware store or otherwise? I for one, look for a decent brand name that will be more likely to give me products of a superior quality. If I am looking to spend good money on some top-class power tools, I make sure to go to a hardware store that is reputed for products of good quality.
I also make sure that the hardware products that I buy rate high on usability. After all, what would I do with expensive garden tools if my garden comprised only a few smallish flower pots?
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Software vs. Hardware Business Models
by. Phil Morettini
Much of my consulting practice centers on working with early stage software companies. But I have substantial hardware market experience in my background, and I do take on consulting assignments with hardware companies.
So what are the differences and similarities between successful software and hardware businesses?
CAPITAL REQUIREMENTS
One of the larger differences is that software companies generally require much lower capital to reach profitability and continued growth. This is primarily because of the lack of need to invest in expensive semiconductor development tools, semiconductor masks, manufacturing plants/equipment, manufacturing engineering personnel, unfinished goods inventory, higher cost of finished goods inventory, etc. So except for startups backed by substantial institutional capital, it's much easier to startup software companies compared to their hardware counterparts.
MARGINS
Another important area where software companies have an advantage is in margins—both in the area of typical gross margins, as well as the potential for higher net margins. This is primarily due to the negligible cost-of-goods-sold for most software companies.As a result, it easier for software companies to get to profitability, and if a large market is found, sustain profitability. Remember, throughout this article I am talking "on average". There are hardware businesses with excellent gross margins (dominant semiconductor companies come to mind) as well. But in general, this is an area where the advantage goes to software.
PRICING
The big difference here also is related to product cost. The major difference comes down to product cost, which in the long run creates a floor for anyone who would actually like to make a profit. While optimal pricing of hardware or software should be based upon a value-based approach—with market segmentation as the key However, I rarely find this to be the case in my consulting practice—whether the company markets a software or hardware product.
In the hardware business, you tend to see a lot of simple pricing models that are cost-based. For software businesses, the negligible product cost can be the other end of the proverbial double-edge sward when it comes to pricing. In a competitive market, you may see competitors in software markets literally "give away" the initial product, and rely on the upgrade stream to make a profit downstream. This can strain the profitability of the entire segment, and in severe circumstances, can suck all the profit from the market. You see this scenario most often started by weaker competitors, or in markets where switching costs are high. While hardware pricing can be even more competitive generally, it is less likely for a weaker competitor in a hardware market to introduce a "zero-margin" program. This is because it is often tougher to hang onto a customer in the second generation (if the market has commoditized), and the market leader often has a gross margin advantage—making it an ill advised maneuver other than as an attention-getting, short-term promotion.
DISTRIBUTION
The advent of the Internet has created a major difference in distribution between software and hardware companies, where there was very little difference in the past. It has made direct distribution much more practical for small software companies, in markets where a simple download is practical. For those companies which aren't direct-only, distribution is similar for hardware and software companies. Traditional distribution through third parties tends to be very similar, although higher inventory costs are still a burden that hardware companies need to manage more closely, both for in-house finished goods and those held by the channel.
DEFENSIBLE STRATEGIC ADVANTAGE
This is an area in which software and hardware markets have both similarities and large differences. Both hardware and software companies value patents as a form of providing a sustainable competitive advantage. But in my opinion, the inherent malleability of software makes patent protection less useful in software than in hardware. It is easier to "find another way" of accomplishing the same end result when you are dealing strictly in software code. It's also easier to segment in software markets, creating a targeted, niche version of a software product for a specific segment, nipping at a market leader without drawing their fire. It's much harder for a small hardware company to differentiate itself this way. On the other hand, the market leader that establishes itself and creates a large volume business, creates the important competitive advantages—cost efficiencies and brand recognition are the huge, defensible advantages. So I believe this point comes down to scale—in software markets, it's easier for a small competitor to overcome the scale of larger competitors, and develop a niche strategic advantage. While in hardware, the large competitors can use scale to create the ultimate competitive advantage.
LOCALIZATION REQUIREMENTS
This is an area in which hardware companies normally have an advantage. They usually have simpler user interfaces, and sometimes utilize symbols extensively in their interfaces, greatly reducing translation requirements into local languages. Hardware companies do have to deal with some physical differences in standards, such as electrical—but these have stabilized over time, and are often handled in the standard product.
Conversely, software user interfaces are usually language intensive and more complex, with thicker user manuals. This requires software companies to live with higher localization costs and longer lead times to market worldwide. The exception to this is complex software sold to highly technical users, where English is often used as the standard language.
POTENTIAL FOR DOMINANCE
I'm going by mostly by empirical evidence here. It seems that there have been a lot more hardware companies who have dominated there respective businesses, for a longer period of time than in software. For every Microsoft (and there's really only one of those!) it seems there are many more examples like Intel, Cisco, IBM, HP, Dell, etc. Hardware markets tend to commoditize more easily, but with standardization on a couple of leading brands. It's hard to make money in the long run in hardware unless you are one of the top two or three players. Large hardware markets are also relatively larger in revenue than large software markets, allowing market leaders to more fully utilize their profit and cost advantages over competitors, by spreading marketing costs over large product volumes. So if you're looking to build a truly dominant company, the odds are greater in hardware—although you probably are still better off heading to Las Vegas, and putting your life savings on roulette red!
There are many more ways to contrast and compare hardware and software companies, but I will end it here. What other points would you add?
Much of my consulting practice centers on working with early stage software companies. But I have substantial hardware market experience in my background, and I do take on consulting assignments with hardware companies.
So what are the differences and similarities between successful software and hardware businesses?
CAPITAL REQUIREMENTS
One of the larger differences is that software companies generally require much lower capital to reach profitability and continued growth. This is primarily because of the lack of need to invest in expensive semiconductor development tools, semiconductor masks, manufacturing plants/equipment, manufacturing engineering personnel, unfinished goods inventory, higher cost of finished goods inventory, etc. So except for startups backed by substantial institutional capital, it's much easier to startup software companies compared to their hardware counterparts.
MARGINS
Another important area where software companies have an advantage is in margins—both in the area of typical gross margins, as well as the potential for higher net margins. This is primarily due to the negligible cost-of-goods-sold for most software companies.As a result, it easier for software companies to get to profitability, and if a large market is found, sustain profitability. Remember, throughout this article I am talking "on average". There are hardware businesses with excellent gross margins (dominant semiconductor companies come to mind) as well. But in general, this is an area where the advantage goes to software.
PRICING
The big difference here also is related to product cost. The major difference comes down to product cost, which in the long run creates a floor for anyone who would actually like to make a profit. While optimal pricing of hardware or software should be based upon a value-based approach—with market segmentation as the key However, I rarely find this to be the case in my consulting practice—whether the company markets a software or hardware product.
In the hardware business, you tend to see a lot of simple pricing models that are cost-based. For software businesses, the negligible product cost can be the other end of the proverbial double-edge sward when it comes to pricing. In a competitive market, you may see competitors in software markets literally "give away" the initial product, and rely on the upgrade stream to make a profit downstream. This can strain the profitability of the entire segment, and in severe circumstances, can suck all the profit from the market. You see this scenario most often started by weaker competitors, or in markets where switching costs are high. While hardware pricing can be even more competitive generally, it is less likely for a weaker competitor in a hardware market to introduce a "zero-margin" program. This is because it is often tougher to hang onto a customer in the second generation (if the market has commoditized), and the market leader often has a gross margin advantage—making it an ill advised maneuver other than as an attention-getting, short-term promotion.
DISTRIBUTION
The advent of the Internet has created a major difference in distribution between software and hardware companies, where there was very little difference in the past. It has made direct distribution much more practical for small software companies, in markets where a simple download is practical. For those companies which aren't direct-only, distribution is similar for hardware and software companies. Traditional distribution through third parties tends to be very similar, although higher inventory costs are still a burden that hardware companies need to manage more closely, both for in-house finished goods and those held by the channel.
DEFENSIBLE STRATEGIC ADVANTAGE
This is an area in which software and hardware markets have both similarities and large differences. Both hardware and software companies value patents as a form of providing a sustainable competitive advantage. But in my opinion, the inherent malleability of software makes patent protection less useful in software than in hardware. It is easier to "find another way" of accomplishing the same end result when you are dealing strictly in software code. It's also easier to segment in software markets, creating a targeted, niche version of a software product for a specific segment, nipping at a market leader without drawing their fire. It's much harder for a small hardware company to differentiate itself this way. On the other hand, the market leader that establishes itself and creates a large volume business, creates the important competitive advantages—cost efficiencies and brand recognition are the huge, defensible advantages. So I believe this point comes down to scale—in software markets, it's easier for a small competitor to overcome the scale of larger competitors, and develop a niche strategic advantage. While in hardware, the large competitors can use scale to create the ultimate competitive advantage.
LOCALIZATION REQUIREMENTS
This is an area in which hardware companies normally have an advantage. They usually have simpler user interfaces, and sometimes utilize symbols extensively in their interfaces, greatly reducing translation requirements into local languages. Hardware companies do have to deal with some physical differences in standards, such as electrical—but these have stabilized over time, and are often handled in the standard product.
Conversely, software user interfaces are usually language intensive and more complex, with thicker user manuals. This requires software companies to live with higher localization costs and longer lead times to market worldwide. The exception to this is complex software sold to highly technical users, where English is often used as the standard language.
POTENTIAL FOR DOMINANCE
I'm going by mostly by empirical evidence here. It seems that there have been a lot more hardware companies who have dominated there respective businesses, for a longer period of time than in software. For every Microsoft (and there's really only one of those!) it seems there are many more examples like Intel, Cisco, IBM, HP, Dell, etc. Hardware markets tend to commoditize more easily, but with standardization on a couple of leading brands. It's hard to make money in the long run in hardware unless you are one of the top two or three players. Large hardware markets are also relatively larger in revenue than large software markets, allowing market leaders to more fully utilize their profit and cost advantages over competitors, by spreading marketing costs over large product volumes. So if you're looking to build a truly dominant company, the odds are greater in hardware—although you probably are still better off heading to Las Vegas, and putting your life savings on roulette red!
There are many more ways to contrast and compare hardware and software companies, but I will end it here. What other points would you add?
Monday, June 30, 2008
Pos Hardware
By. Tony E. Mcday
POS is a short form for point of sale. POS hardware is basically used at trade or retail level, a checkout counter in a shop, or changeable sites where a deal occurs in this type of environment like restaurants, hotels, stadiums, casinos, as well as retail environments. POS hardware uses computers and dedicated workstations that are connected with money records, barcode readers, ocular scanners and magnetic band readers for correctly and right away capturing the business. POS hardware includes label printers, cash drawers, Barcode scanners, pole display, card swiper or reader, POS Monitor, POS Touch Screen and receipt printers. To use POS hardware, retailers need to know about them.
A vital element of POS hardware is the cash drawer. It is used to store Money, credit card receipts and other paperwork. Cash drawers receive a signal from the computer or receipt printer. The cash drawer should be compatible with the rest of the system if purchasing the POS hardware separately. Cash drawers should be strong and survive the steady opening and closing. Pole display is an elective POS hardware. It is a lighted display used to display the transaction totals, sum tendered and to display feature modified messages or to show advertisement.
POS Monitors may be a flat-panel LCD monitor or a standard CRT monitor; the LCD monitor may be more expansive than the standard but takes up less space at the checkout counter. POS Touch Screens are easy and faster to use than traditional keyboards and monitors and save counter space. The keyboards serve as a main POS hardware. Keyboards could differ in complexity and technology. They range in choices from a standard 101-key model like you may have on your home PC to industry-specific POS keyboards. Where special functions are required like Grocery stores and restaurants, only programmable keyboards are used.
Bar code scanners are used at many shops and restaurants for checking out the price of the product. They can be of a different size and technology. Hand-held scanners are the most common in use for the small retailers. Bigger stores with important checkout doings may require an embedded scanner, which mostly can be seen in supermarkets. Barcode scanners read a series of numbers and the barcode, decode the information, and send that information to the computer. Credit card readers or swipers may be included in the POS hardware. The Credit Card Reader is used for credit card reading. In addition to credit and debit cards there are some devices, which can work with gift cards and other loyalty programs, these are called signature capture devices. These devices help in making more efficient transactions and lessen the costs and errors linked with deposit documentation.
Conversely, receipt printers are used to print a documentation of the transaction for the customer. Receipt printers may be a Serial dot-matrix printer or a Thermal receipt printer. Dot matrix printers are normally cheaper than Thermal receipt printers but not as durable. However, Thermal receipt printers are very expansive and are suitable for long use.
POS is a short form for point of sale. POS hardware is basically used at trade or retail level, a checkout counter in a shop, or changeable sites where a deal occurs in this type of environment like restaurants, hotels, stadiums, casinos, as well as retail environments. POS hardware uses computers and dedicated workstations that are connected with money records, barcode readers, ocular scanners and magnetic band readers for correctly and right away capturing the business. POS hardware includes label printers, cash drawers, Barcode scanners, pole display, card swiper or reader, POS Monitor, POS Touch Screen and receipt printers. To use POS hardware, retailers need to know about them.
A vital element of POS hardware is the cash drawer. It is used to store Money, credit card receipts and other paperwork. Cash drawers receive a signal from the computer or receipt printer. The cash drawer should be compatible with the rest of the system if purchasing the POS hardware separately. Cash drawers should be strong and survive the steady opening and closing. Pole display is an elective POS hardware. It is a lighted display used to display the transaction totals, sum tendered and to display feature modified messages or to show advertisement.
POS Monitors may be a flat-panel LCD monitor or a standard CRT monitor; the LCD monitor may be more expansive than the standard but takes up less space at the checkout counter. POS Touch Screens are easy and faster to use than traditional keyboards and monitors and save counter space. The keyboards serve as a main POS hardware. Keyboards could differ in complexity and technology. They range in choices from a standard 101-key model like you may have on your home PC to industry-specific POS keyboards. Where special functions are required like Grocery stores and restaurants, only programmable keyboards are used.
Bar code scanners are used at many shops and restaurants for checking out the price of the product. They can be of a different size and technology. Hand-held scanners are the most common in use for the small retailers. Bigger stores with important checkout doings may require an embedded scanner, which mostly can be seen in supermarkets. Barcode scanners read a series of numbers and the barcode, decode the information, and send that information to the computer. Credit card readers or swipers may be included in the POS hardware. The Credit Card Reader is used for credit card reading. In addition to credit and debit cards there are some devices, which can work with gift cards and other loyalty programs, these are called signature capture devices. These devices help in making more efficient transactions and lessen the costs and errors linked with deposit documentation.
Conversely, receipt printers are used to print a documentation of the transaction for the customer. Receipt printers may be a Serial dot-matrix printer or a Thermal receipt printer. Dot matrix printers are normally cheaper than Thermal receipt printers but not as durable. However, Thermal receipt printers are very expansive and are suitable for long use.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Windows Vista - Hardware Compatibility Issues
By. Anmol Taneja
Early up-graders to Windows Vista are reporting annoyance by the loads of software and hardware incompatibilities coming to the fore as they use Windows Vista. For the record the Redmond, Wash., software giant launched Vista and a companion update called Windows Vista Application Compatibility Update to the market on Jan 30. Seems like they expected a lot of issues with the system because they made sure that Vista patches were available on the net even before the Compact disks of the operating system left the factory.
That update, KB929427, makes good some of the more challenging application incompatibilities, but the nightmare is far from over, for the early bird upgraders. There is nothing new about
compatibility issues when a new operating system is launched, however, Vista is not only has a number of incompatibilities with existing applications but also lacks many drivers for critical hardware components and hardware peripherals. Support for Vista hardware is compounded by the fact that most vendors have not created drivers of their hardware that is compatible for Vista making support more of a headache. This is understood when it comes to peripherals such as printers and scanners but so far as critical hardware components such as hard drives, chipset controllers and video cards are concerned the lack of compatibility will crash the system. The manufacturers of primary components of the computer hardware system are just not ready with their wares to support Vista.
Early adopters of Vista have the following problems to contend with:
*
* They will face a drastic lack of available drivers vendors leading to conflicts in applications.
* New peripheral hardware components will lack compatible Vista drivers and the old components drivers will simply refuse to work in most cases.
* New security feature often flags existing applications as suspicious and interrupts service
The OS automatically recommends which Vista versions is best for each PC's configuration. This will cause small businesses to download different versions of Vista.
SO in the ultimate analysis, Vista may seem attractive in it’s packaging but it still has far to go.
Early up-graders to Windows Vista are reporting annoyance by the loads of software and hardware incompatibilities coming to the fore as they use Windows Vista. For the record the Redmond, Wash., software giant launched Vista and a companion update called Windows Vista Application Compatibility Update to the market on Jan 30. Seems like they expected a lot of issues with the system because they made sure that Vista patches were available on the net even before the Compact disks of the operating system left the factory.
That update, KB929427, makes good some of the more challenging application incompatibilities, but the nightmare is far from over, for the early bird upgraders. There is nothing new about
compatibility issues when a new operating system is launched, however, Vista is not only has a number of incompatibilities with existing applications but also lacks many drivers for critical hardware components and hardware peripherals. Support for Vista hardware is compounded by the fact that most vendors have not created drivers of their hardware that is compatible for Vista making support more of a headache. This is understood when it comes to peripherals such as printers and scanners but so far as critical hardware components such as hard drives, chipset controllers and video cards are concerned the lack of compatibility will crash the system. The manufacturers of primary components of the computer hardware system are just not ready with their wares to support Vista.
Early adopters of Vista have the following problems to contend with:
*
* They will face a drastic lack of available drivers vendors leading to conflicts in applications.
* New peripheral hardware components will lack compatible Vista drivers and the old components drivers will simply refuse to work in most cases.
* New security feature often flags existing applications as suspicious and interrupts service
The OS automatically recommends which Vista versions is best for each PC's configuration. This will cause small businesses to download different versions of Vista.
SO in the ultimate analysis, Vista may seem attractive in it’s packaging but it still has far to go.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
The Mac as a Java Development and Execution Platform
By Harry Johnson
Nobody can deny that Apple manufactures very handsome machines but there are endless debates about whether they perform better than equivalent machines running Linux or Windows.
Mac used to be very behind and took more than a year to come up with a JDK. I was hearing my friends complain that Eclipse and IDEA were running very poorly.
Java applications on Mac OS X can be supplemented with a number of exclusive runtime properties to enhance their user experience. These properties can be specified via command-line, or, in the case of a packaged '.app' Java application, they are typically specified in one of two files: MRJApp.properties, and Info. List.
Mac and Linux have real shells (a pleasure to use), Windows is a bit behind there, but the DOS console has become good enough with XP that I didn't mind it too much.
Mac has finally become a credible Java platform, but it took its sweet time (and I can't help but laugh when I remember Steve Jobs saying he wanted Mac OS to become the best Java platform five years ago...).
Apple offers the Mac OS Runtime for Java (MRJ) 2.2, which is compatible with the 1.1.8 release of Sun's JDK. A PowerPC Mac with Mac OS 8.1 or later and at least 40 MB of RAM is required to use this version of MRJ. A Just-In-Time compiler from Symantec is part of the distribution as well.
The goal of this article is to show that, considering equivalent metrics and similar system configurations, different systems can perform better than others due to a variety of factors. Garbage collection, a common cause of tuning headaches, was not optimized for these tests and might yield different results for the Java boxed objects sort. Windows XP wasn't optimized for thread performance. These tests were aimed at processor and memory performance, discarding other factors. Choosing a given configuration is an exercise in testing and choosing the appropriate metrics, not one of choosing the best brand, fastest processor, or the coolest machine.
Mac OS X provides the standard JDK command line tools for developers. Therefore, when launching an unpackaged Java application from the command line, the two required properties listed above in Table 1 should not be used, in favor of the standard command-line specification of the class path and main class.
To provide a coherent set of Java software packages for Mac, satisfying all quality requirements of other applications. To establish an efficient and robust policy for Java software installation.
Go to the Following Mac Sites:
http://www.dvwarehouse.com
http://www.macmart.com
http://www.sellamac.com
Go to http://www.dvwarehouse.com, they offers Used Mac Computers, A great inventory on Apple Parts; Plus one of the largest selection of Digital Video Solutions for Broadcasting, Editing and Production work.DV Warehouse strives to make itself the ultimate destination for computers and production gear with a wide selection at warehouse prices. DV Warehouse now serves over thousands of customer's everyday and is among one of the most-visited websites in the world.
Nobody can deny that Apple manufactures very handsome machines but there are endless debates about whether they perform better than equivalent machines running Linux or Windows.
Mac used to be very behind and took more than a year to come up with a JDK. I was hearing my friends complain that Eclipse and IDEA were running very poorly.
Java applications on Mac OS X can be supplemented with a number of exclusive runtime properties to enhance their user experience. These properties can be specified via command-line, or, in the case of a packaged '.app' Java application, they are typically specified in one of two files: MRJApp.properties, and Info. List.
Mac and Linux have real shells (a pleasure to use), Windows is a bit behind there, but the DOS console has become good enough with XP that I didn't mind it too much.
Mac has finally become a credible Java platform, but it took its sweet time (and I can't help but laugh when I remember Steve Jobs saying he wanted Mac OS to become the best Java platform five years ago...).
Apple offers the Mac OS Runtime for Java (MRJ) 2.2, which is compatible with the 1.1.8 release of Sun's JDK. A PowerPC Mac with Mac OS 8.1 or later and at least 40 MB of RAM is required to use this version of MRJ. A Just-In-Time compiler from Symantec is part of the distribution as well.
The goal of this article is to show that, considering equivalent metrics and similar system configurations, different systems can perform better than others due to a variety of factors. Garbage collection, a common cause of tuning headaches, was not optimized for these tests and might yield different results for the Java boxed objects sort. Windows XP wasn't optimized for thread performance. These tests were aimed at processor and memory performance, discarding other factors. Choosing a given configuration is an exercise in testing and choosing the appropriate metrics, not one of choosing the best brand, fastest processor, or the coolest machine.
Mac OS X provides the standard JDK command line tools for developers. Therefore, when launching an unpackaged Java application from the command line, the two required properties listed above in Table 1 should not be used, in favor of the standard command-line specification of the class path and main class.
To provide a coherent set of Java software packages for Mac, satisfying all quality requirements of other applications. To establish an efficient and robust policy for Java software installation.
Go to the Following Mac Sites:
http://www.dvwarehouse.com
http://www.macmart.com
http://www.sellamac.com
Go to http://www.dvwarehouse.com, they offers Used Mac Computers, A great inventory on Apple Parts; Plus one of the largest selection of Digital Video Solutions for Broadcasting, Editing and Production work.DV Warehouse strives to make itself the ultimate destination for computers and production gear with a wide selection at warehouse prices. DV Warehouse now serves over thousands of customer's everyday and is among one of the most-visited websites in the world.
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