RE: AW: [ebxml-dev] RE: [EDI-L] Article on ebXML Core Components ...

[Rachel Foerster <rachelf@ix.netcom.com>]

Hi Bob!

Your points are good ones. But the concept of seeking complexity is
worthwhile exploring. My experience and observation in many things, and not
just software, is that if you start out with a very simple tool without much
complexity, make it a very useful tool that truly solves a problem, then
over time the user who gets hooked on the very simple tool with ask for and
use more complexity that's built on the simple tool they use and like.

Think for a moment, about the first microwave ovens that came on the
market....very simple: set the time and start the sucker. People got hooked
and over time additional complexity was introduced. Now I can almost wash
the dishes in my microwave oven, and even at that, I only use about 20% of
its capabilities. And to use another anology, how about the VCR....too
complex and the users mostly do what with it? Watch prerecorded tapes with
the time blinking 12:00!!!

Rchel

-----Original Message-----
From: bhaugen [mailto:linkage@interaccess.com]
Sent: Tuesday, April 23, 2002 11:34 AM
To: Todd Boyle
Cc: ebxml-dev@lists.ebxml.org
Subject: Re: AW: [ebxml-dev] RE: [EDI-L] Article on ebXML Core
Components ...


Todd,

Don't you think you are describing the "S"
component of SME?

That is, small companies who only deal with
other small companies and only domestically
and then only with people they trust?

What about small-to-medium-size companies
who either sell to big companies or sell internationally
or both?

Or who need legally binding electronic contracts?
Or some other "interesting" twist?

Where are the market boundaries here, and
what does each market segment need?
(Or, conversely, how would you describe
your "target SME company"?  I don't want
to put words in your mouth, and am certainly
guessing above.)

-Bob Haugen

P.S. I am not trying to pitch complexity
for its own sake here, just trying to delineate
the market segments and requirements
a little more clearly.

----- Original Message -----
From: Todd Boyle <tboyle@rosehill.net>
To: Frank. Christopher <C.Frank@seeburger.de>; Christopher Harvey
<ckharvey@zaratechnology.com.sg>; <mike@rawlinsecconsulting.com>
Cc: <ebxml-dev@lists.ebxml.org>
Sent: Tuesday, April 23, 2002 11:26 AM
Subject: Re: AW: [ebxml-dev] RE: [EDI-L] Article on ebXML Core
Components ...


> At 01:02 AM 4/23/02, Frank. Christopher wrote:
> >Onk!
> >
> >Following this discussion I (again) get the impression that a huge
count
> >of people is waiting for the 1001st definition of a invoice and the
> >5096th definition of a purchase order.
> >
> >Again (I expect) we will face the reality that even SME will require
> >branch specific information in their documents and will "interpret"
this
> >or that so or different, will use price including tax and the
addition
> >of tax and net price will not match the total price and so on.
>
> In the U.S., Quickbooks has something like 80% market share.
>
> How do you explain the fact that such an overwhelming percentage
> of small businesses are able to run their company with a total
> vocabulary of something like 200 data elements, and a single page
> invoice and order?
>
> Frank with all due respect, SMEs will *not* have this problem you
> describe, interpreting documents. You are neglecting the facts that
> in SMEs there is extreme compression of the roles, and that all
> of their buying and selling is conducted manually, by people who
> will be dead if they're not alert. They already conducted the sale
> or purchase personally and they don't sit and maintain diaries
> of every detail in their computer, now or ever.
>
> It will be a permanent feature of SMEs, that most sales or purchases
> are conducted by ONE person and that they neither need, nor
> desire, detailed documentation, detailed contracts, or step-
> by-step business process software.  They just need a way to
> make their bookkeeping automatic for cash, inventory, payables,
> and receivables.
>
> If large Enterprises have a problem processing a standard PO
> or invoice with SMEs that's tough luck because SMEs are not
> going to start doing extra keypunching just to make things
> more convenient for the Enterprises.
>
> I will concede, if the vision of the UMM, CPPA, RegRep and
> BCPMC were realized in a piece of software, and it were handed
> to SMEs for free, and it was capable of running alongside the
> existing accounting system, they might install it.  The very
> first thing they would do is configure it to be limited to their
> own context (the SME context of 200 words vocabulary), and
> limit the documents support to orders and invoices capable
> of being understood by Quickbooks.  This is rather like
> giving Maserati race cars, capable of 300KPH to every
> suburban family in order to speed up the traffic on the
> streets where speed limits are never more than 100Kph,
> since they won't buy it themselves...
>
> Todd



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