Technology: companies go, companies come

Today I had a piece of news that has left me with nostalgia, after seeing a technology company that after not enduring the crisis that implies staying alive has been bought by another, after 5 years of effort. The difficult thing about this is that sooner or later it happens to people for whom we feel appreciation and their eyes reflect us that it could be better, after having shared coffee, known their dreams and inspiring geofumables.

Mi first post, which inspired the name of this blog, is closely related to them.

And it is that the technology business is not easy, in this you just have to sit down with those who paint gray hair and remember that history has always been complicated. For some, what I am about to tell sounds cave-like, but I take the opportunity to remind you of how this happened even to the greats of technological inventiveness and even so this example is still alive.

Intergraph.  Ah, many know that Bentley Systems was born there, now they gain advantage in the middle CAD / CAM to Geomedia that stays there but if we talk about nostalgia we must remember that Intergraph was a leader in technological innovation before all those who are now big:

• At the beginning of the 70 developed applications for NASA
• Launched multi-processor computers, before there was DOS, in 1982 had 1MB three-processor computers
• He manufactured computers with USB ports before they had that name, and you had to see the sources of power.

Hence, many people keep in use an Inroads that ran on IntelliCAD, Microstation and AutoCAD ... oh God!

• They manufactured the processors and graphics cards before Intel appeared and from there were born technologies that now uses Motorola, including the space part of Oracle was idea of ​​Intergraph
• In 1974 the IGDS format already existed, and Nashville had a digital mapping at that time ... and they were not pinch vectors
• In 1978 they built the first local network (LAN) in the history of CAD
• At 1980 Intergraph took out the first computer that supported raster formats establishing the high resolution standard 1280 x 1024 that to date is used.
• At 1985 its technology enabled making a database of the Statue of Liberty Remodeling Model 3D
• In 1987 introduced the first 27 inch monitor with 2 megapixel resolution

Ah, so you have an idea, the first commercial version of AutoCAD 1.0 was presented at 1982, Microstation 2.0 at 1987 for PC.

But that's life, Intel one day made life into squares and it was simply over despite the fact that Intergraph was the creator of Windows NT technology and Clipper-based processors. A simple plagiarism of their technology led to a patent lawsuit while they developed the Pentium II for Intel, this lawsuit against Hewlet Packard, Intel and Gateway kept them busy and although it finally resulted in 450 million in profit, time ate them and they finished breaking up in companies like 3DLabs, Silicon Graphics, Hellman & Friedman LLC, Texas Pacific Group and JMI Equity. While Intergraph maintains important leadership, for their innovation they should be better represented in our minds and that tells us that the battle must have been difficult.

The other day I found an Intergraph CPU in the National Land Registry, the kind that were worth an arm and a leg and weighed like 75 pounds ... used as a wedge so that the door would not close. A tear stampeded down my left cheek and reminded me that we are alive, that there is no time to remember bad times, less if they were inevitable.

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My friends, life goes on, today the technology that we defend tooth and nail will be bought by another giant and in 10 years we will not remember that old cartoon of little David and the great Goliath that Intergraph showed at annual conferences. The story that I have told you, that of Intergraph happened to a company that in 2009 celebrated 40 years of innovation, it is to be expected that it will happen to any other mortal, more in a year of global crisis.

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For my friends, who fought for about 5 years, with big dreams, there is a lot ahead. Next time, it will be better, that dream of being great must be within us… and thanks because 15 laughs, having a steaming coffee, inspired the name of this humble blog.

In 10 years I would like to sit down to take the same cup, and although it will taste the same, to Sonsonate curtain, things will be better.