Next:
Introduction
The Autodesk File
Bits of History, Words of Experience
Introduction
Working Paper
Introduction
Background
Which brings me to...
General development strategy
Form of organization
Mode of operation
Product development cycle
Money and management
Commitments of time
The nature of potential products
Hardware and system strategy
Why get involved?
Nitty-gritty
What do we do next
Agenda
Information Letter 1
Structure of the business
The issue of liability
Changes after the business is running
Terminating products
What to call the company
How much of a share to buy
Order of magnitude financial figures
The role of MSL principals
The promise of this venture
Responsiveness
Philosophy
Potential Products for MSP
Information Letter 2
Alternate forms of organisation
New participants
Resumes
``Edges''
Nightmare
What's going on
What to Name the Company
Information Letter 3
The business entity
Issuance of shares
Buying equipment
Working capital
Stock options
Personal holding companies
Conflicts of interest
New people
Names, names, names
Paperwork
Next meeting
Proposed Organization Plan for MSP
Information Letter 4
New organization plan
General meeting
Plans: Incorporation
Technical progress
Technical plans
Initial Stock Distribution
Information Letter 5
Progress Organising the Company
Changes from Original Organisation Plan
What Happens Next
Just a Few More Little Things
Regular Meetings
Purchasing
Micro-CAD Progress
Autodesk Progress
Other Product Progress
Product Polish and Packaging
Subchapter S Election Alternative
Autodesk Products
Autodesk Work Distribution
Information Letter 6
Marketing Progress
IBM PC
File Transfer
Offsite Backup
Floppy Discs
68000 System Prospects
Medical Software Deal
Coming to Terms with the 8086
Black Hole Alert
Monthly Meeting-Subchapter S Form
Autodesk Status
Communicator Status
Random Bits
Information Letter 7
Where We Are and Where We Are Going
Autodesk Status
QBASIC86 Progress
MicroCAD Status
Window Progress
Task Lists
Conference System Notes
Organization Details
C
Random Bits
July General Meeting Minutes
Future agendas
Auto Book Notes
Information Letter 8
Other Items
August 1982 Meeting
Changes in Participation
Minutes and Financial Report
Progress Reports
Random Business
Project Discussions
Appendix
AutoCAD-80 Development Log
1982 Annual Meeting
Quality Department Priorities
Development of Specifications
Qualification Testing
Test Management
Discrepancy Logging
Release Certification
Regression Testing
Cost of Quality
Meetings: December '82, January '83
December Meeting
January Meeting
Summary of Decisions Taken
February 1983 Meeting
Minutes and Financial Report
Board of Directors
Project Reports
Trade Shows
Manpower
Summary of Decisions
March 1983 Meeting
Odd Jobs
Software Control Policies
June 1983 Meeting
AutoCAD Wish List
Introduction
High priority ``quick kills''
High priority larger items
Lower priority items
Questionable items
Crisis Letter
John Walker's Business Plan
Organisation
Budgeting
Priorities-Marketing Division
Priorities-Operations Division
Priorities-Technical Division
Technical Project Management
Salary Scales
Proposed Autodesk Organization
Problems
Solutions
Proposed Structure
Recommendations
Job Descriptions
July 1983 Meeting
Attendees
Summary of Management Meeting: Dan Drake
Financial Report: John Walker
Marketing Report: Mike Ford
More Marketing: John Walker
International Sales
Corporate Status Report
Operational Report: John Kern
AutoCAD-86 Report: Keith
AutoCAD-80 Report: John
Miscellaneous
Personnel
Equipment List
Low Rent 3D
Electric Malcolm
October 1983 Meeting
Piece of Cake
Information Letter 10
Information Letter 11
Party Time
What's Going On Here
The Slingshot and Success
The Deal on the Table
AutoCAD Lite
Taxes and Such
Warrants
Stock Options
Alternative Minimum Tax
Publicly Traded Stock
Insiders and Rule 16(b)
Why Lisp?
Number One
Prime Time
Reply Time
Initial Public Offering
General Background
Product Strategy
Products
The Toilet Announcement
Marketing Strategy
The Entire Prospectus
Sleazy Motel Roach Hammer Awards
Surplus Value
Taxes
Investments
Greed and Fear
Beyond the Lock-up Period
Information Letter 12
Mid-Game
Burning Questions Of Our Movement
What Business Is the Company In?
Product Style
What do we do next?
The Next AutoCAD
The American Dream
Time of Turbulence
Memo to everybody
Remarks at the company meeting
Speech at Silverado
Super Programmers
CAD: the Heart of Computer Science
What is Computer Aided Design?
What Should a CAD System Be?
What Does Simulation Have To Do With It?
What Do You Do To Get There?
The Heart of Computer Science
The Computer Revolution
Abstract
Background
The Evolution Of Computer Interfaces
Attempts To Extend the Interface
``Go Do'' Considered Shameful
Son Of Batch
Building Subservient Systems
Summary
AutoBits
Job Titles
AutoSketch: Not Insane
Autodesk Technical Seminars
CAD: The Final Frontier
Marinchip Defeats IBM
Dear Jim Meadlock...
Yet Wah 3D
Spine Police
VHSIC-Based Product Stuns Industry
What Is 3D What
AutoShield
The Guts of a New Machine
The Bozo Filter
High Performance Bicycles
A Journey Not to Forget
AutoThing
Flat-out Programming
Hardware Lock Debater's Guide
Information Letter 13
Ground rules
The management switch
Cadetron and Solid Modeling
How Do We Do It?
Product Positioning
How Does All This Really Work?
Removing the Hardware Lock
Urgent Fury
The Menu Bar
Extended Object Selection
Menu Item Repetition
Multiple Command Modifier
Command Redefinition
Dialogue-Oriented Commands
The Portable Data Base
Background
The Binary I/O Package
Modifying AutoCAD
Compatibility status summary
Upper and lower case
Breaking the 3D Logjam
Jeremiad
Urgent Worry
The Golden Age of Engineering
Cosmic Perspective
External Tanks
Source Distribution
The Morning After
Glasnost
Where's It All Going?
Xanadu
Ted Nelson Joins Autodesk
Bored of Directors
Valedictory
L'Envoi: the First Six Years
Technological Leadership
AutoCAD Release 10
AutoCAD For The Macintosh
AutoCAD Release 11
AutoCAD AEC
AutoSketch
AutoShade
User Interfaces
Summary, Conclusions, and Recommendations
Through the Looking Glass
User interaction generations
What next?
Through the screen to cyberspace
Building cyberspace
Should Autodesk lead?
AutoCAD Expo Moscow
Golden Hammer
One Hundred Million Dollars
The New Technological Corporation
Theme 1: The time value of money
Theme 2: Leverage vs. debt
Theme 3: The talent-constrained enterprise
Theme 4: Quantum economics
Theme 5: Equilibrium and efficient markets
Variation 1: The New Technological Corporation
Variation 2: What to do with the money?
Variation 3: Competitive strategies
Conclusions and recommendations
Generic Software Acquisition
Why Cellular Automata?
Rudy's Answer
John's Answer
Understanding AMIX
The Information Age
Markets
Information Markets
Obvious Markets
Non-critical Issues
Why AMIX?
Batting .300
We'll Return, After This Message
Caustic Moment
A Brief History Of IGES
Goals and Strategy
Implementation Notes
Additional ADS Requirements
User Notes
Summary and Future Directions
Conclusion
The Hardware Lock Strikes Back
``Autodesk Arrogance''
Why Molecular Modeling?
Filter 1: It stands to benefit from increasing compute power
Filter 2: It is central to emerging technologies
Conclusion
Whither AutoCAD?
Introduction
Autodesk as High-End Vendor
The Business of Autodesk
An Opportunity
The High End: What is it?
Traditional CAD/CAM
The View from the Top
Real Users buy Desktop CAD
Drafting vs the Total Solution
The Autodesk Customer
The Turnkey Customer
Integration as the Key
Design/Manufacturing Process
The Total Solution
The Reality
The Market
Mechanical Design Automation
AutoCAD Designer
Technical Content
AutoCAD
Conclusions
Final Words
Nanotechnology in Manufacturing
What's Been Happening
CPU Performance
Oh Wow
Oh Well
Oh Shit
Oh Yeah!
Technological Transitions
Five Industrial Revolutions
Metre Scale
Metres To Millimetres
Millimetres To Micrometres
Micrometres To Nanometres
Plenty Of Room
Writing With Atoms
Molecular Engineering
Many Challenges-But Many Paths To Follow
Steps Along the Way: Molecular Electronics
Bacteriorhodopsin Optical Memory
Sixth Industrial Revolution: Molecular Engineering
Seventh Industrial Revolution: Replicating Machines
The Argument For Design
Max Q
Management by lack of alternatives
A very different world
Max Q
Modern Problems
Autodesk confronts an uncertain future
Summary of recommendations
Conclusion
Information Letter 14
Prologue: The Quaint Eighties
Introduction
Background
``The Game Has Changed''
The Game Has Changed Again
Modern Times
Modern Problems
The Risks Of Caution
The Nightmare Scenario
Marginalia
Business Development
Winning
A Bodyguard Of Fears
Conclusion
Epilogue: The Final Days
View from the Ridge
Valuing Corporate Image
Simulation Isn't Reality
The New Autodesk
Goals of the Restructuring
Types of organizations
Product Lines
Responsibilities of VPs of Marketing and Technology
Review of Employees in a Matrix Organization
Questions and Answers
Items to watch for future modification
The New Autodesk: June 28, 1991 Change Pages
Choose Wisely
Whose hand on the tiller?
How much, and when?
Possible and impossible.
Added Value
Stating the Problem
Al Green Retires
Incentives, Deterrence, and Defence
The CD-ROM
AutoCAD Global Village
Your Suggestion Here
Searching for a New CEO
Assumptions
Requirements
Process
Conclusion
European Software Centre
The Dark Night of the Soul
Reporter at Work
Title
Introduction
Interview transcript
Anatomy of a smear
AutoCAD for Windows
MicroTimes
New Leadership for Autodesk
Farewell, Xanadu
Autodesk Press Release
AMIX Press Release
Message from Carol Bartz
Micro Engineering Solutions Acquisition
Len Rand on the MES Acquisition
Press Release
Q&A On MES Acquisition
Patent Nonsense
Programs Are Programs
World War Four
Background-Is Software a Business?
It's a Program, Stupid
Let's Crunch Some Numbers
Does This Sound Familiar? 1
Does This Sound Familiar? 2
Does This Sound Familiar? 3
Does This Sound Familiar? 4
Does This Sound Familiar? 5
Does This Sound Familiar? 6
Getting There
The Enabling Prerequisite
Summary and Conclusion
AutoCAD LT
Press Release
Midcourse Corrections
AutoCAD LT Questions and Answers
Creation/Evolution
Ten Years After
Before Autodesk
Basic Development Strategy
Details-The 68000 Node Board
Details-Software Conversion Plans
Background-Why not the 9995/99000?
Background-Why not the Z8001?
Details-What about the Z8000 software?
Details-What does this do to other projects?
Details-Whither the 9900 and its customer base?
Details-Marketing strategy
Details-Who pays and who gets what?
Details-Things to be resolved
The View from Sweden
Autodesk Trivia Quiz
Financial Results
Autodesk Stock Price History
Product Release History
Autodesk Product Initial Shipment Dates
AutoCAD Version Release Dates
Kelvin's Holiday Hacks
AutoCAD Major Feature Release History
About this Edition
Contents
Index
John Walker
--
kelvin@fourmilab.ch