There has been a lot of grumbling lately about the "market timing" issue. I may not know trading well, but after 15 years in various levels of the software industry I have managed to learn a thing or two.
IF the desire was simply to get ST out the door, this was a missed opportunity. With any software tool simply getting a release out the door is seldom the desire.
Any development effort will eventually go through a "beta" phase (not always implying the software is deficient or not ready for release) where the software is released to a few select customers. This phase is not only to fine tune features and functions but also serves to allow customers to be lined up for PR at launch and coordinate integration into customer offerings (especially important for middleware). This curiously resembles the "Launch" so many are arguing whether it has or has not occurred.
Any product launch with customer participation beats the free exposure of a trade show. Never push a product out the door before you can ensure customer successes can be cited with launch.
In my experience, if this were truly a failed launch the best sign would be the departure of the development or product manager.
Because Paul had stated previously that there were no profound bugs in the system, only small details to work out; I can only guess that the reason for the delay stems from integrations with key customers or ensuring customers that are lined up for launch have compelling enough detail to create the earth shattering KABOOM that Marvin the Martian was looking for.
At every level of the process of delivering software, release has never com quickly enough for me. Now at the investor level I find myself in the same boat. This leads me to believe that I am very impatient, but the process usually takes care of itself.
Even if there were large bugs in the product and there was a huge shake up in the product team, I think management has the focus to keep this on track and make sure that product releases however widespread or narrow, happen at the right time to ensure a quality product that supplies value to the customer is released. Once that happens I believe the PPS will reflect it, and in a much better way than if it were shoved out a door simply to meed a specific date.
Just my opinion/interpretation of what has happened. No catastrophe, just business as usual in the software world.
