Making sense?

Maybe this is not the right forum, but Netduino Secret labs has built their own networking stack - while the NETMF team is trying to improve the core networking stack of NETMF. And I guess Chris Walker are good friends with someone at the MS team, but why did MS demo the Netduino with a non-finished network stack. And why did either Molecule.Net, Mikrobus.Net or FEZ Gadgeteer boards come to the stage?

It does not look to me as they want new developers to NETMF…?

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Business 101 time. I’m not a Chris Walker fan and I’m sure that is no surprise to anyone, including Chris Walker, but he did have a new product finished and in the marketing pipe (ie I can order it now from Amazon, not that I’d want to as it can’t do anything that I can already do better with Gadgeteer). Molecule.Net isn’t really ready so Microsoft isn’t going to feature it, and as far as Mikrobus.Net (wrong URL by the way as its http://www.mikrobusnet.org/) goes it is still perhaps a little green.

The business 101 aspect of this is think of what Microsoft is trying to show and then figure out a way to help them show it. Its not about ‘your’ product otherwise it should be ‘your’ conference. Microsoft wants to show real growth and interest in their IoT product stack and I’m sorry a bunch of hobbyist turn company (I’m NOT slamming them as everyone starts here), isn’t up to the level that Microsoft wants and needs to show. GHI got some loving over their Raspberry Pi cap, and was mentioned in a few other places, but I’m looking to see Microsoft show some real GHI loving once the products GHI has in the pipe are finished and released for consumption. Same with other groups who have stuff in the fire, once its ready, sure then Microsoft can show some loving, but is has to be three things, first Good, second ready for purchase and third aligns with Microsoft’s objectives. Microsoft can’t show future products as it sends the wrong message as they want to be seen as a player who is ready to go NOW, they can mention future products as proof of industry interest, but that is all they can say.

I told a number of companies that the Build dates were huge and to have product ready to go and share especially with Ignite on the heels of Build, developer tool and platform vendors should think of this as their Christmas season, and missing it is BAD. Now to be fair sometimes external factors trip you up, but that isn’t really Microsoft’s problem and they can’t be seen as it being as being their problem, but its not to say Microsoft won’t show you some loving when you are ready to go. Now that Build is over, Microsoft wants to show growing interest in their IoT stack, so ‘ship’ something and you will likely get some loving, but not announce it in front of thousands of whacked out developers and press at Build kind of loving as that only comes around once a year and its up to you to be ready to show something new that is ready for public consumption.

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Thanks Duke. Makes better sense now. But still it looks weird that a board with go-sockets won over gadgeteer?

Btw the mikrobus.net board and nearly hundred clicks are available for ordering via Mouser - but I guess you and Microsoft prefer Amazon then.

I still think Gadgeteer is killer good and I’m still working on some folks who seem to be having problems understanding just how far Gadgeteer can go, but electronics manufactures are about as tunnel visioned as you can get, but someday the light will come on for them. Funny part is its the same light that everyone wants to see around hardware regardless of what hardware platform you use, that step between prototype and finished product. Maybe its the engineer in them, but we have an old saying, ‘that there comes a point in the history of every project when it becomes necessary to shoot the engineer and start production’, I might have to buy some bullets soon.

I feel for Gadgeteer, its a great concept and product, but was cursed with a crippled start, but the fact is, Gadgeteer rocks and so we have to consider where we are, where we want to go and how best to get there, but one thing is for certain we can’t stand around waiting for someone else to pull our wagon for us, we need to promote Gadgeteer, like other platform users promote their pony of choice.

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I think it is also for the brand. when I was googling net Arduino, the first thin was netduino and it even sounds a little more like net that a Cerbuino. I also prefer the black and blue.
Also I think the initial ghi “premium libraries” has something to do with it too

One thing you cannot accuse Chris of being is deficient at self-promotion or marketing. The presentation of his product is slick and appeals to the uninitiated. It’s a consistent product line with good branding and a clear product roadmap. I have other strong opinions (I was an Agent backer) but let’s just agree he is good at marketing/promotion.

As for GHI, I think that every aspect of the company is of great quality and the technology is well designed and supported, and this forum is clearly a/the center of gravity for the NETMF community. There is a huge selection of well-supported Gadgeteer plug-ins. However, with all due respect to the folks at GHI who are clearly passionate and working flat-out, I can’t figure out the product line at a glance. I don’t believe that casual first-visit users are able to sort out the various processor choices at a glance. It’s just too hard for a user to quickly get their head around the choices.

If you want to bring Gadgeteer to the maker masses, I think you’ll need to think more like mass marketers. That may well not be your goal or the community you see as your constituency, but if it is, there’s work to do.

The maker community is growing and changing landscapes everywhere. The future for NETMF is so bright I need tinted glass on my Hololens.

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I agree completely, I almost got a netduino just for the looks XD. Luckily I was intelligent enough in the computers to see the Cerbuino had more bang for your buck, like the processor and Gadgeteer and mini sd

This sounds exactly like something I said in a private Evangelists chat last week. The difference between what GHI is today and 5x what it is today is a good marketing program. Sorry, but its never a good idea to have engineers involved in marketing. As much as it drives us crazy, we need those people that are only interested making our end product look like more than it is and telling the world that it does more than it does.

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IMHO, GHI has got the goods - no hyperbole needed. Just keep up the efforts on the web site - especially on the landing page and catalog and help GHI-newbies like me get their head around concepts like Fez, Cerberino and Spider, and help me map my needs onto the product line.

I want NETMF to take its rightful place in the maker community and GHI just seems like a fantastic vehicle for doing that. I totally respect GHI if they choose to own the engineering/industrial community and cede the maker community to someone else, but makers do become engineers and maker projects do become products. If they don’t want to cede that territory, I think the answers are mostly in the web experience, and yes, in some broader marketing.

Nobody is really asking me - I’m just being overly generous with my opinion because a) I know these guys listen and are IN the community and I love that, and b) I believe that what helps GHI, helps NETMF; and what helps NETMF helps me by extending the reach of experience that I have invested decades in.

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