Being able to build something cool is not good enough. Neither is fast performance.

I think a better summary of the article would be, "Cool technology can give you an edge, but doesn't mean anything if you aren't providing profound value to a paying customer."<p>So often as geeks we look for a problem to solve with the latest technology/language we're fascinated with, rather than looking at our own lives and professional experience and at problems we need solved that might have broad applicability to identifiable, verifiable others regardless of how sexy the guts of that solution are.<p>Its the classic trap to fall into, and despite all the resources out there telling you not to, more technology startups make this mistake than don't. As geeks, we are drawn to technology, not attuned to market needs. Must learn difference.<p>Thats how it is for me, anyway, and I think its what the author meant :)

This kind of generalizations aren't entirely correct, because they don't take into account levels of abstractions that exist in our industry.<p>If you are into OS kernels or compilers, for example, you are at one of the highest levels of abstraction, and you are least dependent of what customers think they might need or are willing to pay. At this level you decide what customers need more often than the other way around.<p>As opposed to writing a document management system where you are simply enslaved by your customers' immediate needs and of course things like performance or elegance don't matter any more.<p>(Been in both worlds already. Should I say how much I miss the more abstract world? Sigh.)

<i>Being able to build something cool is not good enough. Neither is fast performance. Both are important, but the human commitment and real ability to make actual individuals happy at firms that are potential customers is more important than either. Doing what you say you will do--promising delivery dates and consistently meeting or beating them, for example--wins big. Convincing potential customers that you will work ten times as hard as the nearest competitor to please the customers wins sales. Version management, customer support, and documentation quickly become vitally important.</i><p>to summarize this article, delivering and committing to your customer/client. common sense business etiquette IMO, but strangely enough — an easy and strong differentiator, so many people fail at this concept.<p>on the flip side, I'm also known to support the notion of rejecting your customer. there is a good read about it in the book, Mavericks at Work.

To paraphrase Sun Tsu, therefore one hundred successes in one hundred complex projects are not the most skillful, creating lasting and profitable business with little or no effort is the most skillful.

What is the difference between a programmer and coder? (or manager and worker) Programmers talks about ideas while coders talks about tools. =)