This will be a short post today. It has been my position for some time that the PR department for SE has been lacking in about every way possible. After posting a reply to Al Dean over at Matt Lombard’s On The Edge blog
http://ontheedge.dezignstuff.com/is-solid-edge-the-best-cad-program-youve-never-heard-of/1044
I had a conversation with someone who actually knew what was going on. While I certainly don’t like the problems that have led to the choices made regarding publicity or the terrible lack thereof I have to respect the fact that they are real. I am going to stop criticism at this time in light of this and it is my hope that the underlying problems will soon be solved. I think it is well understood by those now running Solid Edge/Velocity just how large the gift of additional time has been from Dassault and Autodesk and that this is a problem that must and will be solved.
I am finding out just how convoluted and difficult it is to take a company that has suffered under legacy issues for some time and turn it and the attitudes of what is in many ways legacy bureaucracies void of original thoughts or abilities into eager, creative and productive team players.
Machined Audio Horn Lens 
You should keep talking about it. Now that it has been explained to you why no change is possible and you’ve agreed to go along with it SE will never be anything more than it is now. A decent CAD program with no profile. The corporate dead arses have won. SE actually only has a short window of opportunity to impress as far as the outside world is concerned and yet they give every indication the curtain will never open and they will still be conflicted and stiffling each other long after the audience has given up and gone home. Such stupidity…
Hi Neil,
The people who have confided in me also read this blog. I have to extend trust because their word has proven itself without fail over the last four years. They also know my opinion that this grace period has already given them far more time than rational competitors would have granted them. I don’t think competitor insanity will last past ST6 and it is a situation they simply have to fix or Solid Edge will be relegated to the could-have-won category. No possible reasons will be sufficient for the passing of this golden reprieve they have been granted once more if history shows that solvable problems were deferred again. It is a tough and thorny issue for sure but I believe it just can’t be put off again without serious and probable permanent negative repercussions for the future for SE. They simply have to shed this earned legacy of the best software you have never heard of or lose the number one spot they should have soon to someone else. I don’t see any other possible outcome and I can’t be any plainer than this
I sit here sometimes and wonder about this idea of watching defeat snatched from the jaws of victory and just how much can I or should I try to do about it. This current situation really really concerns me but for now I will wait because I trust what I have been told. For this reason my comments upon this topic are now closed. Not forever but for enough time to see how it all pans out. Everyone knows where I stand and now let us see how it all unfolds.
That by the way does not stop people like you Neil from reminding them for now about how all this is perceived by potential and actual customers.
>ST6 is really important for Siemens. Yup totally agree. Its not that far away now either. This is SE’s big chance to stake out some ground for the next 15-20 years. A lot of SW users will aware they face issues with DS and will be giving SE a good look over. They will be thinking hard about the long term and how to lessen the impact of forced change and where they really want to be and who is acting in their best technical interests. DS will be showing part one of Catia lite a few months afterward and if people don’t like it they will be thinking of what else they have seen lately that will do the job and forming up a best way forward. I would say if ST6 is a pretty decent release that impresses generally but people perceive Siemens havent quite got their management act together yet the window of interest will stay open until ST7 but after that they will be paddling on the back of the wave. I think many people appreciate key people at SE are doing their best to move ahead and also that they are meeting SW refugees half way. A definite fizzer on the marketing front because the same old lacklustre going through the motions it sells itself attitude has prevailed may as well be a self inflicted shot to the head however. It isnt enough for Siemens to just hold up their hand and say yes we are still here with our suits and tie care taking parasolid and always will be, they have to get out there and declare with some enthusiasm how they are going to move ahead with their uniquely useful tools and a modernised business model in the cloud era. They can run their own race but they are going to be running among others with a little more flash and dash than they have been accustomed to. They don’t want to find themselves boxed in or elbowed out of the finish a second time 😉
Spot on Neil. Comments are not only welcome but encouraged on this topic. Potential customer perceptions of SE are important.