[H-GEN] London Stock Exchange update.

[Benjamin Fowler]

Hello,

2009/10/6 Simon Ellis <ellis777 at bigpond.net.au>

> A good move.
> One point of interest is the "trading speed" of  the existing MS dot Net
> based system of 2.7 ms versus the Linux-based system of 0.4 ms. This brings
> to mind other stories of embedded MS Windows in control systems,
> particularly cars, which have high switching times, are too slow to respond
> and cause problems.
>

In applications like these, the operating system may or may not actually be
a bottleneck, but the entire stack from top to bottom needs to be tuned and
optimized for the workload.

I think the advantage of Open Source here, is that one isn't stuck with a
one-size-fits-all approach to the way the operating system is tuned, and
what's enabled and disabled.  NT-family operating systems can be stripped
down and made to go fast, however, outside a few places with source licenses
and the right know-how, buying Windows is like buying a car with its bonnet
welded shut.


>
> Also, the London Stock Exchange buys a company with a superior product for
> less than half the cost of  the current product.
>
> It's fascinating to watch organisations change as management changes. Often
> new management takes the organisation in a different direction, primarily to
> leave their mark. They bring in management consultants and accept their
> advice. Often the management consultants do not have a real understanding of
> the organisation or what it does. They seem to be primarily "textbook"
> based.
>

They cut expenses, reduce the permanent workforce, employ more contractors,
> outsource as much as they can and move on, leaving the problems for someone
> else. Very often the quality of the products or services go down and
>  management expenses go up. In some cases the company actually closes down.
>

Management consultants may or may not be useful, but if your senior
management is not very good, you're screwed either way.  There's a reason
why these guys are getting paid big money.


>
> The other part of the cycle is when people realise the mistake and start
> thinking about what the organisation actually does and what resources
> (people) are available. They start bringing things back in house to maintain
> quality and control and reduce some of the expensive, non-productive upper
> management.
>
> In the Linux world, one company that comes to mind is Mandriva Linux which
> was nearly wiped out when Consultants were brought in and their advice was
> followed. Thankfully the new management was removed , some of the changes
> reversed and the company was saved. It was very close though.
>

You should see what British Labour's love of management consultants is doing
to this country. In this case, big firms like McKinsey and Deloitte are
(perhaps improperly) cultivating ex-ministers, getting work, and squandering
billions.  Connecting for Health (the British Government's electronic health
record system) has managed, with the help of an army of expensive
consultants, to burn their way through £12b while producing something that
barely works.  The Olympics (which are guaranteed to be the most ordinary,
lacklustre, and expensive Olympics ever), is going to cost another £12b.
Undoubtedly, some of that is going to be spent on charlie and blowjobs for
people who don't create any value.

Naturally, the fish rots from the head. Somebody had to call in the
consultants in the first place, and somebody failed to oversee the work
properly.


>
> Regards,
> Simon Ellis
>


-- 
Ben Fowler <somelamer567 at gmail.com>

“L'enfer, c'est les Autres" -- Jean-Paul Sartre

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