Everyone else has reported the news about the acquisition of BE Systems Limited in the UK by Blue Wave Technologies Limited of Ireland. No need to rehash the news .. but I just wanted to send a personal congrats to Paul, Warren, Kitty, and all the rest involved. I have watched them present, attempted to work with them at a user group (damn family emergencies) and enjoyed the after hour events of Lotusphere and other conferences. Our community is blessed to have great people in it. Paul, Warren, and Kitty are 3 of those great people.

It is hard to be a small partner in the world of 2007. Lots of people want to be small and have control, but the demand of customers (and working with IBM) makes it hard to be small. You need technology diversity and depth of experts to provide the solutions that customers demand today. When I left Synergistics in 2000, that was the largest company I had ever worked for. They were about 50 people when I left. Boom Vang was 10 when I left them. Artron never had more than 8 employees. PSC has 150. I realized that for myself, I wanted to work at a place with a great foundation. With multiple technology groups that allowed for R&D and changes in the marketplace. I think this is a smart choice for both companies and will allow them to grow at a bigger pace than if they were separate.

Congrats to all and may we toast to the good fortune of all at Lotusphere ... with many rounds of Sake!