Good Morning Dave

GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE PIM COCKPIT

The idea came to us as we were watching the film classic "2001: A Space Odyssey" for what was probably about the thirty-fourth time. Not only because the ship's on-board computer, the HAL 9000, had a sensational CU and Peta-Bytes of storage space. Its most impressive attribute was its Audio-OS, which had a UI complete with an interactive androgynous voice (at least in the German version anyway). This could have made it easy to overlook the even then perfect onscreen graphics that had been developed for HAL. The cockpit was able to persuade and convince by consistently reducing all information down to the bare essentials.

With a PIM-Cockpit we are again only interested in the answers to a select few questions:

Basic
1. In which distribution and marketing channels have I publicized a special product?
2. With what level of quality is product information related to customers?
3. How up-to-date is this information?

Necessary
1. Which data must be managed?
2. Who delivers this information?
3. When will the information be complete?

Desirable
1. How successful are the products?
Which channels are producing good sales?
3. Where and how do my customers find product information?

Stanley Kubrik shot the film in 1968 - 42 years ago. Even back then his understanding of GUI and process visualization was superior to that seen in the majority of present day software applications. However, when HAL greeted the Commander of the Discovery, Dr. David Bowman, in her inimitable manner each intergalactic morning with the phrase "Good Morning Dave", it became clear to us how far from the future we still are.