Comments on: Rumors of ITA Acquisition are Just Rumors http://danweinreb.org/blog/rumors-of-ita-acquisition-are-just-rumors Software and Innovation Sun, 10 Jul 2011 14:13:09 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Dan Weinreb http://danweinreb.org/blog/rumors-of-ita-acquisition-are-just-rumors/comment-page-1#comment-47946 Dan Weinreb Fri, 02 Jul 2010 22:44:16 +0000 http://danweinreb.org/blog/?p=323#comment-47946 The choice of Common Lisp as a language has strengths and weaknesses are that are pretty well-understood. ITA uses many languages, not just Lisp, and people differ in their feelings about particular approaches. I'd rather not say more, as I don't want anyone to feel affronted. The choice of Common Lisp as a language has strengths and weaknesses are that are pretty well-understood. ITA uses many languages, not just Lisp, and people differ in their feelings about particular approaches. I’d rather not say more, as I don’t want anyone to feel affronted.

]]> By: Ethan Herdrick http://danweinreb.org/blog/rumors-of-ita-acquisition-are-just-rumors/comment-page-1#comment-47945 Ethan Herdrick Fri, 02 Jul 2010 19:03:13 +0000 http://danweinreb.org/blog/?p=323#comment-47945 "I would not expect any new major software effort to be written in Lisp. On the other hand, it’s not clear that ITA would have done that, either..." Really? Can you say more about this? Would you agree with a choice to build with something else? Would that something else be another lisp, i.e. Clojure? Thanks, Dan. “I would not expect any new major software effort to be written in Lisp. On the other hand, it’s not clear that ITA would have done that, either…” Really? Can you say more about this? Would you agree with a choice to build with something else? Would that something else be another lisp, i.e. Clojure? Thanks, Dan.

]]> By: Bradford Cross http://danweinreb.org/blog/rumors-of-ita-acquisition-are-just-rumors/comment-page-1#comment-47944 Bradford Cross Fri, 02 Jul 2010 15:11:14 +0000 http://danweinreb.org/blog/?p=323#comment-47944 Hi Dan, Congrats (if it is to your liking)... No new lisp systems? How about clojure? If anyone wants to keep hacking lisp and doesn't mind making the jump to clojure, just tell them to ping me. ;-) We're now working on all kinds of cool stuff above and beyond flight delay prediction. Hi Dan,

Congrats (if it is to your liking)…

No new lisp systems? How about clojure?

If anyone wants to keep hacking lisp and doesn’t mind making the jump to clojure, just tell them to ping me. ;-)

We’re now working on all kinds of cool stuff above and beyond flight delay prediction.

]]> By: Dan Weinreb http://danweinreb.org/blog/rumors-of-ita-acquisition-are-just-rumors/comment-page-1#comment-47943 Dan Weinreb Fri, 02 Jul 2010 13:08:06 +0000 http://danweinreb.org/blog/?p=323#comment-47943 We have not been told anything about the situation with Common Lisp. Acquirers of companies with Lisp software usually make the big mistake of commanding that it must be rewritten in Java. I would be extremely surprised if Google makes this mistake. I would not expect any new major software effort to be written in Lisp. On the other hand, it's not clear that ITA would have done that, either, but that's moot now. We have not been told anything about the situation with Common Lisp. Acquirers of companies with Lisp software usually make the big mistake of commanding that it must be rewritten in Java. I would be extremely surprised if Google makes this mistake.

I would not expect any new major software effort to be written in Lisp. On the other hand, it’s not clear that ITA would have done that, either, but that’s moot now.

]]> By: Dan Weinreb http://danweinreb.org/blog/rumors-of-ita-acquisition-are-just-rumors/comment-page-1#comment-47942 Dan Weinreb Fri, 02 Jul 2010 13:05:23 +0000 http://danweinreb.org/blog/?p=323#comment-47942 On Thursday, after the market close, Google and ITA Software announced that Google intends to buy ITA for $700M cash. It's still tentative, until they get government approval. Although I'm no expert, my own guess is that it's very likely to be approved, but it will take a while for the deal to close: at least a month, maybe many months, is the prevailing guess. After that, presumably most of us will be working for Google. (Google does not have "subsidiaries" or "business units".) For office space purposes, the people now at the Google Cambridge office in Cambridge Center and our people might all get moved into a single office, but many issues like that won't be decided for a while. You can find out all about it at http://www.google.com/press/ita/, and you can Google for "Google ITA" to find everybody's opinion. About the reservation system project (which I have been working on since I arrived four and a half years ago), Jeremy Wertheimer, ITA's CEO, says Google is "pretty interested in talking to airlines and getting their views on it. I think there's a lot of respect for what we've been doing on it and ... want to talk to airlines about how we can get it out there." Thanks for the congratulations, everybody! On Thursday, after the market close, Google and ITA Software announced
that Google intends to buy ITA for $700M cash. It’s still tentative,
until they get government approval. Although I’m no expert, my own
guess is that it’s very likely to be approved, but it will take a
while for the deal to close: at least a month, maybe many months, is
the prevailing guess.

After that, presumably most of us will be working for Google. (Google
does not have “subsidiaries” or “business units”.) For office space
purposes, the people now at the Google Cambridge office in Cambridge
Center and our people might all get moved into a single office, but
many issues like that won’t be decided for a while.

You can find out all about it at http://www.google.com/press/ita/,
and you can Google for “Google ITA” to find everybody’s opinion.

About the reservation system project (which I have been working on
since I arrived four and a half years ago), Jeremy Wertheimer, ITA’s
CEO, says Google is “pretty interested in talking to airlines and
getting their views on it. I think there’s a lot of respect for what
we’ve been doing on it and … want to talk to airlines about how we
can get it out there.”

Thanks for the congratulations, everybody!

]]> By: Michael H. http://danweinreb.org/blog/rumors-of-ita-acquisition-are-just-rumors/comment-page-1#comment-47940 Michael H. Thu, 01 Jul 2010 22:50:12 +0000 http://danweinreb.org/blog/?p=323#comment-47940 My version of Vinay's question: does this mean there's one less Lisp-friendly company out there, or does it mean that Google will now be more Lisp-accepting itself? My version of Vinay’s question: does this mean there’s one less Lisp-friendly company out there, or does it mean that Google will now be more Lisp-accepting itself?

]]> By: Vinay http://danweinreb.org/blog/rumors-of-ita-acquisition-are-just-rumors/comment-page-1#comment-47939 Vinay Thu, 01 Jul 2010 22:29:43 +0000 http://danweinreb.org/blog/?p=323#comment-47939 Ron Garet's article suggested that Google's not that into Lisp ... Wonder how this would work out now ... Ron Garet’s article suggested that Google’s not that into Lisp … Wonder how this would work out now …

]]> By: Harold Ancell http://danweinreb.org/blog/rumors-of-ita-acquisition-are-just-rumors/comment-page-1#comment-47938 Harold Ancell Thu, 01 Jul 2010 21:49:11 +0000 http://danweinreb.org/blog/?p=323#comment-47938 Rumor no more: <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2010/07/taking-off-with-ita.html" rel="nofollow">Taking off with ITA</a>. My question, which I don't expect an answer to any time soon, is what will be the fate of the reservation system? It wouldn't seem to fit into the Google service culture (e.g. in the sense of SLAs and the like). Rumor no more: Taking off with ITA.

My question, which I don’t expect an answer to any time soon, is what will be the fate of the reservation system? It wouldn’t seem to fit into the Google service culture (e.g. in the sense of SLAs and the like).

]]>