The Power of Two

7:05 PM -- I got back from the Sun/StorageTek user conference a couple of days ago but I just can't get Sun's cheesy tagline for the newly combined company out of my head.

Like Tibetan monks slowly descending into a trance, Sun execs kept repeating their mantra to anyone willing to listen: "The power of two, the power of two..."

Sound familiar? Isn't this the self-same marketing spiel that Sperry and Burroughs used when they merged to form Unisys back in 1986?

Back then, the "power of two" tagline served as ammunition for industry wags. As Unisys struggled through its first few years, some uncharitable souls (including, reportedly, one Scott McNealy, Esq.) suggested that the "power of two" had more to do with the firm's stock price than its growth potential.

Let's just hope that history doesn't repeat itself, eh?James "Army of One" Rogers, Senior Editor, Byte and Switch