Walt Boyes' Blog

've really had very little time to "walk the show" but I've formed some impressions: + Despite the predictions, the doom and gloom scenario did not happen. The conference is busy, the show (although tiny in comparison to other ISA shows) is active. One vendor told me that they'd gotten over 200 sales leads in just the first day. That, if you aren't a veteran of counting sales … [Read more...] about Impressions of ISA…

Kevin Roach and the Rockwell Software Vision I had not seen Kevin Roach since he left GE to become Vice President of Rockwell Software. In fact, as I reminded him, I had a long-arranged phone interview with him the day he resigned at GE, and he blew me off. Kevin is one of the very smart people in automation, and it is always good to hear him talk about his vision, which has … [Read more...] about Same Song, Latest Verse

ISA Executive Director Status Research Triangle Park, NC (23 October 2005) -- ISA is in the final stages of negotiations to name an Executive Director after a comprehensive search for an experienced professional who can lead the organization into the future. ISA President Don Zee noted, “Our Search Committee has made remarkable progress on a very aggressive timeline in … [Read more...] about ISA "near" naming new Executive Director

Will BPL Interfere With In-Plant Radio Networks? Broadband over power line (BPL) is a technology that allows Internet data to be transmitted over utility power lines. In order to utilize BPL, a subscriber installs a small modem similar to DSL or cable service, and plugs it into any ordinary AC wall outlet in any room. The modem then provides an Ethernet connection to a computer … [Read more...] about Another complication for SP100 to worry about: BPL and SCADA

"...and another one bites the dust!" The Australian-headquartered HMI/SCADA/MES vendor Citect announced on Wednesday that they have accepted a merger offer from the Australian subsidiary of Schneider for a deal worth approximately $80 million. Where this leaves the US crew is suddenly up in the air. After a period of severe retrenchment, two years ago Citect got their US … [Read more...] about Independent no more: Schneider buys Citect