Evolution of a Team

Late in 1987, a computer engineering partnership was formed to build a team with a reputation for solving the toughest problems plaguing the high-tech industry. Since most start-ups fail within the first two years, we knew reaching our goals would be a significant challenge. We began by talking with friends and colleagues we had worked with in the past, trying to find projects upon which to build our reputation.

Q group’s first project was to develop a database to track membership and advertising information for the American Association for Artificial Intelligence. Other projects we took on during the early years included:

	developing low level communication protocols for electronic transactions for Pacific Business Solutions
	design and implementation of kernel test suites for MIPS Computer
	bring-up of SVR4 on a new MIPS based multi-processor for Pyramid Technology

We also initiated development of our manufacturing quality control database software (QDB) through a project with Megatest Corporation.

Then there was Détente...

As our business grew, we formed Détente Technology Inc. in 1989 to focus on our idea of developing operating system solutions for makers of Sun compatible computers, a market Sun was hoping to provide a spark to ignite. We contracted with Sun to implement an OS port for an embedded controller chip being developed as part of an internal research project. This was our biggest contract to date and was that first real break every business needs to make it over the hump.

The market for Sun compatible computers never really materialized, but our connections with Sun led to many new projects and really established our software service business. We decided to close Q group and move all the business into Détente and focus solely on our service business providing custom software solutions for our clients.

We worked on many projects for Sun’s NFS group including one to redesign the network file locking manager moving it from a user level application to a kernel level daemon. This is now part of Sun’s standard software package.

When Sun formed their SPARC Technology Business unit (now Consumer and Embedded Products), Détente was called upon for two operating system porting projects:

	porting Novell’s portable NetWare software from the Intel platform to run native on Sun’s SPARC and
	porting NeXT’s NextStep operating system to run native on Sun’s SPARC platform.

Détente also worked on a project for Apple to port Novell’s NetWare to run native on PowerPC machines. Before Microsoft cancelled PowerPC support in NT, we worked on an NT HAL implementation for multiprocessor PowerPC systems.

The reputation we built over the years led to our most visible Internet project. A manager we worked closely with at one of our clients joined a start-up, Total Entertainment Network. We were called in to develop the network software infrastructure for their on-line game system. We took this project from a concept, through initial design and prototype stages, to a final product that is the framework of TEN’s network today. The relationship with TEN provided the genesis of our Venture Technology service.

Our experience with embedded systems and graphics led to a project with Hyundai’s Digital Video Systems division to implement the software for a digital television set-top box. Ten manufacturers attempted to produce set-top boxes for an Italian digital satellite TV service provider based in Milan Italy. With Détente’s assitance, Hyundai’s box was the only product that passed the service provider’s stringent acceptance requirements. Even the reference platform commissioned by the service provider failed these tests.

While we were developing the network infrastructure for TEN and the set-top box for Hyundai, Détente was also working with Sun’s JavaSoft division on many projects including the development of Personal Java. We combined our expertise in Java with our digital TV expertise and began pushing a concept we called JavaTV during the summer of 1997. This led to a project with OpenTV to create a specification for a Java API and to help lobby DVB, the European standards body for digital television, to adopt Java as the standard environment for digital television set-top boxes. In the summer of 1998, DVB made the decision to adopt Java.

In May of 1997, Détente was approached by Cadence Design Systems. In addition to being the leader in tools for chip design, Cadence had a $250M chip design services business. System on a chip architectures were growing more complex, and Cadence realized an embedded software service was needed to complement their chip design service. Late in the summer of 1998, after working with them to develop an embedded software marketing and business plan, Détente Technology Inc. was sold to Cadence to become the core of their new embedded software services business.

Now there is Eureka!