by Frank Fortner
Hocus, Pocus, the technology formerly known as FOCUS! Now you see it, now you don’t! It’s MAGIC! – ok not really, just a distant cousin. Rumor has it that after releasing the Client/Server 6.0 version, partially built on a brand new programming and database technology platform called FOCUS, MEDITECH will be changing the name of this new platform to …. drumroll … the MEDITECH Advanced Technology. MAT?
As I understand it, FOCUS was more of an internal name given by the small development team many years ago and it just sort of stuck. Now, after releasing 6.0 with the word “FOCUS” plastered on a few menus, MEDITECH has decided to sunset the name FOCUS in favor of something a bit more descriptive. That is certainly their prerogative, and I won’t scream “they moved my cheese” but the new name doesn’t exactly get an “A” for originality. Imagine having four sons named Anthony, Kevin, Donald and … Boy. See my point?
Being an old MAGIC guy who worked for MEDITECH in the early 90s, I’m struggling to let go of the great system names of the past (MIIS, MAGIC, VMAGIC) in favor of something so literally descriptive. Always the dreamer, maybe it’s not too late for MEDITECH to change its mind in favor of a better moniker. Therefore, I’d like to suggest: XMAGIC (next generation), MAGIC+, or in the spirit of advanced technology, they could simply call it MAGIC-AT. No royalties please. Consider it a gift.
That said, FOCUS was an excellent (if brief) technology name and I’ll be sad to see it go. After all, Hocus and Pocus won’t rhyme with Advanced Technology at the next MUSE conference. Of course the nostalgic in me will probably keep me (and most of us) referring to it as FOCUS for a long time to come. What can I say; old habits die hard.
1 response so far ↓
1 Alan Miller // Oct 7, 2009 at 1:06 pm
Frank,
Hocus and Pocus might not rhyme with MAT, but Flat, Splat, and many other good words do….
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