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Blogger: Richard Watson

Over at SOA Talk Jack Vaughan wonders what ‘IONA’ means.  Somewhere along the way, Iona got capitalized to look like an acronym but it is a word.  IONA Technologies is named after the island of Iona off the coast of Scotland. Monks, led by St Columba retreated to the island in 563 AD to find refuge from the battles raging across Britain and Ireland. As the most highly educated (only educated) group at the time, they set about creating and recording knowledge of the time, writing illuminated books.

As an ex-Ionian, I was at an IONA reunion/wake in Dublin last Friday, coincidentally on the same day as Progress completed its acquisition of IONA.  As we lorried into the pints last Friday, there was a palpable feeling of the end of an era.  IONA was the most successful Irish software company, by a long stretch.  They achieved what few other Irish companies have done; they scaled up to be a global player.  The reasons for their success are too complex to discuss here, and I don’t subscribe to “the right place, right time” theory about IONA’s success, but succeed they did, when many other companies in the same market squandered that opportunity.

An entire generation of Irish software people will be associated with IONA.  If you didn’t work there yourself, your girlfriend did, or your brother did.  I like to talk about social capital as the bonds between us that are lubrication for getting things done in an organization. The social capital built up within IONA was phenomenal and outlasts it as a company, still making a difference to thousands of software professionals’ careers, easing access to important stuff like jobs and investment capital.

Software engineering was taken seriously at IONA. I learned much of my software engineering and project management craft there. The code, and the people that created and nurtured it were treated as true corporate assets.  They were an early adopter of first eXtreme Programming, then agile. There was a strong emphasis on what out our development process guy Kirk Knoernschild would call formality over ceremony. There was a seriousness of purpose and an attention to detail the monks on Iona would have recognized.

All good things come to an end, and I especially like Wikipedia’s snippet on the demise of the early monastic community.

A series of Viking raids on the monastery on Iona began in 794, and after its treasures had been plundered many times, Columba’s relics were removed and divided two ways between Scotland and Ireland in 849 as the monastery was abandoned.

I met some of the remaining Iona monks on Friday – they are pretty upbeat about joining Progress and rightly so. The major shareholders should be upbeat about their exit, any exit, albeit a $4.05 a share exit, incomparable to the irrational exuberance of $100 a share in 2000.

So hats off to Annrai, Chris, Colin and Sean and everyone that traveled with them.

 

Comments

[Patrick]

IONA was indeed a great place. I was there in varying capacities from 2000-2008 in the states. I was also fortunate to spend some time in the Dublin office (and Slatterys of course - my first pub in Ireland) so I got to see the Irish side first hand.

I watched both the good and bad moves. However, throughout it was always a place of great people that did very big things often in the face of great aversity from competitors and other forces. I still have the autographed book by Chris given out in the early 2000's. It will remain on the shelf forever.

As you point out, my time at IONA has opened many doors over time, and continues to do so as well. We all gained great benefit from our employment.

I feel privledged to have been accepted by the true IONA, and have worked within the ranks of such great minds, attitudes, and capability.

Good luck to all whether proceeding with Progress or moving on (or have moved on).

I only wish I could have been at Slatterys!

[Tom Murphy]

Ah Iona Technologies...

I loved my time there (1995-2000), it was a fantastic place to learn, grow up and work hard.

There were so many fantastic people and characters in Ireland and the United States.

Time waits for no one of course but you're right Richard, the social capital remains valuable to this day.

Of course I'd add "Colin" to Chris, Annrai and Sean!

TM

[Jack Vaughan]

I think the equivalent of Slatterys on the U.S. side might once have been The Field in Central Square Cambridge [Mass.]. Well I ran into Annrai once there anyway. I shall host a pint there to the island of Iona. - Jack Vaughan, SearchSOA.com {Do you remember a give-away of an Orbix soda pop drink? Somehow I think I recall that. It had little Orbs in it. Never opened the bottle.]

[Paul M. Watson]

> formality over ceremony

Nicely said.