Excellent article, all of the points I'd agree with. A couple more points and he'd almost have a ten commandments style guide to developing something worthwhile for the Internet.
Hi Matt, I understand your scenario. I am working a project on a part-time basis that might interest you. My mail's in my profile if you want to discuss it or anything else.
I can understand the Oracle-Sun acquisition, and Ellison's view of a integrated hardware and software solution. (Guess IBM wish they had thought about that with Windows and OS's.)
ERP has always interested me. Vendor/customer relationships are often complex however the software side shouldn't really be the case - if anything, software should be the easy part.
Anyone starting up in the space obviously can't (successfully) build an integrated solution. You would have to develop something better than current SAP/Oracle/SAAS solutions for one or two of the operating units described by joshwa.
I think there's some good new communication tools around at the moment but it's an area I think that's difficult to monetize. (Facebook and Twitter IMO will have to look at something in addition to advertising.)
I would say there's plenty of opportunities for online marketplaces.
Internet growth in Asia right now, and potentially Africa in the future, will open up tonnes and the need to exchange goods and services.
Developing economies will want the same consumer goods as we do, and offcourse the enterprise will need the tools in order to provide these.