We announced last Friday that we are launching Oxygen at DemoFall'09 on September 21. That is exactly 21 days away -- yikes!

We are in count down mode, and the list of to-do's grows by the hour. At some point, I'm hoping the needle goes in the other direction. Such is life in the product launch universe.

By putting a stake in the ground, we are committing ourselves that we'll be ready with not only our product, but also how we will go to market. This is no small task. We will be judged by our first step, and if we take the wrong step, it may take a long time for us to pick our selves up and begin the march again.

I speak not only about the product release. Sure, we want to provide good user experience, and be ready if a million customers come to our door step. A system crash would not be good for anyone. We're preparing for that event.

I'm referring to market perception. What are we? This has been a difficult question. There's a danger in going too high-minded and giving an 80,000 feet view, and no one can see our relevance even with a telescope. And we don't we want to be pigeon-holed into a niche market or be seen as one-trick pony.

In the end, the best course is to simply describe what we solve for customers and let them decide what we are.

Of course, we have 21 days to change our minds. Yikes, back to work!