Just wanted to add my two cents and best wishes as you 'retire' and move on to the next chapter in your life.

While your leadership with regard to the Internet and IBM is well known and appreciated across the company, not everyone was around to see the early seeds planted. While there was not just one planting....from your early soapbox, one that I clearly recall was the IBM Strategic Leadership Framework task force that we did during the time you were in corporate strategy. This was under Cannavino with corporate strategy and an extended team (Irving, others...). This was a project to describe a view of the future and the IBM role in it. While this resulted in a set of strategic imperatives, including "leadership in network centric computing" it also called out 8 "quick hitters" we said we just needed to do immediately. I've scanned and attached that page from the task force report. Number 4 on the list was: Get on the Internet - today! (recall that this was May, 1994). And we all know that there is one reason that was on the list - you and your early passion about the potential of the Internet. I guess that is two reasons but the two seem inseparable! So I thought you'd appreciate this little artifact!!

John, best wishes and good luck in the new endeavor and I expect I'll see you around town!!