News.com has an article about Blackberry reaching out to the developer audience.

Saunders has embraced a concept that RIM had long ignored: that developers and a healthy app "ecosystem" can make or break an operating system. He's tried to make the company more accommodating and responsive to developers. It's the touchy-feely stuff RIM execs never thought was important.

Alec Saunders, vice president of developer relations.

(Credit: RIM)

Two years ago I was standing in line for drink at GigaOm Structure and Alec and I were standing next to each other. We were trying to remember where we worked together. Win95, yeh. We caught up a bit and Alec said I really need to find a HW Evangelist Director. Hey how about Bob T from Win95 days. Alec said Bob would be perfect. Great, let me call him now. Bob this is Dave, you looking for a job. yeh. Here talk to Alec he has a job for you. BoB T works for Alec within a month.

One of the reasons why Alec is doing well is Bob T is building an evangelism team using the Win95 game plan.

Some things don't change and having people who know how to execute with developers is a skill that doesn't get old, even though we do.

It is ironic that two ex-Microsoft guys are key executives in the Blackberry developer ecosystem.