In the Valley, clothes certainly do not make the man

Net Results: The Macy's department store men's section at the Stanford Shopping Centre, in Palo Alto, California - which occupies its own three-floor building, just so the guys don't have to walk past those annoying perfume counters and women's shoe departments - has the largest Dockers section I have ever seen.

You know Dockers - the casual men's trousers (or in this case, one could use that perfect evocation of menswear blandness, "slacks") made by Levi Strauss. They come in every possible variation of khaki on the colour scale. Sometimes, a little daringly, they exit the khaki realm and land on the side of navy blue, or even black - albeit a faded, friendly, "hey guys!" kind of black, not the grimly sepulchral shade favoured by heavy metal bands and models.

The Dockers, lined up crisply in orderly khaki rows on their hangers, are the easy-going occupying army of an area about the size of the entire women's lingerie department of Marks & Spencer on Grafton Street. One could almost call it a formidable display of Dockers, except Dockers have never been formidable, not once in their Sta-prest, politely neat lives.

Dockers are the men's uniform of the technology industry in California. Even for sales guys; maybe especially for sales guys. What other sartorial item can say so succinctly: "Hey, no pressure here, I'm the kind of guy you'd hang around with yourselves on the weekend. Trust me.

"And when you get a sec, just sign right here for this five-year software licensing deal with additional six-figure service package. I'm your friend."

On the day I was in Macy's, men of a certain age - the tech industry norm of 25-45 somethings, all of the type a girl can confidently bring home to mother - milled around, examining the slacks, searching for the perfect pair to define their, uh, individuality.

Button-through, single back pocket? Or double, plain slit back pockets? Pleated or flat fronts? Anyone risqué enough for a single cargo pocket on the side leg? How odd that this quirky, unique industry, full of innovators and risk-takers, chooses such safe clothing. Here, the clothes certainly do not make the man.

Or maybe they do. Oracle chief executive Larry Ellison and Apple chief executive Steve Jobs - two of the most colourful people in the industry - are famous for what they wear, and it's not Dockers. Jobs favours worn jeans and a black polo neck, while Ellison opts for designer suits or a black polo neck and expensive trousers. Come to think of it, when's the last time you saw any tech chief executive in khakis?

Maybe the boys of the Valley should switch to black polo necks. They seem a better guide to a wealthy future than a Dockers.

And while we're considering style, and lack of same, let's compare budget airlines. More specifically, let's take a look at Southwest Airlines, on which Ryanair is largely based in concept and execution, and Ryanair itself.

This week, I took a Southwest flight from San Jose to Las Vegas. Texas-based Southwest defined the budget-carrier notion several years ago, with low-cost, no-frills flights. You could get knockdown prices during sales. You could buy single flight segments, rather than being forced into return-flight hassles.

Sound familiar? Let me tell you about my Southwest flight. First, Southwest gets customer service and friendliness. Therefore, this is a widely liked airline, which has a great public image in the US. People like to fly Southwest.

Let's try that again. People like to fly Southwest. Why? Because it manages to offer value in terms of cash and service. Every seat is a comfortable leather seat, and offers more legroom than the big carriers. Seats aren't reserved but you board in group numbers that let the first people to check in, board first.

Southwest staff all seem to really like their job. They joke around. They wear shorts. They greet you by your first name as you board because Southwest prints your first name on the ticket. (It may seem inconsequential but it's a nice gesture. People love it.)

I know few people who fly Ryanair for the pleasant experience. The tickets are cheap, but hardly cheerful. You fight in a huge pack to get a seat, which you are then mashed into.

I also flew Southwest a year ago from Los Angeles to San Jose and the guy I sat next to (a tech exec) told me he loved taking Southwest, for the service and because Southwest had a better on-time record than the big airlines. He knew he'd be more likely to arrive when he planned to, so he took Southwest for reliability rather than costs.

Hmmm. As my plane circled in towards Las Vegas, I wished that the Irish airline (and other European budget outfits) had copied a few more of the key elements of Southwest besides just the "no-frills" bit.

Karlin's tech weblog: http://radio.weblogs.com/0103966