From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on polar.synack.me X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-1.9 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00 autolearn=ham autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 101deb,23963231b5359f74 X-Google-Attributes: gid101deb,public X-Google-Thread: fdb77,c9f2b97a84c48976 X-Google-Attributes: gidfdb77,public X-Google-Thread: 1073c2,23963231b5359f74 X-Google-Attributes: gid1073c2,public X-Google-Thread: 1158e3,c9f2b97a84c48976 X-Google-Attributes: gid1158e3,public X-Google-Thread: 103376,23963231b5359f74 X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public X-Google-Thread: 10a146,23963231b5359f74 X-Google-Attributes: gid10a146,public X-Google-ArrivalTime: 2001-06-16 16:20:14 PST Path: archiver1.google.com!newsfeed.google.com!sn-xit-02!sn-post-01!supernews.com!corp.supernews.com!not-for-mail From: Al Christians Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada,ccomp.lang.clarion,comp.lang.java.programmer,comp.lang.pl1,comp.lang.vrml,comp.lang.java.advocacy Subject: Re: Market pressures for more reliable software Date: Sat, 16 Jun 2001 16:23:15 -0700 Organization: Trillium Resources Corporation Message-ID: <3B2BEA63.34116398@PublicPropertySoftware.com> X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.76 [en] (WinNT; U) X-Accept-Language: en MIME-Version: 1.0 References: <9folnd$1t8$1@nh.pace.co.uk> <3B1FE1FE.B49AE27F@noaa.gov> <9fotpi$4k6$1@nh.pace.co.uk> <3b24dc21$1@news.tce.com> <3B25D5FB.15C9B240@dresdner-bank.com> <9g5as6$hbq$1@magnum.mmm.com> <9g5ipg$roq$1@nh.pace.co.uk> <9g614i$at4$1@magnum.mmm.com> <9g7r02$mni$1@nh.pace.co.uk> <9g840k$qjt$1@nh.pace.co.uk> <40gfitgrvd8cgu27r3vfib6eptmapb3pfl@4ax.com> <9g8lrk$37c$1@nh.pace.co.uk> <3B2B6D5E.F9AE7CAB@mail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Complaints-To: newsabuse@supernews.com Xref: archiver1.google.com comp.lang.ada:8813 comp.lang.java.programmer:76940 comp.lang.pl1:1065 comp.lang.vrml:3842 comp.lang.java.advocacy:21328 Date: 2001-06-16T16:23:15-07:00 List-Id: "James A. Robertson" wrote: > > The problem occurs once your software reaches a 'mature' state - then > few are buying new licenses (there's no need), and few buy support (it's > mature and doesn't need it). This is what is starting to happen with MS > Office, and is also something that has hit the development tools sector. > > The answer that seems to work is a subscription model, which you can > find large numbers of people railing against. > > The base problem is that over time, people in fact won't pay for support > - especially once the product gets to a state where it doesn't need a > lot of it. > The answer you propound is evidently the answer to the question "How do I get a perpetual income from a single project?" Good software may be usable in perpetuity, but if the market is competitive, the price will compensate the seller only for what is sold and will not saddle the buyer with additional costs (short-term or long-term) for what is neither wanted nor needed. Reliable software ought to be produced in a comparatively short time and last a comparatively long time. The justification for market economies is that they produce a bounty for consumers (buyers). Producers are supposed to be smart enough to deal with that. Where I live there is some of the back end of the game development business. That market has adapted to the economics of software as a permanent good. They produce a game and move on. Embedded software ought to work the same way. I might not buy an appliance if I knew there was a permanent development group somewhere continually turning out bug fixes for the appliance's embedded software. If consumers prefer to pay once and use forever, it's market failure if they can't find a way to get what they want. Al