Market pressures for more reliable software

[Roedy Green <roedy@mindprod.com>]

On Wed, 13 Jun 2001 12:22:43 -0400, "Marin David Condic"
<marin.condic.auntie.spam@pacemicro.com> wrote or quoted :

> Produce a reliable product at a similar price and with
>similar features and with a similar marketing budget.

The problem with software is you have to use it for at least a few
months to evaluate its quality and suitability FOR YOUR NEEDS. Adobe
may create some extremely good and expensive software, but their
packages could be overwhelming for a newbie.

BUT, by then it is too late. The vendor already has your money,
whether or not he has delivered a suitable, working product.

This problem with buying a pig in a poke greatly favours market
leaders who can afford advertising, and whose products will be
purchased by newcomers simply on name recognition. There is not enough
incentive for a market leader to produce a high quality product.

I see three ways around this:

1. try-before-you-buy which is becoming much more common.  Electronic
distribution lets you try several packages before making your final
decision.  My problem with the technique is software trials are TIME
limited rather than USE-limited.  I sometimes get sidetracked before
completing evaluating a package, then lose the right to examine it.

2. software rental.  You don't give the vendor all the money up front.
You can leave the vendor at any time and PUNISH him for not living up
to your expectations.

3. Consumer Reports so that new software is much less a pig in a poke.
General computer literacy should help along these lines too.  The new
generation coming up are not going to be such lambs lead to the
slaughter.
 

For more detail, please look up the key words mentioned in this post in
the Java Glossary at: http://mindprod.com/gloss.html 

--
Roedy Green, Canadian Mind Products
Custom computer programming since 1963. Ready to take on new work.