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=-0.3 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00, REPLYTO_WITHOUT_TO_CC autolearn=no 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: 10a146,23963231b5359f74 X-Google-Attributes: gid10a146,public X-Google-Thread: 1158e3,c9f2b97a84c48976 X-Google-Attributes: gid1158e3,public X-Google-Thread: 103376,23963231b5359f74 X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public X-Google-ArrivalTime: 2001-06-13 12:48:43 PST Path: archiver1.google.com!newsfeed.google.com!sn-xit-02!supernews.com!newsfeed.direct.ca!look.ca!newshub2.rdc1.sfba.home.com!news.home.com!news1.rdc1.bc.home.com.POSTED!not-for-mail From: Roedy Green Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada,ccomp.lang.clarion,comp.lang.java.programmer,comp.lang.pl1,comp.lang.vrml,comp.lang.java.advocacy Subject: Market pressures for more reliable software Organization: Canadian Mind Products Reply-To: roedy@mindprod.com Message-ID: <40gfitgrvd8cgu27r3vfib6eptmapb3pfl@4ax.com> 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> X-Newsreader: Forte Agent 1.8/32.548 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Date: Wed, 13 Jun 2001 19:48:42 GMT NNTP-Posting-Host: 24.76.128.193 X-Complaints-To: abuse@home.net X-Trace: news1.rdc1.bc.home.com 992461722 24.76.128.193 (Wed, 13 Jun 2001 12:48:42 PDT) NNTP-Posting-Date: Wed, 13 Jun 2001 12:48:42 PDT Xref: archiver1.google.com comp.lang.ada:8687 comp.lang.java.programmer:76062 comp.lang.pl1:1006 comp.lang.vrml:3771 comp.lang.java.advocacy:21011 Date: 2001-06-13T19:48:42+00:00 List-Id: On Wed, 13 Jun 2001 12:22:43 -0400, "Marin David Condic" 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.