Re: Death by analogy Part 2 (was Re: is ada dead?)

["Marin David Condic" <marin.condic.auntie.spam@pacemicro.com>]

I'd agree that the "go become a supported user and all your troubles will
vanish" response to problems with a compiler are not going to get very far
if the support contract starts becomming way too expensive for the average
well-paid geek to afford. Its hard to justify a grand or two for a compiler
that maybe you don't have a revenue-generating project to pay for, let alone
a support contract that might be an order of magnitude or more larger. If
the appeal is aimed at getting me to talk my parent corporation into
spending the funds - heck! I can't even talk them into using Ada on a "real"
project to begin with! How am I going to get them to pony up for support? If
its aimed at me as a private citizen - I'm just not that wealthy.

This isn't a complaint, but it is an observation about market realities. The
businessman needs to understand how people view it and adjust the business
plan to provide something people *will* buy.

Microsoft offers basically a newsletter and quarterly updates that are
within the reach (maybe) of an independent developer. They may not be the
model to copy, but it does suggest that folks will buy a compiler with
limited support. How to get that product to the mainstream where it might
generate the critical mass? I don't know, but there is probably an answer.
If your compiler is a "sunk cost" and not generating enough revenue to make
supporting it seem worth the effort, then maybe its time to take a "We Have
Nothing To Lose" approach and put the thing out "as is" somewhere for free
or some nominal cost under $100. Or maybe it needs to be heavily donated to
schools? Or possibly value-added partners can be taken in - companies or
small-time developers who could add something to the product in exchange for
some right to re-market it? Figuring out the right answer requires a good
deal of creativity and a willingness to break the mold.

MDC
--
Marin David Condic
Senior Software Engineer
Pace Micro Technology Americas    www.pacemicro.com
Enabling the digital revolution
e-Mail:    marin.condic@pacemicro.com
Web:      http://www.mcondic.com/


"Al Christians" <achrist@easystreet.com> wrote in message
news:3B4B6F44.8C7CC353@easystreet.com...
> It is not easy to speak from authority on this, since prices are not
> on-line to reference.  And I don't want to ask about price and be a
> nuisance when I know as a rambling and scrambling 1-man consultancy I
> can't afford this stuff, anyhow, and the vendors are so nice to make
> possible freely available versions. I have paid for four Ada compilers
> in my time, from four different vendors, and none of them was over
> $2,000.  But it has happened some times in the past when I pointed out
> some problems with the freely available versions of some Ada products
> here on CLA, figuring that CLA is where there are the most users and I
> might get some help,  that a response came back from vendor that  if I
> was a supported customer instead of a
> taker-advantage-of-the-free-goodies-when-I'm-not-even-a-studenter
> that the problems would be no problems.  My natural response to such
> messages is, "OK, how much would it cost to get this fixed?", and I have
> let that response, however impertinent, issue forth from time to time.
> Then I've got to talk to sales, and it's hard even to get pre-qualified
> to talk to sales.  But the prices I have been exposed to over the years
> run to the order of $1,000 per seat per month and the debugger is extra,
> I think, and then there are these  minimums of six seats (last I heard,
> but I try to avoid hearing, as I said above), and when I start adding it
> all up and multiplying by the duration of the typical project, I'm into
> multiple sheets of paper and six-figures more or less, plus or minus.
>
> I'm not on CLA to argue.  I don't like to argue.  I don't want to argue.
> If anyone doesn't like this kind of idle babbling, they can pre-empt
> any argument by publishing a price list and posting a url.  I'm not
> typing about anyone in particular.  Please have mercy. I'm just trying
> to explain myself to Ed, not provoke anything, or criticize anyone's
> business model. You've got mouths to feed just as I do.  Do it however
> you please. TIA for your indulgence.
>
>
> Al