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=0.2 required=5.0 tests=AC_FROM_MANY_DOTS,BAYES_00, XPRIO_SHORT_SUBJ autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 103376,828c115241d90eca,start X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public X-Google-ArrivalTime: 2001-07-17 15:31:57 PST Path: archiver1.google.com!newsfeed.google.com!newsfeed.stanford.edu!news.tele.dk!212.74.64.35!colt.net!easynet-quince!easynet-melon!easynet.net!psiuk-p2!uknet!psiuk-n!news.pace.co.uk!nh.pace.co.uk!not-for-mail From: "Marin David Condic" Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada Subject: Re: ADCL Date: Tue, 17 Jul 2001 17:41:37 -0400 Organization: Posted on a server owned by Pace Micro Technology plc Message-ID: <9j2bei$d1p$1@nh.pace.co.uk> References: <3B54ACA5.9E286B04@PublicPropertySoftware.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: 136.170.200.133 X-Trace: nh.pace.co.uk 995406098 13369 136.170.200.133 (17 Jul 2001 21:41:38 GMT) X-Complaints-To: newsmaster@pace.co.uk NNTP-Posting-Date: 17 Jul 2001 21:41:38 GMT X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Newsreader: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.50.4522.1200 X-Mimeole: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.50.4522.1200 Xref: archiver1.google.com comp.lang.ada:10106 Date: 2001-07-17T21:41:38+00:00 List-Id: There are obviously issues WRT just how much an independent developer should share in the revenue of a given product. If I build a custom one-off software product and 10% of the code is yours, maybe that number should be 10% of the gross sale. If I build the next Great American Operating System and 10% of the code is yours, but I'm retailing this on the order of $29.95 a box to 50,000,000 users, giving you 10% of that gross sale is simply not going to happen. At that level, it quickly becomes more cost effective for me to reverse-engineer anything you contributed and get you out of the loop. For that reason, I think that there would likely be "volume discounts". First you have to agree on how to determine the relative percentage of contribution. From there, you can come to an agreement on percentage of gross sales or some kind of unit cost for your contribution and discount it for volume as seems appropriate. This isn't that different from when some company licenses an RTOS (like VxWorks) for embedding in a commercial eletronics product. There's a price for Quantity 1 and a different price for Quantity 100,000. I would think that just because you were to release something under the ADCL doesn't mean you aren't free to renegotiate a different deal with any individual or corporation that has an interest in it. You're saying "Unless otherwise agreed to, you can use this software free and if you sell it you owe me $X.XX." You can always work a deal with MassiveHard Software to license your software for $0.0001/copy included in their product. If some company wants to use it but doesn't like the terms, they can always contact you and get different terms. I don't think developers should price themselves out of business, but it still seems to me that developers should get *some* piece of the action if someone commercializes their work & makes money with it. It isn't that different from book publishing - there is a lot that goes into book sales besides the author's contribution, but the author gets a cut based on sales. Is that somehow unfair? 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" wrote in message news:3B54ACA5.9E286B04@PublicPropertySoftware.com... > > In the market system of contemporary capitalism, factors like shelf > space, media placement, etc, are very important factors. Depending > on the product, maybe much more important than programming language > and/or developer talent. > > If the source code for a wonderful Ada IDE, object database, or XML > demihetraline hyperflugenator magically appeared on your doorstep > tomorrow morning, how far are you from a profitable business based > on that product? Is it easier or harder to write code or to turn > code into a profitable business? IIRC, last time I checked, the > combined total profits of software companies #2 to #1000 (ranked by > revenues) was negative. In most companies, developers are lucky not > to share in the profits. > > > Al