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=-0.4 required=5.0 tests=AC_FROM_MANY_DOTS,BAYES_00 autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 11232c,992bfa9d3803bf5b X-Google-Attributes: gid11232c,public X-Google-Thread: 103376,ac39a12d5faf5b14 X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public X-Google-ArrivalTime: 2002-04-17 17:38:05 PST Path: archiver1.google.com!news1.google.com!newsfeed.stanford.edu!news-spur1.maxwell.syr.edu!news.maxwell.syr.edu!kibo.news.demon.net!demon!diablo.theplanet.net!diablo.theplanet.net!psiuk-p2!psiuk-p3!uknet!psiuk-n!news.pace.co.uk!nh.pace.co.uk!not-for-mail From: "Marin David Condic" Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada,misc.misc Subject: Re: Open Source: in conflict with the development process in the Ada community? Date: Wed, 17 Apr 2002 10:06:49 -0400 Organization: Posted on a server owned by Pace Micro Technology plc Message-ID: References: <3CB94312.5040802@snafu.de> <4519e058.0204150645.62003096@posting.google.com> <3CBCEB15.E104D1F5@adaworks.com> <35c5c360dfe83cb34ea9648445bd0e95.48257@mygate.mailgate.org> NNTP-Posting-Host: dhcp-200-133.miami.pace.co.uk X-Trace: nh.pace.co.uk 1019052410 21872 136.170.200.133 (17 Apr 2002 14:06:50 GMT) X-Complaints-To: newsmaster@news.cam.pace.co.uk NNTP-Posting-Date: 17 Apr 2002 14:06:50 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:22692 misc.misc:6519 Date: 2002-04-17T14:06:50+00:00 List-Id: Not every software product can exist on the ACT model. It requires something of sufficient complexity and size and criticality to a project that enough people will want to buy support. Do people regularly go shopping to buy support contracts for word processors or computer games? Not usually, because they do what they do & their bug-free functioning is not critical to a project. Even GNAT could arrive at a point where customers say "It works well enough for me to do my job and I don't need any add-on, custom features, so thanks for your support, but we'll be terminating our contract now..." (Even Microsoft is up against that sort of problem - why do you think they want to invent some kind of software leasing scheme?) If a product doesn't offer much promise of back-end payment by way of support/enhancement/consulting contracts and you don't charge anything for it up front, how do people get paid to develop it? MDC -- Marin David Condic Senior Software Engineer Pace Micro Technology Americas www.pacemicro.com Enabling the digital revolution e-Mail: marin.condic@pacemicro.com "Kent Paul Dolan" wrote in message news:35c5c360dfe83cb34ea9648445bd0e95.48257@mygate.mailgate.org... > > But since in point of fact Dr. Dewar and company seem to be making a > quite comfortable living, perhaps the problem instead is that the > expectation of being paid for software up front, rather than being paid > for enhancements happy customers want to that software once it is in > widespread use, is no longer the best model. >