On Wed, 29 Jan 1997 01:56:37 -0600, "C. J. Fields"
<cfields at gab.unt.edu> wrote:
> Am learning C++ as I... er... type. I've also got other research
> going on, so a time constraint is starting to form.
I'm doing exactly the same thing. Out of work time, since the
beginning of January, I'm learning visual C++ and Java++. Which I
don't don't know if you've had a look at java but it seems very
similar to C++ and maybe a little easier but certainly no harder.
> My point in the thread is *why* these programs are so high. All
> I've got in response is "Learn to program yourself," or "Don't buy
> it." Give me a legitimate answer to the question, not an aside.
Part of the cost is required
1) No doubt to recoup cost incurred during creation and developement
of the programme.
2) A lot of time is probably required to research processes in the
scientific world and convert them into computer models. For
example the current file specification for Protein Data Bank
Files (pdb) is over 100 pages when imported into MS-Word. Someones
got to read that and then go do some programming to extract the
data, then find out out graphics and work out the best way to
display the data, and then work out how to save the data after
you've played with it.
3) There's current developement
4) As the programme gets more sofiticated the equiment needed to
develope it will need to be upgraded.
5) I guess they may also try to budget for the future.
6) Computer programmers these days demand a high salary, average
starting salary in Britain is around £18,000-25,000
(~$25,000-35,000).
7) There's also the problem of sales. Comapred to Win95 DNAsis would
be lucky to get 1% of the same no. of sales.
Basically time, effort and economics.
> <SNIP>
>> Hitachi Software Engineering Co. Ltd. (Hitachi Software) of
> Yokohama, Japan, is one of the largest software manufacturers in the
> world. In its fiscal year ending March 31, 1995, Hitachi Software
> employed over 4,500 people and reported over $975 million in sales.
> <SNIP>
>> They're not doing too bad, huh? Almost cleared a billion ON
> SOFTWARE ALONE. Too bad they can't lower the price on DNAsis for
> academics (it runs, as most of them do, about $2500).
975,000,000/4,500= 216,666.67 per person
Yeh, pretty good but then it's quite meaningless unless you know
what it cost to employ each member of staff.
I think you shouldn't expect to see the price drop before you finish.
\\\\
\\\\(o o)
8(o o)(_)Ooo
###########################################ooO##(_)###Ooo############
# #
# E-Mail: S.M.WILLIAMS.BCM at bham.ac.uk #
# WWW: http://sun1.bham.ac.uk/s.m.williams.bcm/home_page.html #
# WWW: http://sun1.bham.ac.uk/s.m.williams.bcm/que/que_club.html #
# Fax: (44)0121-414-7366 #
# #
#####################################################################
