: The problem is that most software developers want to be paid for their
: time.
Sure! But for a non-commercial developer, the appreciation that matters
most, like in case of any creative work.
: : A company such as Apple, and the UNIX vendors, can subsidise the cost
of
: development tools, because it means that more software is available for
: their platforms. They make their money on the hardware.
But it not always true. The free development tools is a sort of "culture",
that's been long practised in Unix bandwagon. And more software also means
more sell of hardware. MS seems to be interested making money out of both
"the cow" as well as the "milk". That's detrimental when cows are available
free.
:A company such
: as Microsoft can make money on sales of Windows, and subsidise the cost
: of Visual C++ (which I don't believe they do any more).
That's exactly what I say. When Unix vendors can give away their developing
tools as a part of their operating system. Why not microsoft? Linux is
rapidly gaining market because of this. Particularly, individual developers
are more interested in Linux.
:Sun can afford
: to spend a fortune developing Java (the development of standarized
: libraries is very expensive), because it increases the market for their
: servers, and without it, Sun will not exist as Microsoft products become
: more popular on the desktop.
That's may be true when it comes to "server". But noone can deny that JAVA
is rapidly becoming an ubiquitous developing environment. SUN created a
revolution in thinking, may be unknowingly or unintentionally. In the
coming years, we will definitely see more and more softwares are developed
in JAVA and Microsoft will lose even the "cow".
:: There is some very good software available at no cost (the GNU tools),
: where people have donated their time. However, in general, as the cost
: of software declines relative to the cost of hardware, I expect to see
: fewer and fewer subsidised development tools.
I completely disagree. I think just the contrary, the developing tools will
be completely free, as the softwares. And more and more softwares will be
written by individuals rather than corporates as is happening in
bioinformatics. Linux will be the operating system, primarily because the
softwares that comes with it are free, both the tools as well as the
applications.
:: I have been writing computer programs since 1966, and it is my
: observation that in the computer market there is always a monopolist,
: and many people do not like that monopolist. However, dislike of a
: monopolist is insufficient to bring about a new form of computing. So
: far, that has always been driven by commercial demand.
:
We are thinking about future. What you said was true in the past. It was a
"developers market". In future, it will be "user's market".
Malay
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