It's all fun & games until someone loses a com
Posted by: David Cooper
on October 23, 2002 10:01 PM
The developing world seems to pose a troubling dilemma for proprietory software companies (specifically those not giving away their software for free). Either they allow widespread piracy to continue, and attract a reputation for being "soft" on pirates, or crack down hard and almost certainly lose significant mind share to free (as in beer) alternatives.
It doesn't look good for them either way. When you look at it, the developing world just can't support the business models of such companies. Their whole mode of operation is based on the premise that people are rich enough to afford regular software updates priced in high-double-digit or triple-digit US dollars.
In order to be successful, it's not enough, of course, to simply have a good product. Nor even, we are now finding, is it enough to have obscene quantities of marketing cash. In a free-market economy, you're not going to make money if consumers just can't afford to pay you.
In any case, I'll be watching on with popcorn at the ready.
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It's all fun & games until someone loses a com
Posted by: David Cooper on October 23, 2002 10:01 PMIt doesn't look good for them either way. When you look at it, the developing world just can't support the business models of such companies. Their whole mode of operation is based on the premise that people are rich enough to afford regular software updates priced in high-double-digit or triple-digit US dollars.
In order to be successful, it's not enough, of course, to simply have a good product. Nor even, we are now finding, is it enough to have obscene quantities of marketing cash. In a free-market economy, you're not going to make money if consumers just can't afford to pay you.
In any case, I'll be watching on with popcorn at the ready.
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