Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!wuarchive!mailrus!cornell!uw-beaver!uw-june!david
From: david@cs.washington.edu (David Callahan)
Newsgroups: comp.sw.components
Subject: Re: How to think about components (was: Re: Reasons for low ADT reuse)
Message-ID: <9273@june.cs.washington.edu>
Date: 23 Sep 89 15:34:04 GMT
References: <11928@boulder.Colorado.EDU> <6536@hubcap.clemson.edu> <11963@boulder.Colorado.EDU> <4657@orca.WV.TEK.COM>
Reply-To: david@june.cs.washington.edu.cs.washington.edu (David Callahan)
Organization: Tera Computer Co., Seattle WA
Lines: 30


Let us concede for the sake of argument that eventually there will be
catalogs of software components and even an electronic/expert
retrieval system and tools to quickly tailor general components to
specific uses.

How will this be commercialized? or will it? Hardware components are
sold by the piece after the piece has been selected. Given the almost
negligible cost of replication of software will this be a viable
mechanism for software components?

Large libraries are often funded by public or not-for-profit
organizations so cost recovery is not a problem. Will the government
step in and create a National Software Library? How will we set the
prices for software components in this not-really-a-market situation?
Would foreign companies/individuals have access to our National
Software Library?

Will large corporations develop proprietary libraries that are used to
a competitive advantage over smaller companies?

Are software components intellectual property? While you could clearly
copyright a particular implementation of a an ADT, it seems unlikely
(and I'll venture undesirable as public policy) to allow someone to
patent an "abstract" data type. How will owners of for-profit software
component catalogs protect their investment?

-- 
David Callahan  (david@tera.com, david@june.cs.washington.edu,david@rice.edu)
Tera Computer Co. 	400 North 34th Street  		Seattle WA, 98103