Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!wuarchive!usc!apple!autodesk!glang
From: glang@Autodesk.COM (Gary Lang)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.smalltalk
Subject: Re: Interface Builders?
Message-ID: <1848@autodesk.COM>
Date: 5 Jan 91 19:53:09 GMT
References: <40.27751DC7@bohemia.metronet.org> <4112@versant.COM> <5954@stpstn.UUCP> <4119@osc.COM>
Organization: Autodesk Inc., Sausalito CA, USA
Lines: 35
In-reply-to: tma@osc.COM's message of 1 Jan 91 06:18:44 GMT

>Why should the user be charged for anything but the finished product
>and only that?

Because it's software that's why. It is copied. It amounts to a royalty
based on sales.

If you write software and sell it, presumably, you want to receive money for your efforts even if you sell more than 100 copies do you not?

StepStone has written a large percent of your product - about 40% in
most cases for really deep applications. Why should their returns stop
at some arbitrary figure and all the money go to you? THEY WROTE THE
CODE... not you.

The subject of runtime comes up over and over again but it boils down
to this... If you write development tools and libraries for a living,
if you can make sufficient money from the sales of the tools itself to
continue developing it, you're probably not going to charge runtime
fees becuase they do in fact stifle sales and drive you towards
competitors. 

But if there are no competitors (how many other GUI libraries are
there for OC) and if you can't make enough money to survive just
selling your compilers (which I would expect is the case for StepStone
- OC is wonderful (I program exclusively in it) but not a standard yet
- then you have to look at pricing for other products in your company.
This would include runtime fees for libraries (especially if you sell
source code with your library), seminar fees, and so on. Any way you
can charge for your expertise to stay alive is kossher in my book.

- g
-- 
Gary T. Lang  (415)332-2344 x2702  
Autodesk, Inc.
Sausalito, CA.
MCI: 370-0730