6 ms·

Well my company is paying GitHub a lot of money right now so I'm not sure this really applies to customers that are real businesses.

josho 10y ago
Agreed. B2B still knows what software and support really cost, and they are willing to pay when it solves their needs. But, at the individual level people just don't realize it. Heck, look at all the free software your new Mac comes with.
- dsacco 10y ago
  That software is free because Apple has a strong incentive to develop a "platform" with which to sell their comparatively expensive hardware. In that context, I wouldn't say people don't realize that real software has a significant cost. That may be the case, but I'd sooner say the market values the software's complements (in this case, hardware, robust compatibility and a healthy development ecosystem) more than the software itself. One perspective is that people are trained to be too cheap because of market incentives, but another perspective can be even well-informed consumers make a reasoned pricing decision that concludes with free or low cost software. And if you want to make a normative point, you can say that this is bad for small companies trying to make software for these consumers, but you can also say that consumers are benefiting more by purchasing the software's complements rather than the software itself.
tlogan 10y ago
It is funny that mention this: "paying GitHub a lot of money right now". Believe me: you are not paying as much as you should. Ask some people who were dev managers in 1990s how much was a single ClearCase license... The software is so cheap now...
- flamedoge 10y ago
  > $4125/license. jesus wtf
- dsacco 10y ago
  "Should" is an odd word to use. You're comparing two completely different markets. The only commonality between the two is software sales, otherwise the landscape, incumbents and products have changed significantly. Beyond that, there is no "should." You price the product at what the market will bear.

josho 10y ago

Agreed. B2B still knows what software and support really cost, and they are willing to pay when it solves their needs. But, at the individual level people just don't realize it. Heck, look at all the free software your new Mac comes with.

dsacco 10y ago
That software is free because Apple has a strong incentive to develop a "platform" with which to sell their comparatively expensive hardware. In that context, I wouldn't say people don't realize that real software has a significant cost. That may be the case, but I'd sooner say the market values the software's complements (in this case, hardware, robust compatibility and a healthy development ecosystem) more than the software itself. One perspective is that people are trained to be too cheap because of market incentives, but another perspective can be even well-informed consumers make a reasoned pricing decision that concludes with free or low cost software. And if you want to make a normative point, you can say that this is bad for small companies trying to make software for these consumers, but you can also say that consumers are benefiting more by purchasing the software's complements rather than the software itself.

tlogan 10y ago

It is funny that mention this: "paying GitHub a lot of money right now". Believe me: you are not paying as much as you should. Ask some people who were dev managers in 1990s how much was a single ClearCase license... The software is so cheap now...

flamedoge 10y ago
> $4125/license. jesus wtf
dsacco 10y ago
"Should" is an odd word to use. You're comparing two completely different markets. The only commonality between the two is software sales, otherwise the landscape, incumbents and products have changed significantly. Beyond that, there is no "should." You price the product at what the market will bear.