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Imagine "Microsoft Office"-complexity software developed specifically for public sector. Then, sold to public sector once, then everyone else is free to use it
by WaitWaitWha 5y ago
Imagine "Microsoft Office"-complexity software developed specifically for public sector.
Then, sold to public sector once, then everyone else is free to use it.
Would Microsoft still develops Office? Unlikely.
- yxhuvud 5y agoWhat would happen then is that the next public sector organization would want to pay someone to either fix bugs or to specialize the program to fit their needs better. And the more installations, the more this would happen. Maintenance is not free and the public sector would still have to pay the bill for it.
- Rygian 5y agoWhy would that be unlikely? If Microsoft's business model was to get paid to develop Office, then of course they would. (Obviously, Microsoft's actual business model is to capture and lock in, that's what makes your example look odd.)
- tapland 5y agoThe money is in the maintenance agreements.
- Beltalowda 5y agoI mostly want the code to public as a matter of transparency. I'd be fine if it was released under a fairly restrictive license which would prevent this kind of re-use.
- prepend 5y agoThey would develop Office because they were paid to develop office. Also, government custom developed software is really wonky and the odds that the IP is sold is very low. The greater odds are that maintenance and follow on contracts will only be possible for the company that first wrote the software.