What's a "real app"? How much does it cost? How long until it's ready? How well does it integrate with other systems you're already using? Can the users extend

What's a "real app"? How much does it cost? How long until it's ready? How well does it integrate with other systems you're already using? Can the users extend it or do you have to purchase a support contract and still pay extra $$$$$$ to get even a basic feature added? Companies and individuals keep using Excel and other things because they work for them today. They integrate well enough with the other things they're using. It's a mess, don't get me wrong, and a security nightmare. But you need to come up with something that Alice in Accounting, Bob in Billing, Charlie in Contracting and all the other non-technical folks can use and extend themselves. Locking them into "real apps" is the reason they break out Excel. They need to get things done, and the apps they're provided are insufficient so they make (or inherit from their predecessors) their own.