Correctomundo on all points. One, I was not clear, and two, I meant that economics teaches us that an additional entrant in a market (assuming a lack of collusion, which I am sure Rick would not do) increase competition, which tends to lower prices.
And yes, I was being somewhat sarcastic. At the risk of getting Shane on my case again, I meant "if you think running a software company is a day at the beach, why don't you give it a try." Ask ANY of the ISVs small enough to have senior management participating on this list if you think it's just me who feels this way. It is illogical to both say "mainframe software is a rip-off" AND bemoan the lack of vendors and products in the space relative to smaller platforms. I also agree with Steve on marketing. If you've never sold a product, it's counter-intuitive. It seems like all of that money that Budweiser spends on advertising is wasted: when people get thirsty, they'll go get a beer, and they'll buy the brand they prefer in any event, so why advertise? But obviously, the marketing folks at Budweiser (and presumably most large software companies) are not total idiots, and the CFO scrutinizes their expenses just as carefully as the IT training budget. They wouldn't be spending the money if it did not make economic sense. [And no, I don't drink Budweiser. Save the OT beer flames. It's the most successful beer in America; that's why I used it as an example. They must be doing something right -- and Lord knows it's not the brewing.] Charles -----Original Message----- From: IBM Mainframe Discussion List [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Steve Comstock Sent: Saturday, March 24, 2007 12:38 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: ISV Profits (Was RE: Macro List/Execute Forms (Was: Need help with Assembler ...)) Rick, I think you missed the sarcasm. I had to read his statement twice (maybe more) to understand what he meant. I think his intent would have been clearer if he had written: "By competing in the marketplace, you will lower the costs of software for all [because you will charge lower prices]" or, simpler: "Your competing in the marketplace will lower the costs of software for all" There has to be some balance. We are a very small company and have virtually no advertising budget. We rely on word of mouth and cold calls. Consequently we find many companies won't hire us because they have not heard of us. Ya' gotta' get the word out, ya' gotta' get heard. Building a better course will not have the world beating a path to your door. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html
