Brad Velander wrote: > Sure their software is worth more than it used to be but not more than > doubling the price in the past 4 - 5 years.
> True, in fact, I'd say that in some ways there is justification for pricing it less. Hardware is > subject to incremental improvement in functionality and decreases in price over time. Every other > technology good follows this pricing trend - why doesn't software? It's not as if each new release > must be a complete rewrite from scratch - much existing code is modified and augmented. What is the > justification for perpetually increasing the price of software? Could it just be greed? I simply can't stand to listen to these preposterous accusations anymore. When PCs first came out in the 80s the typical compiler price was $395. Since then the inflation adjusted price would be about $1000. I can go out and buy a compile (I can also download gcc for free!) for under $100, and it is a MUCH BETTER compiler than the 1980 version. The first cad package I bought was EE Designer and it cost $995 in 1985, so it would be about $2000 today. And it was virtually unusable (12.5 mil grid!). My first PC (a 286) cost me about $5000 when I included a color monitor, controller and additional memory (a WHOLE 1.5 MB!). That is what my current workstation (dual 3.4GHz Xeon w/3GB ram) cost. People ignore the explosion of features and capabilities that are put into this software. I guess you expect to get that for free. Hello, it is not realistic to get something for free. Some will say they don't want those features. Then stick with the old stuff or don't buy it in the first place. There is even a market for old cad software, so if you don't have it you can buy it from someone else. To fairly compare prices you have to compare capabilities as well. I have personally paid people to tape pc layouts; it took WEEKS! Now I can generate Gerbers with a touch of a button. This is called "increased productivity", and it is why we enjoy the standard of living that we have in this country, Canada and western Europe. I would venture to guess that many of you belly achers on this forum haven't switched to other cad software because you haven't been able to find something with a better price/performance ratio. If you have I would like to hear about it! Tom Seim Senior Engineer IV Instrument Development Laboratory Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory PNNL 509-376-2533 ____________________________________________________________ You are subscribed to the PEDA discussion forum To Post messages: mailto:[email protected] Unsubscribe and Other Options: http://techservinc.com/mailman/listinfo/peda_techservinc.com Browse or Search Old Archives (2001-2004): http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected] Browse or Search Current Archives (2004-Current): http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]
