Re: The Small Developer
Re: The Small Developer
- Subject: Re: The Small Developer
- From: Jason Moore <email@hidden>
- Date: Sat, 22 Jun 2002 10:14:44 -0500
Edwin,
For large projects, an interesting idea. If done properly, maybe even
good enough to challenge the big boys. Kagi can handle payment for such
an effort, as they can accept one customer payment and then distribute
it to collaborators. It would still however require someone to write the
core of the application, not a trivial task. Who knows. Good Luck. :)
Jason
On Saturday, June 22, 2002, at 10:04 AM, Edwin Zacharias wrote:
Jason,
I think the rules of software development have changed. Most large
programs are now a loose collection of plugins rather than one large
body of code. Why not let a different shareware author work on each
plugin and then package them with a registration program that
distributes the payments to each individual author. Suddenly there's
no company, just a bunch of shareware authors doing whatever they
want. You can write plugins and make money or bundle other people
plugins into an app and make money that way.
I'm working on an open source plugin management program that does just
that and I'd appreciate some feedback from small developers in terms of
features they'd like. Or just if you think the idea won't work and why.
Thanks,
Edwin
On Saturday, June 22, 2002, at 02:45 AM, Jason Moore wrote:
Hello all! I just finished glancing over the 30 some odd digests that
had been piling up in my DevList folder in mail (i have them auto
dumped into their own, nicely searchable folder), and i noticed (how
can one not) the thread about protecting software with keys. Don't
worry, i have no intention of re-opening that can of man-eating worms.
I would however, like to pose another question of great interest (to
me anyway)...
What i'd like to know is what it takes to become a successful small
software developer. First, let me clarify what i mean by 'successful'.
Successful to me is defined as making enough in revenue to cover any
relavent expenses and be able to pay the developers a decent salery
(say, around, $40,000 a year). Is there some critical mass a small
developer would need to achieve to reach this sort of goal? Can one
person do it? Do you need a 2 person company? 6 person? 12? What?
(let's assume that the software these people develop is of the quality
people expect from a Macintosh program, and that it does either fill a
void or differentiate itself from competetors enough to be viable)
What i'm looking for is not on advice, but also some numbers. Not
exact numbers, but something. I have yet to find any hard data to be
able to size up the 'small business' developer in terms of how well
they do. What kind of numbers (users that register, support requests,
etc) should a budding small mac company expect? How do you find that
balance between charging enough for your software to be profitable and
charging so much that you start turning away most people because your
program is expensive and doesn't have a well known brand plastered on
it?
Some people write programs just because they need it and then give it
away to be nice and help out the rest of us, others (like myself)
would like to make some money doing it (so as to avoid the need for a
horrid retail job to pay the bills, and just maybe the ability to pay
for school without the need for loans). Am i nuts here?
Thanks in advance,
Jason
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