🚀 go-pugleaf

From: mwildoer@economics.adelaide.edu.au
Newsgroups: bit.software.international
Subject: Software distribution systems
Date: 14 Feb 94 11:21:25 ACST
Organization: Economics, University of Adelaide
Lines: 51
Message-Id: <1994Feb14.112125.1@economics.adelaide.edu.au>
Nntp-Posting-Host: eco.economics.adelaide.edu.au
Sender: bptatro

I'm starting a post-grad thesis at Adelaide University (Australia) to research
the most effective means of software distribution, coupled with effective
value capturing. For example, piracy of commercial software promotes broad
distribution but obviously fails in capturing the economic value of the
software for the benefit of the authors.

The reason this question is becoming more and more important is that there is
a fundamental structural change taking place in the way that software is being
disseminated - it is becoming "completely soft". All documents, forms, user
manuals, application programs, data files, etc are now being supplied on
CD-ROM (or via other delivery systems), alleviating the need for printed
manuals (previously a significant barrier to piracy).

Also, intuitively easy to use software is expected by most users, which in
turn helps reduce post-sales user support by software vendors. The perfect
package is one which the user can understand how to use immediately without
further assistance.

These two structural changes tend to effectively decouple the software vendor
from the user, and thus promote software use by unlicensed persons. With the
introduction of "information highways" being planned in many countries around
the world, this problem (it seems) can only become more pronounced.

Shareware tries to remedy this situation by providing a low cost, high volume
channel to distribution but it often also fails to capture value for the same
reasons. At least Shareware authors assume distribution by person-to-person
copying and then can take steps to capture value through various mechanisms -
such as date locking, etc.

I'm looking for sources of information on current piracy levels on commercial
(or Shareware) packages, as well as any mechanisms currently used to capture
value. This includes adding value by providing printed manuals, bonus data
files, user technical support as well as protection schemes such as date
locking, registration access codes, encryption codes, etc. I'm also looking
for information on distribution systems (ie. traditional wholesale/retail, BBS
archive downloading, person-to-person copying, etc) and delivery media (ie.
Retail packages, CD-ROM, cartridge, electronic BBS, cable, etc).

I'd appreciate if you could mail me directly with your responses. I may be
able to make my thesis (due for completion around August 1994) available in
electronic form to any persons (or companies) who provide me with assistance
or who have a particular interest in this area.

Many thanks...

        -- Michael Wildoer     (mwildoer@economics.adelaide.edu.au)


        "Poverty may partly eclipse a gentleman, but
           cannot totally obscure him" - Cervantes

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