It has been years since we have been servicing shareware authors with our software programming expertise. I believe it is called OPD "Outsourced Product Development", the new buzz word in the IT services market but hey I didnt even know it was called that !
But getting back to the point, all that time during our various associations with shareware authors I always envied a shareware author for having the vision , guts and persistence to come up with an unique idea, ensure it becomes a reality (with a little bit of our help :-)) and then offer it to the world via the medium of the internet. Thier products are small software utilities with simple concepts behind them that are really really helpful to general computer users. So a user can go to one of these shareware download sites, download an evaluation copy, if they like it , they pay for it via the internet and the whole process was complete. Neat, Slick and Simple .....
Who can deny that a shareware product defines ingenituity and brilliance of its author. In the world of outsourced IT programming services, huge software product corporations, billions of dollors of production, R&D , marketing and sales, I have always found the very existence of the small/tiny shareware utility and its author very very REFRESHING.
Here is an individual or a very tiny group of individuals, with a very limited budget equipped with just an idea and a dream to offer it as shareware. No large development teams, no large QA teams, a neglible or non exisitant marketing budget but yet an idea, a utility that if you get your hands on, it becomes a very integral part of your computer operations. Simple and yet extremely effective and it is *exactly* what the user wants.
This to me is what software development is really about and this is to me gives the birth of "KILLER PRODUCT", a product that is accessible to everyone, affordble to everyone and does what it promises.
I am not a anti BIG COMPANY/CORPORATION activist and but who can deny the fact that billions of dollors , a huge team and massive marketing in general will not give that KILLER SOFTWARE PRODUCT !! You need an idea and a passion to deliver it.
Long live the shareware utility and the its author !
PS>
Seeing all the wonderful work some of my clients have authored all these years, I have decided (with a little prodding from my directors to take a risk ) my company should also attempt to make a shareware product ( http://www.cyspl.com/files/products.html ) , if for nothing else but as an exercise to try to expose me & my company to what computing skills & customer relationships should really be about.
