Re: How to license and deploy new software?
On Mar 17, 1:31 am, electricalje...@gmail.com wrote:
Just wondering if anyone can offer advice (perhaps based on
experience) on how to deploy and license a C++ based app as a
commercial library. The main questions I'm trying to answer
are whether to provide source code, a DLL, or a static lib,
and what kind of pricing scheme should be considered. The lib
could be used to drive at-home desktop UI's or interface with
back-end middleware.
The same way you'd deploy and license an application written in
Ada, or any other language. Which means that the question is
off topic here. Practical considerations may lead you to
different solutions under Windows and Unix, which would make it
on topic in those groups, but the ultimate answer is: it
depends. It depends on the application domain, what you're
trying to achieve, what services you're trying to offer, etc.,
etc.
A lot of companies today give the software away, and then sell
maintenance on it. I guess they figure that once they've got
you hooked, you're going to need a lot of bug fixes, and will be
ready to pay for them. Many companies also have different
licensing arrangements depending on the customer: students don't
pay nearly as much as big companies (but may not have access to
some of the features). And even when the normal deployment is
just a library (in which case, you really should provide both a
static and a dynamically linked version, at least in most
cases), it's almost always possible to obtain the source code if
you're willing to spend enough extra money.
--
James Kanze (GABI Software) email:james.kanze@gmail.com
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