Who will pay for software?

On Saturday, "Dave" asked the question "Who will pay for software?" in a DaveNet article.  It's a tough question that raises a lot of issues.  Looking at those issues as a developer is particularly tough since survival instinct warps my judgement.  I feel that a user's perspective might shed more light than that of a developer.

I am artistic in a half-assed way, so I like to dabble with graphics programs like PhotoShop and Illustrator.  I use those programs frequently enough to buy them.  I also would like to do some 3D graphics and animations as well, but professional 3D tools are just too expensive for a dabbler like me.  So here are some questions from a user's perspective:

  1. Why do part-time users like me have to pay just as much as fulltime users?
  2. How can I pay for just what I use?
  3. Why can't I pay as I use the software?
  4. Can I pay when and if I profit from the contents I created?

One solution that might satisfy these questions is shared content ownership.  The idea is to provide powerful tools for free in return for sharing ownership of the contents created by the users using the tools.  Whether this business model will work or not is the big question.

As a user, I am willing to share ownership of contents I create with tools like Maya if I can use it for free.  As a developer, I am also willing to let people use tools I create for free in return for part ownership of the contents they create.  They were unlikely to buy my software in the first place, doing this will reduce software piracy as well as increase market awareness through peer-marketing.  Since most professional users will still pay upfront for my software to avoid sharing content ownership, I am not losing any existing revenue stream either.

Family News

My father, well into his 70s, was mentioned in an OhmyNews article (in Korean language; my father is the one wearing sunglasses in the photo) for demanding a public apology from Kim Young-Sam, a former Korean President.  My father is known to outside Korean political circle as Grandfather Egg (rough translation) because he egged Kim Young-Sam three years ago.  I admire my father's energy.  Go Daddy Go!

This is a good example of the new citizen-reporter driven media's power.  This article was reported by a citizen reporter and contains substantial detail, something which mainstream journalists would not have had the time nor space to report on.

Another key change brought by the new media is increased longetivity of public attention.  News reported by citizen reporters live on far longer than news reported by professionals because each story is personal to the citizen reporter and he can dedicate far more time than his professional coutnerpart.  News can go on for months or years before and after the public notices.

This will make a significant impact on countries like Korea where even its citizens admit to having an unusually short attention-span.  Politicians frequently took advantage of this by flushing stories they don't want off the frontpage with some other 'frontpage worthy' news.  But now, they are helpless.  I mean, what are you gonna do when a story just refuses to die?

Python wrapper for PGP 8.0

I spent an hour this morning building Python wrapper for PGP 8.0 using SWIG.  PyPGPsdk invokes functions exported by PGPsdk[XX].dlls using Python.  I also have PyPGPsc and PyPGPclientLib modules for invoking PGPsc.dll and PGPclientLib.dll.  I haven't had a chance to bang heavily on it yet, but its useful already.

When and if PGP.com allows me, I'll release the work.  Yes, it is possible but I have not tried to generate Perl, PHP, Java, and C# wrappers using the same set of SWIG files.

Public Speaking in Bathroom

As I mentioned previously, I am working on my public speaking skill.  I was reading Smart Speaking while lying in a bathtub the other day, reading practice words and sentences aloud, when I realized that bathrooms are perfect for voice training.  Bathrooms are like your private sound studios!  Of course, my son now thinks he vastly underestimated his dad's weirdness.

BTW, Smart Speaking book is a Must Buy.  It's cheap ($14 retail, $11 at Amazon), well written, and is like a FAQ for public speaking.  It answers 100 speaking problems and fears using two pages per question.  Here is an example problem: I Sound So Young on the Telephone, People Ask to Speak to My Mother.  Whoa!

RDF Syntax, Killer Apps, and Intellectual Diaphragm

Tim Bray goes further into RDF syntax problems to address issues raised in response to his recent post on the topic.  "Dave" thinks the problem is more serious than just syntax:

"But without a compelling app, or even better, a killer app, to pull it through, it doesn't matter what the format is….Anyway, I don't see any killer apps in the RDF crowd." – Dave Winer

My position lies somewhere between Tim and Dave's positions.  Trying to build a killer app with RDF is somewhat like sculpting with Jello, difficult.  Still, I have been surprised many times in the past by what people can do with very little.

One lucky guy or gal out of millions of non-RDF gurus out there might have the right stuff to pull it off.  Trouble is, the RDF syntax is preventing RDF killerapps from being conceived like some intellectual diaphragm.

Origin of SARS?

Some UK scientists are claiming that SARS came from out of space.  While SARS from STARS makes an eye-catching headline, I think wild animals, as claimed by a HK scientist, are more likely the source.  Wild animals are popular in Far East as health-food.  [I wonder what cannibals' concept of healthfood was?]

I remember being fed amazing array of horrible stuff when I was little by my father who took up hunting to vent his political frustrations.  Imagine waking in darkness and being forced to eat something that taste horrible.  The worst part is in the morning.  I would yell, "Mom!  I have blood all over my face!"  And my mother would say, "Your dad gave you fresh deer blood last night."  Urgh.

When we immigrated to American, the variety got wilder.  Wild turkeys, pigs, deers, peasants, and bears.  Thank goodness there is a hunting limit on bears.  Bear-skins stink real bad too.  When my dad finally gave up hunting, I was overjoyed.  After all that, I can now eat only beef and chicken.  Lamb?  Rabbit?  Whoa, they are too exotic for me!

.NET Tidbits

I just installed CodeSmith which seem like a useful addition to VS.NET, at least for writing tedious typed collections.  Speaking of useful, a favorite .NET tool of mine is Lutz Roeders' Reflector for .NET.  Reflector not only lets you browse contents of .NET assemblies, it will decompile .NET bytecodes into either C# or VB.  Quite handy for working with .NET during its Early Years.

AlwaysOff

I just noticed AlwaysOn, a entrepreneurial blog community (aka Insider's Network) started by Tony Perkins, founder of now defunct Red Herring.  Beside its bright Gap Kids colors and difficult-to-even-focus gray text, something is really off at AlwaysOn.  No, I don't mind the top ad banner that much and I find their ad pop-up with no-more-popup-for-today button cute in a clueless way.

What is with their Grudge Match poll anyway?  Marc Benioff apparently has a more popular head than Thomas Siebel.  So what?  It's not even funny.  If you want funny, put up two famous headshots and give people a dart to throw at them.  Whoever gets more darts wins the Evil-Head award.

I think there is something wacky and tacky behind AlwaysOn that remind me of the Bubble era.  It has an annoying buzz that won't go away.  Celebrity Bloggers and Insider's Network sure doesn't help either.  I really enjoyed reading Red Herring from the very first issue, but I can't say the same for AlwaysOn.  Maybe Tony should go see the Wizard to find his way back home.

Update: A few more complaints:

  • By-Invitations-Only community – If you are not important you don't get in.  This is so not Blogland.
  • Registration Fetish – It's as silly as having to register to go to the restroom.

I think AlwaysOn is not beyond repair, but Tony has to more than just remodelling.

Accupuncture: Rat’s View

I got my second accupuncture treatment for my stuffy nose this morning.  They were overbooked so the doctor used much shorter needles which allowed me to go home right away.  Looking down my nose, I now got a rat's view of the world.  Driving home with eight short needles stuck to my nose was weird, but it was worth it.

Is accupuncture effective for stuffy nose?  Heck, yeah.  I can now keep my windows open and take deep satisfying breaths.  You have to find a good accupunturist though.  There are too many quacks out there.

If I had the time, I want to learn accupuncture.  Imagine being stranded in a paradise of an island, bursting with food, flower, beautiful girls, and a bad case of pollen allergy.  With accupuncture skill, I just need a few needles to treat most minor illnesses.