> That's pretty much what I remember too. Even the MS products
> were free to download. That was one of the aspects of the
> SGML On The Web project. It kneecapped the overpriced
> software market.
Unfortunately, I think it also kneecapped the free software market to some
extent. It's noticeable how few of the XSLT 1.0 vendors are producing a
version 2.0 product, and in most cases I think the problem is that it's
difficult to produce a business case for developing free software. People do
a 1.0 out of blind enthusiasm and optimism, but a decision to do a 2.0 tends
to be more hard-headed.
The sort of six-figure sums that Omnimark used to quote were clearly out of
proportion to the value that most users were getting, and this severely held
back the SGML market. But I don't think that zero is the right price either.
For a healthy market, software should be like books or music - $25 to $50
should be the normal price. The pendulum has swung a bit too far in my view.
Michael Kay
http://www.saxonica.com/
