Monday, November 07, 2005
Need a Software Business? Buy It On Ebay
This auction on ebay.com is pretty interesting.
A former micro-isv (read: one man development shop) has bitten the red pill and works for microsoft ( and from this point on have to use the word 'innovate' at least three times in every sentenance).
Since he doesn't have the time/energy to continue to develop, support, maintain, and market an full fledged shareware application anymore, he's selling the website, and the application source code, on ebay.
I think its a cool way to sell one's assets, and for someone who actually wants into the shareware business, it is a way in. Save time to market by buying a product that's already on the market.
It'd be interesting to find out how the buyer reacts to their purchase. The source code was written by one man, while it be of excellent quality, it might also have the sort of compromises you'd expect from an application written by only one person. Comments that make no sense to outsiders. Short-cuts on re-use which raise the learning/support curve. Cruft ("software rot") in older areas of the application. Unstable code, that's just left alone because "it just works and he can't remember why".
So while someone is purchasing source code to a product and the right to use its name, someone might be buying a large share of support woes.
Feel free to check it out: I'm of the opinion that its probably an interesting and well-polished product. I just don't know if its profitable. With iPhoto out there for the mac, and Picasa free from Google for PC users, I'm not sure if a commercially supported photo app has much of a chance. But then again, the whole point with an micro-ISV is little risk, but usually little profit as well.
A former micro-isv (read: one man development shop) has bitten the red pill and works for microsoft ( and from this point on have to use the word 'innovate' at least three times in every sentenance).
Since he doesn't have the time/energy to continue to develop, support, maintain, and market an full fledged shareware application anymore, he's selling the website, and the application source code, on ebay.
I think its a cool way to sell one's assets, and for someone who actually wants into the shareware business, it is a way in. Save time to market by buying a product that's already on the market.
It'd be interesting to find out how the buyer reacts to their purchase. The source code was written by one man, while it be of excellent quality, it might also have the sort of compromises you'd expect from an application written by only one person. Comments that make no sense to outsiders. Short-cuts on re-use which raise the learning/support curve. Cruft ("software rot") in older areas of the application. Unstable code, that's just left alone because "it just works and he can't remember why".
So while someone is purchasing source code to a product and the right to use its name, someone might be buying a large share of support woes.
Feel free to check it out: I'm of the opinion that its probably an interesting and well-polished product. I just don't know if its profitable. With iPhoto out there for the mac, and Picasa free from Google for PC users, I'm not sure if a commercially supported photo app has much of a chance. But then again, the whole point with an micro-ISV is little risk, but usually little profit as well.
