[Info-vax] OT: Elephants Can't Dance

[Arne Vajhøj]

Jeffrey H. Coffield wrote:
> Richard B. Gilbert wrote:
>> Arne Vajhøj wrote:
>>> Phillip Helbig---remove CLOTHES to reply wrote:
>>>> In article <00003bb0$0$2148$c3e8da3 at news.astraweb.com>, JF Mezei
>>>> <jfmezei.spamnot at vaxination.ca> writes:
>>>>> Phillip Helbig---remove CLOTHES to reply wrote:
>>>>>> The typical Rdb customer on VMS neither wants nor needs
>>>>>> bells-and-whistles features which might exist in some other
>>>>>> product---he wants something which will do the job.
>>>>> It also depends on how many customers are actively developping NEW
>>>>> applications on VMS. If the vast majority are just maintaining existing
>>>>> apps, then the need for new Rdb features is much less.
>>>> You make it sound like "either developing new apps needing the
>>>> latest, greatest bells-and-whistles stuff" or "maintaining existing
>>>> apps, more or less life support until the current staff retires". 
>>>> There is a huge middle ground, namely continuing to actively develop
>>>> applications, requesting and using new database features where
>>>> appropriate, but not jumping on the flavour-of-the-month bandwagon.
>>> Even with that middleground, then no new apps mean steadily shrinking
>>> market share.
>> I don't know any developers of software-for-sale but if I did that sort
>> of thing, I would develop for the largest market available.  That's
>> clearly not VMS whether you measure market size in revenue or number of
>> customers.
> 
> The largest market is also usually the largest competition. For a small
> company, a niche market can be much better suited.

True.

But for both HW and SW fixed costs is a huge part og total costs,
which favors the giants.

Arne