Why software costs so much
InfoWorld has an article about the decline in spending on web services. All well and good. However, there’s an interesting little aside in the middle:
“It’s tough out there,” said Fred Holahan [of] Silverstream, which was acquired last month by Novell. “IT managers are increasingly being asked to do more with less, and they’re facing a psychology that tells them, ‘Hey, you bought a ton of technology 18 months ago. Why not make that work?’” Unfortunately, Holahan argues, the savvy IT manager knows that the software and tools he bought a year or two earlier are not exactly cutting edge anymore, but his hands are tied to upgrade. Yet, for those IT shops still prepared to invest in new tools and application servers, it has become a buyer’s market.
Is it really that hard to build something with an 18 month old technology? Why does a ‘savvy’ IT manager really need to be investing in cutting edge tools anyway?
Maybe it’s just the case that these IT manager were oversold technology for technology’s sake 18 months ago, and it actually doesn’t do anything useful? What’s to stop them making the same mistake again – buyer’s market or not!
