Perhaps the greatest influence on popular perceptions of software costs has come about with the advent of personal computing. Many people buy a PC for their home, and so come to realize very clearly what the costs are. First is the “rock and roll” factor. If you buy a stereo for $200, you don’t expect to pay $2,000 for a CD. Similarly, if you buy a PC for $1,000, you don’t expect to pay
$10,000 for the software, which is what it would cost if you hired a programmer to write it for you. So, of course, software for a PC either comes free or is priced at about $50 or so. It can be hard to comprehend that something for which you paid $50 has cost millions of dollars to develop. Second is the teenager syndrome. Many school students write programs as part of their studies. So a parent might easily think, “My kid writes computer programs. What’s so hard about programming? Why is software so expensive?”
$10,000 for the software, which is what it would cost if you hired a programmer to write it for you. So, of course, software for a PC either comes free or is priced at about $50 or so. It can be hard to comprehend that something for which you paid $50 has cost millions of dollars to develop. Second is the teenager syndrome. Many school students write programs as part of their studies. So a parent might easily think, “My kid writes computer programs. What’s so hard about programming? Why is software so expensive?”
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