Asunto: cuestionario sobre componentes (1/2)
Fecha: Wed Dec 22 15:40:35 1999
De: Antonio Vallecillo <av@lcc.uma.es>
Adjunto os envío un cuestionario muy interesante sobre un estudio para
evaluar el perfil y posible desarrollo de un mercado de componentes
software. Este cuestionario lo mandaron como parte de un proyecto de
investigación, y con las respuestas elaboraron un resumen. Dicho resumen,
que es también muy interesante, os lo envío en mensaje aparte.
La idea es que primero penseis en cómo responderiais vosotros, y despues
compareis con las respuestas del resumen. Los resultados son curiosos.
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EL CUESTIONARIO
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Thirteen conditions for growth of the Software Component Market
I would like to ask you to respond briefly to every condition, by rating
the importance of each condition on a 0 to 10 scale (0 is very unimportant,
10 is very important), preferably with your motivation. In case the context
of a condition is not clear, an explanation of every condition can be found
underneath the thirteen conditions.
(1) The market has to focus on fine-grained components
your rating (1):
your motivation (1):
(2) Suppliers have to make it easy for their customers to assess the value
of a component, by offering extensive information (for example demos,
documentation)
your rating (2):
your motivation (2):
(3) Components have to be offered against known/published prices (price
lists)
your rating (3):
your motivation (3):
(4) Specifications of components have to be formulated according to a
standard documentation method
your rating (4):
your motivation (4):
(5) The market has to focus on black-box reuse
your rating (5):
your motivation (5):
(6) There has to be a generally usable solution for the protection of
intellectual property
your rating (6):
your motivation (6):
(7) There has to be a (supplier) independent Internet search engine for
components
your rating (7):
your motivation (7):
(8) Components have to be offered mainly by intermediaries
your rating (8):
your motivation (8):
(9) Intermediaries have to add a quality rating to each component they offer
your rating (9):
your motivation (9):
(10) Intermediaries have to supply technical support
your rating (10):
your motivation (10):
(11) Intermediaries have to set up standard criteria for the comparison of
components
your rating (11):
your motivation (11):
(12) Suppliers have to focus on specialization, advertising, brand name and
image
your rating (12):
your motivation (12):
(13) The standardization battle needs to be decided soon in favor of one
object model
your rating (13):
your motivation (13):
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EXPLANATION OF THE THIRTEEN CONDITIONS
EXPLANATION OF CONDITION 1:
Due to the phase in which CBD finds itself at the moment many large players
on the software market are not yet ready to fully commit themselves to CBD,
but do not want to risk lacking behind either. Many organizations are still
reluctant to desert their conventional systems and development methods. The
components that will be supplied and demanded will therefore be of a low
complexity. To support this, the market will have to focus mainly on
fine-grained components.
The complexity of a component also matters in trying to lower the
transaction costs. For instance the Internet as a market place is ill
suited for intensive negotiations, therefore the granularity of a component
influences the negotiation costs. Finally, the reluctance to make large
transactions across the Internet might also be an important reason to focus
on fine-grained components.
EXPLANATION OF CONDITION 2:
Setting the price of components is an important and difficult issue for
many reasons. On the user side the question is what the value of a
component is. The value of every different substitute is difficult to
assess, which makes it more difficult for a user to choose a component in
stead of a substitute. For many potential users this could mean that they
will keep to conventional software, which could have a significant delaying
effect on the development of the SCM. This means that suppliers of
components will have to do all they can to make it easy for their customers
to assess the value of a component. They can do this for example by
supplying demos, screenshots (in case of visual components) or extensive
documentation and manuals (in case of non-visual components). Making demos
available could also have a positive influence on the adoption rate of CBD.
If (for a while) there can be experimented freely with components,
potential customers might implement CBD in their organizations sooner.
EXPLANATION OF CONDITION 3:
It has to be easy for consumers to compare components offered by different
suppliers, based on prices. To facilitate this, suppliers have to maintain
public price lists. Since the Internet is not well suited for (price)
negotiations, prices have to be easily observable and comparable. In short,
customers have to be able to make price comparisons.
EXPLANATION OF CONDITION 4:
A growing market will make it more and more difficult for a customer to
quickly find the right product. Information and search costs can make for a
serious impediment for an efficient component trade. It can be extremely
difficult for a buyer to find a component with exactly the right
specifications, if there are any specifications in the first place, which
by itself is not at all certain. Thus, first there is the need to create
unambiguous specifications for components. When a developer is looking for
a control with certain features, every supplier has to understand this in
the same way. This goes for both interfaces and for instance the working of
a component on design level. These technical specifications therefore have
to be formulated according to a standard documentation method.
EXPLANATION OF CONDITION 5:
Not too much should be demanded from suppliers of components. If indeed the
standard documentation method is in place it is no longer necessary to
supply the source code as well. It is exactly the idea of black box reuse
that will make many potential suppliers put their products on the market.
Releasing the source code of their components would probably make them
reluctant to enter the market. This 'pure' form of reuse can also
contribute to the simplicity of the market, which is an advantage for the
buyers as well.
EXPLANATION OF CONDITION 6:
Even though a technical solution has been found for the transfer and
protection of intellectual property, by means of a licensing service which
makes pay-per-use possible, the tradition of licensing software will
probably be used for some time to come. The technical solution has a number
of disadvantages and both buyer and seller have been used to licensing
agreements for a long time. The protection of intellectual property however
is still a problem, as is the resulting lack of willingness to market
components. A solution needs to be found that can be used not only for
fine-grained but for all components. If this does not happen, the SCM will
be hampered in its growth towards a mature market. Only a small amount of
(types of) components will be offered.
EXPLANATION OF CONDITION 7:
A serious expansion of the market will also make the number of suppliers
increase. The result of this is that the number of possible sites where a
particular component can be found will rise significantly. There is a
relatively simple solution to this: a component search engine. Such a
search engine can, like the current search engines on the Internet (Yahoo,
AltaVista, etc.), very easily locate all the offered components that meet
certain criteria. Of course this search engine has to be independent of the
suppliers of components, since it has to locate all components offered on
the whole Internet.
EXPLANATION OF CONDITION 8:
A diffused supply of components is unfavorable for both buyers and sellers;
information and search costs represent considerable expenses for component
buyers. Furthermore it is not easy to match supply and demand and customers
could be reluctant to do business with a small, unknown company (lack of
trust). It can thus be beneficial for both sides, if the supply of
components (as well as demand) is organized through converged channels.
Suppliers can reach their customers better, because in effect there is a
limited amount of market places. The promotional activities can also be
carried out in a more simple, cheap and effective way. Customers get a
number of benefits as well because of the larger scale: limited search
costs, only one or a few suppliers to deal with in case of disputes, and
the relationship with a supplier who can guarantee a certain level of
quality, service, etc. This concentration of supply and demand can be
achieved by instituting a commission business or intermediate trade: an
intermediary. The intermediary does not produce components, but is solely
focussed on the online sales of components built by different software
developers.
EXPLANATION OF CONDITION 9 and 10:
A problem that occurs when buying software components from a large number
of small suppliers is trust: the guarantee of delivery, quality level,
continuity and technical support. An intermediary is perfectly suited for
these matters.
Intermediaries should not only act as a kind of online catalogue, but
should also communicate to their customers what the quality of each
component is. By performing a (producer-)independent quality assessment,
the intermediary can give each component a certain quality rating, for
instance A, B and C. Such a rating can lower the insecurity and reluctance
of (potential) buyers.
Next to the independent rating of the quality of components, an
intermediary can make it even more attractive for customers by giving
technical support. The customer will then truly have only one partner to
deal with; customers can for instance get support at a single helpdesk for
all components bought from the intermediary.
EXPLANATION OF CONDITION 11:
True shopping for components on the Internet and therefore being able to
compare components, requires not only comparable prices, but the properties
of components have to be comparable as well. As for instance a consumer
test compares different televisions on the same criteria (picture, sound,
etc.), components need standard criteria which enables a simple comparison
by customers.
EXPLANATION OF CONDITION 12:
To gain trust and to further limit the search and information costs there
is another means, beside the presence of intermediaries: introducing brand
names, advertising and creating a certain image. Because of the increasing
amount of (imitation) competitors supply on the market will diffuse again,
and the customers will again have to deal with an unclear market. Suppliers
will therefore have to distinguish themselves to keep the market attractive
for customers. They can do this by specializing and increasing their
marketing efforts (brand name, advertising and image building).
EXPLANATION OF CONDITION 13:
The immobility, slowness and uncertainty of the standardization process of
object models has a delaying effect on the development of the SCM. For the
market to grow it will not suffice if only 'bridges' between standards are
available, and people will still have to be focussed on several standards.
For the benefit of growth of the whole market it is important that there
will be a single object model (COM, JavaBeans, CORBA) as soon as possible.