Good points, Young. There are some real advantages to shipping software on Zip disk.
If you are a software developer who changes your product often, the CD-ROMS are a real pain. They are only cheap if you buy them in large quantities (>5000). You can buy smaller numbers, but then the setup charges push the unit cost over $2.
Also, software can be RUN from a Zip disks. Some software can be run from CD-ROM, though most require some hard disk space as well.
But I have to tell you, most developers are looking to the Internet to distribute software upgrades. You will buy the product, on a CD, in a pretty box, at your local CompUSA or Egghead. Then you get on the Internet and upgrade to the latest version. People without internet connections will be treated like those without 3.5" or CD-ROM drives. "Mail in this certificate to obtain the software on other media."
I, too, would love to get software on Zip disks so that I could re-use them. But this is an advantage to the end user, not the supplier. Also, this "bonus" will dimminish as the price of Zip disks drops. |
