Then there's the fact that damn near every economist will tell you that a vibrant after market increases the value of first time sales. Heck, that's self evident, when you know something keeps a good chuck of it's value, you feel more confident buying it new. But software publishers never let common sense get in the way.
Yes, but the replacement market in software consists of upgrades, not of selling the old and buying something new.
Totally different than in the world of tangible goods.
The only time you'd sell a software license is if you stopped using the package completely. And that does cut in to the manufacturers margins. Hence the suit. Glad they lost.
... when you know something keeps a good chuck of it's value, you feel more confident buying it new.
How much of that applies to computer software though? It's the whole physical versus intellectual property all over again. A physical property, like a luxury car, will wear in time, whereas the intellectual property, like software, will remain exact. The resale value in software is further diminished every time the publisher releases a newer version.
So how much thought of resale value do you keep in mind when making a software purchase really? It's more of an investment towards producing something else than reselling.
