Message-Id: <199601302127.PAA28558@wugate.wustl.edu> From: Jeff Huestis <mailto:huestis@library.wustl.edu> Date: Tue, 30 Jan 1996 18:45:03 -0600 (CST) To: WEBCAT-L LIST <mailto:WEBCAT-L@WUVMD.WUSTL.EDU> Subject: Re: WebPAC and ALS/Vmark licenses
On Tue, 30 Jan 1996, Jerry Kuntz wrote:> I was a skeptic of PAC for Windows, but have a very different reaction to
> the WebPAC product now under development (this after seeing Sirsi's Web
> product demo'd--which looks far more advanced than ALS, at this point.) But
> I do have some trouble imagining how ALS is going to price this product
> without some drastic change in their current ALS and VMark per port license
> fees.
>
I hadn't really been thinking about issues like this when I set up this list. But the high per-unit cost is the fundamental problem of library automation. It affects development lead-time, depth of support, vendor capitalization and long-term viability--you name it. And all of this in a market which is just awash with money.We escape the problem to the extent that we are able to turn generalized tools to our specialized purposes. The use of general purpose web browsers as end-user clients is just the latest example of this principle.
Jeff Huestis