>I have a question, out of interest: a company produces a computer software product which costs $X per
>month iro salaries and other costs. It is an ongoing running/development cost. In your model, what should
>this company sell this product for? Assume that if revenue falls below $X then obviously the company
>goes out of business.


My first thoughts are that it has to back up to the point before that fixed monthly expense is realized. Meaning... if the software is needed by some company then they would've come to you at some point to hire you as a laborer to write the software. In such a case, the relationship between what the customer pays is worked out in advance, with you or your company being a type of solution-providing entity which maintains an almost employee status with the hiring company, but in this separate, distinct entity-based creation fulfilling that role rather than you alone. In such a case, the relationship is established from conception and continues on from there.

If, on the other hand, me and you and a dog named Boo decide to go out and spend our free time working on some software program to get it to the point where it's ready to be "sold" to some customer(s) ... then why sell it? When we get it ready and it is at that point working. It exists. It's done. We've eaten throughout the entire time (or else we would not have completed it). We've had a place to stay, electricity, Internet, whatever base necessities we need (or else we would not have completed it). That software is now a completed creation and can be handed out to everyone, to any companies that can use it.

In such a case, my model would be to release the software for free (source code and all) and then offer my services for hire for ongoing maintenance needs specific to each company. Or to offer my services for hire for ongoing software development (to comply with ever changing laws which affect the software's calculations, for example). I would not sell it to the corporations, but would give it to them knowing that if they pay me for ongoing maintenance then I have something to continue working on, and if not then I will continue doing something else with my time.

But the fundamental idea is this: once the software exists ... it should never be kept from others. It is at that point a completed work. It has been put into the universe. And because the digital world is what the digital world is (I can give you a copy, and not lose mine, and I can repeat this process endlessly, as can you), there should never be people anywhere who are banned from receiving the software, source code and all.

And as for ongoing maintenance, only the expenses associated with a hire for labor should be realized from software ... just as what should happen with the sales of material goods (meaning the idea of something which costs $0.13 to manufacture and distribute, yet is being sold for $2.00, is wholly criminal). And a close, personal, business but "non-business" relationship should be formed between you and the company(ies) you do work for, indicating that as expenses go up or down their ongoing fees will fluctuate accordingly. And you would be open about all of that with your accounting books, accepting assistance if someone has a better idea for how to proceed than you do.

In short, we all work, at all points in our lives, business, personal, family, friends, to strangers, to help each other out.

Our lives are ones of service. We are born helpless relying on others. We are raised by the help of others. We go to school to learn, grow, understand by the help of others. We then begin contributing our portion as members of society, for the purpose of helping others. And our focus should remain on improving the lives of other people, which necessarily means improving our own lives as well. People are not well served by paying $2.00 for something that costs $0.13. But people are well served in helping one another. That non-sale of software to some company means they can pass along that savings to every customer they have, benefiting so many more people overall.

Our entire focus and approach to business needs to change ... away from money, hoarding, and the most evil concepts of "intellectual property", and of personal ownership of things which are capable of being distributed to everyone without any additional expense, and into the ideas and areas of sharing, and serving, and giving, and helping people grow everywhere, in love, in service to God (and specifically to Jesus Christ).

But, all of this is off the top of my head. I'll give it some additional thought and get back to you.