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>I would like to hear opinions about customized software vs canned software
>pros and cons, which is easier to sell, etc.
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Becky,

The answer is, as always, it depends.

What type of software are we talking about? If you want spreadsheet software. Buy Excel or similar, it does not pay to create your own obviously.

Are we talking accounting or inventory control? Web reporting on a live database? etc. etc.

In many cases, software to do what you want may not exist or may be so generic that it does not fit your needs. Creating custom software will then be cost-effective.

You can also create custom software that leverages existing software (reuse) like using OLE Automation to get to Excel or ActiveX controls, etc.