Monday, May 17, 2004Begun, this price war has.
Just got the an e-mail from Vonage, my super-awesome internet phone company, claiming that they are dropping my monthly phone rate again! Now, for just $29.99/month I'm getting free long-distance, voicemail (complete with e-mail notification), callwaiting, conferencing, and much more. Now don't cry too hard for the traditional phone companies, they're all getting into this space soon enough.
Before all you nimwits e-mail me to tell me that Skype is free let me just say that I'm not such an uber-geek that I can tolerate having all my conversations tethered to my computer and a microphone. I like talking on an actual phone, preferably wireless, so as to be able to move around the house and yard and multi-task.
4:00:04 PM #
Just got the an e-mail from Vonage, my super-awesome internet phone company, claiming that they are dropping my monthly phone rate again! Now, for just $29.99/month I'm getting free long-distance, voicemail (complete with e-mail notification), callwaiting, conferencing, and much more. Now don't cry too hard for the traditional phone companies, they're all getting into this space soon enough.
Before all you nimwits e-mail me to tell me that Skype is free let me just say that I'm not such an uber-geek that I can tolerate having all my conversations tethered to my computer and a microphone. I like talking on an actual phone, preferably wireless, so as to be able to move around the house and yard and multi-task.
4:00:04 PM #
New meme in the blogosphere: Has SixApart screwed users by changing their license for MovableType 3.0?
I haven't even read the new license, from what I understand it redefines the Movable Type concept of a weblog, and uses the number of weblogs you run as a defining feature of how much you have to pay. So bear that in mind as you proceed.
My personal take on license changes is that companies typically do it for one reason: they want more money. "Well, DUH!" you say. But why would a company want more money? Usually because one of two situations exist:
Option 1 is scary to consumers because if it has been analyzed correctly the consumers are powerless to stop it. Think of Oracle when it switched from its site licensing scheme to its "per user/per cpu/per breath taken by the database admin" licensing scheme. Oracle had key features that companies wanted/needed to stay competitive so they bitched and they moaned, but then they paid.
Only time will tell what the the situation here is. It could also be something else entirely. Realistically, SixApart could be looking at what kind of bankroll they would need to add in features, and are eyeing Blogger's war chest and trying to figure out a way to compete.
10:08:28 AM #
I haven't even read the new license, from what I understand it redefines the Movable Type concept of a weblog, and uses the number of weblogs you run as a defining feature of how much you have to pay. So bear that in mind as you proceed.
My personal take on license changes is that companies typically do it for one reason: they want more money. "Well, DUH!" you say. But why would a company want more money? Usually because one of two situations exist:
- they see themselves as having sufficiently cornered the market and set up a barrier to entry that is sustainable in the short-term.
- they are running out of cash and need to pay the bills.
Option 1 is scary to consumers because if it has been analyzed correctly the consumers are powerless to stop it. Think of Oracle when it switched from its site licensing scheme to its "per user/per cpu/per breath taken by the database admin" licensing scheme. Oracle had key features that companies wanted/needed to stay competitive so they bitched and they moaned, but then they paid.
Only time will tell what the the situation here is. It could also be something else entirely. Realistically, SixApart could be looking at what kind of bankroll they would need to add in features, and are eyeing Blogger's war chest and trying to figure out a way to compete.
10:08:28 AM #
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