How much will your software be worth in 15 years?

[AD80]

I think in 15 years all my current software will be worth 0 dollars, even to me. Hopefully some of the current companies stay alive for that long. But I doubt it cuz I use mostly small developer stuff.


PS: I agree with you MikeLeuz. Microsoft gets a bad rap becuase they're the guys on top. They're really just as bad as all the other companies in their market.

[The Chase]

Chase quoth

yea, property plus stamps, some cars, wine, certain magazines

Not all stamps, not all cars, not all wine, not all magazines. The difference is that some items become 'classic' or 'collectors items' and they rise in value. Those are exceptions to the general trend within that clss of items. However the type of item as a whole isnt generally rising, eg a 15-year olf copy of Cosmopolitan, or a 15-year old bottle of Blue Nun.

However property, uniformly, has risen.

and a lot of analogue gear

No, not a lot. Some, but not as much as you'd expect.

the list goes on. 15 years ago, a Roland TR-808 sold for $100 - $200. Today, they tend to go just under $1000.

Basically a collector's item, and unrepresentative of the situation. Oh, and BTW, they were about $100 when they came out in the first place. Then they nosedived in value (just like the TB303) until they became popular again, and hence valuable for a factor other than actual money.

Taken inflation into account, BTW? That $1000 in 1980 probably works out about $3000 now. So yeah, its still dropped in price if you can get them for $1000.

How much does a 626 go for? Or a Casio RZ1? What about a Poly800. There's a CS5 on ebay for £80, aint that a bit of a drop? SH101's are worth bugger all again.

Not ALL property increases in value either. I thought it was way too f**king obvious to mention that not ALL of what i mentioned increased in value, but thanks for picking that up for me.

[flugel45]

Think of it in this context:

Do you ever give a thought to the software you owned fifteen years ago (assuming you even had any)?

I'd say the majority of people do not, so what is the point? Hell, I expect at least some of my software will be useless in three years. Doesn't bother me a bit.

JD

[whyterabbyt]

No, but property values in general are rising more than the rate of inflation. Wine values in general are not. Magazine prices in general are not. Car prices in general are not.

If its 'too f**king obvious' to point out then surely you'd be better not conflating that with the idea that 'a lot of analogue gear' supposedly does.

Otherwise, you added precisely nothing of any useful content to the thread.

[The Chase]

No, but property values in general are rising more than the rate of inflation. Wine values in general are not. Magazine prices in general are not. Car prices in general are not.

That completely depends on where you live. a plot of land in the middle of nowhere in texas is worth about what it was 15 years ago.

Why is this heating up so much?

[Sicklecell666]

Why is this heating up so much?

You said it was hot in Texas..

[The Chase]

I love you, sickle

[rsmus7]

for me it is only a question if my PC will still be alive in 15 years.
Since I have almost everything I need now, and it works fine for me.
So I dont need much improvements for the future.
Maybe a 4x stronger CPU would be nice, but thats all I need.

Depending on the pc´s what the software will be worth then.If I can still use it, it will be worth a lot for me.
If I cant use it anymore it worth nothing.

[Sicklecell666]

I love you, sickle

wtf

[Sepheritoh]

I don't give a shit what it's worth after 15 years. I would have gotten much more worth out of it in fun and pleasure than I paid for it. That sounds like a good investment to me. If I did not spend my money on software I would have pissed it out in a bar or blown it in some crazy casino.

[Ja.x]

Better think of how much our music will worth in 15 years.

[McLilith]

I don't think that most people buying hardware instruments ever really worried about how much their instrument was going to be worth in 15 years. I think they were more concerned about things like: How does it sound? Is it well-constructed? Does the ergonimic "feel" of the instrument suit my personal tastes? Can I afford the purchase price? For some people, it was also a matter of "Does some famous person I admire also use this instrument?" Don't forget the ever-popular, "If I learn to play this, will it attract girls?"

Those people lucky enough to purchase an instrument that was considered collectible after several years had passed, probably only consider this a fortunate secondary benefit of their initial purchase. (They probably also notice that while their vintage Strat might have aged very well, and only increased in desirability, the girlfriend they attacted with it (and subsequently married) hasn't faired quite so well with the passing of time.)

So yes, I think that most software will be worth much less after several years has passed. This will most likely be caused primarily because the newer software, then running on much more powerful computers, will be capable of offering much more funtionality. I don't think that should stop a person from buying software instruments today, any more than it stopped people from buying hardware instruments in the past. There will always be "something better" in the future, but you need an instrument to play here in the present. So go ahead, buy whatever you like today, make the absolute most of it, and don't waste too much time worrying about it. Until someone invents a time machine and actually allows you access to it, there is only the here and now anyway.



McLilith

[McLilith]

Better think of how much our music will worth in 15 years.

That's sort of the point of my joke about the vintage Strat and the girlfriend. Which is more important, the means or the end? After several years have passed, will you still be happy with both--or either of them?

Perhaps you spent all your savings on a TB-303 Devilfish from Australia, complete with a handsomely rugged anodized aluminum case from that company in Germany, and created some really classic techno with it. Then after 15 years, you realize that you simply can't stand the sound of techno anymore. Was it all just a huge waste of time and money?

Perhaps the true value lies in the journey? Was the price of that customized 303 worth the doors it helped open for you? The lessons you learned along the way? The interesting people you met and became friends with along the way?

There's certainly much more potential value in an instrument, than its resale value after 15 years. A lot depends on what you actually do with that instrument. Maybe that's what we should all be most concerned about?



McLilith

[Rellik]

does anyone think that (for instance) Rene will be on Zeta v19.3 in 15 years

Uh... well yeah, that's the idea. As in, I don't see why not. As in, yeah that would be cool.

[SuitcaseOfLizards]

I expect my current software to be worth nothing in 15 years, like someone else said. But I won't care, I didn't buy anything I own music-wise caring about resale value - I bought it as a tool, to use, not as an investment. If I want to invest I'll buy gold or Microsoft stock!

My greater concern is how, after 15 years, I might still be able to have access to the raw audio of my music. Will I be able to get the audio off data CDs I archive to today, or will I end up having to copy to the "newest media" again and again as time passes?

I also suspect z3ta 19.3 will require a 20GHz multicore CPU for "best performance"!