The software world is changing, as the Internet drives changes in other information technologies and applications.
One of the latest developments is for software companies, to make software available online to consumers and businesses to use for a fee on per use basis, rather than purchasing and downloading software product.
The other related development is from companies called application software provider (ASPs), who offer to completely handle the processing of selected business applications for a company as an online service.
Hershey Direct is an example of a company E-commerce division which contracted with an ASP called Usinternetworking to set up and handle the application needed to run their website so they could concentrate on the business aspects of their E-commerce initiative.
Norm Thompson is an example of a company that evaluated and rejected the ASP model being significantly more expensive than doing everything themselves.
But big software companies like Oracle, SAP, and Peoplesoft are entering the ASP and online software services business, seeing it as major new source of revenue for their products.
Software world
