I am so silly and naive sometimes. I have been struggling with the fact that people in the US (and possibly elsewhere) don't want to pay appropriate prices for software (or technology in general perhaps). Today I finally realized why...or at least one big reason for it. They don't care about quality. Or, more accurately, they care more about short-term costs than long-term costs.
People in the United States (not you and me of course) are addicted to instant gratification. We want it now and we want it cheap (not inexpensive mind you...cheap). My dad used to own a business where he repaired electronics. Anything from TV's to Commodore 64's was fair game. Take it to "Lazarus Electronics - We bring 'em back from the dead!" Well we don't do that anymore. I can buy a DVD player at Target for $35. What? It broke? What's $35 for another...let's get it.
I imagine this is in part due to the lack of loyalty we feel for things. For example, why should a CEO care about her company? If she does a good job, she'll be rich. If she does a bad job, she'll be...oh wait...RICH. So if I can save a few bucks now then the long-term cost is someone else's concern. Trickle this mindset through the ranks recursively for full effect.
Regarding some independent work I am doing...I just "lost" a potential contract because they wanted someone cheaper. Cheaper? I was already charging $50 / hour less than my architect rate (after all, this is junior programmer stuff) AND giving a 20% discount because they are a non-profit. While I don't miss the gig (maintaining a utility app that someone else wrote...and we all just love maintaining someone else's code), I do miss the moola.
Another potential client wanted an eCommerce application. I suggested several run-of-the-mill Web solutions. I also identified several open-source eCommerce solutions. The cost of implementation was going to be reasonable. Then potential client then said "I want it to support this feature, that feature, and other feature. Can you automatically change the colors with the seasons? What about a forum? How about mailers and newsletters? Will you maintain the domain? What about security and digital certificates?" Well the price went too high and the potential client decided to oursource overseas (where I'm sure the quality will be high and the price low).
Why am I so expensive? I'm not. In fact, I am quite reasonably priced (and you can get a set of steak knives with 3 contracts). I happen to live in a high-cost-of-living country. And I happen to care about quality and the "-ilities" of a system. Yeah, I plan for the future.
So while we as a society complain that there is ever-decreasing quality in our goods and services...we are unwilling to pay the seemingly ever-increasing costs of good quality and services. We want it now and we want it cheap. We don't care about who will be here to deal with the larger user base, or the slew of new features, or performance, or security, or <insert your favorite aspect here>.
I don't have any sage wisdom. Sorry to let you down if you were expecting that. I'm just venting. It's this simple: You have to spend money, plan, and care. You have to care more about the business and your colleagues, present and future, more than your immediate comfort.