--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For purposes of examining the software…" description: "\"“For purposes of examining the software market itself, it will be helpful to sort kinds of software by how completely the service they offer is describ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fc/eric-s-raymond-5007_investing_for-purposes-of-examining-the-software-m_3122626.jpg" --- # For purposes of examining the software market itself, it… ![“For purposes of examining the software market itself, it will be helpful to sort kinds of software by how completely the service they offer is describable by open technical standards, which is well correlated with how commoditized the underlying service has become.” quote by Eric S. Raymond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fc/eric-s-raymond-5007_investing_for-purposes-of-examining-the-software-m_3122626.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fc/eric-s-raymond-5007_investing_for-purposes-of-examining-the-software-m_3122626.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fc/eric-s-raymond-5007_investing_for-purposes-of-examining-the-software-m_3122626.jpg) > ““For purposes of examining the software market itself, it will be helpful to sort kinds of software by how completely the service they offer is describable by open technical standards, which is well correlated with how commoditized the underlying service has become.”” [Eric S. Raymond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-s-raymond/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote classifies software by how much its functionality follows open standards, indicating how commoditized it is. **In simple terms:** Software can be ranked by openness and commoditization. Key Takeaway Assess a product’s openness to gauge market maturity. Themes technology standards commoditization market analysis Mood analytical critical neutral Type business technical When to use this quote - evaluating new software - choosing platforms - strategic planning - investment decisions Key Concepts open standards commodity theory software ecosystems Questions to Reflect On - How does openness affect competition? - When is commoditization beneficial? A Different Perspective Open standards may limit differentiation and innovation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Examining Software](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/examining-software-5488838/) [Investing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/investing/) [Market Helpful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/market-helpful-5488840/) [Open Technical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/open-technical-5488837/) [Programming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/programming/) [Software Market](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/software-market-574859/) [Standards Correlated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/standards-correlated-5488839/) [Technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technology/) ## Related quotes > [If you think about the market that we're in, and more broadly just the enterprise software market, the kind of transition that's happening right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-levie/if-you-think-about-the-market-that-we-re-in-and-more-broadly-just-the/) [Aaron Levie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-levie/) > [The combination of threads, remote-procedure-call interfaces, and heavyweight object-oriented design is especially dangerous... if you are ever invited onto a project that is supposed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-s-raymond/the-combination-of-threads-remote-procedure-call-interfaces-and/) [Eric S. Raymond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-s-raymond/) > [“If (as is generally accepted) over 75% of a typical software project’s life-cycle costs will be in maintenance and debugging and extensions, then the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-s-raymond/if-as-is-generally-accepted-over-75-of-a-typical-software-project-s/) [Eric S. Raymond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-s-raymond/) > [“We’re proving not only that we can do better software, but that joy is an asset.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-s-raymond/we-re-proving-not-only-that-we-can-do-better-software-but-that-joy-is/) [Eric S. Raymond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-s-raymond/) > [It would be a piece of ingenuousness to accuse the man of today of his lack of moral code. The accusation would leave him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ortega-y-gasset/it-would-be-a-piece-of-ingenuousness-to-accuse-the-man-of-today-of/) [Jose Ortega y Gasset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ortega-y-gasset/) > [With VR, we have this same vision, which is create this ultimate platform for sharing your imagination. Our huge community of 300,000 developers creates…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-baszucki/with-vr-we-have-this-same-vision-which-is-create-this-ultimate/) [David Baszucki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-baszucki/) > [I'm publicist, patron of nine charities, creative director, food consultant, recipe developer - and mum.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-monroe/i-m-publicist-patron-of-nine-charities-creative-director-food/) [Jack Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-monroe/) > [Limit use of shareware and public domain software to systems without fixed disks. If you do use them on fixed disks, allocate separate subdirectories...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mcafee/limit-use-of-shareware-and-public-domain-software-to-systems-without/) [John McAfee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mcafee/) > [Writing code means always having to say you're sorry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ford/writing-code-means-always-having-to-say-you-re-sorry/) [Paul Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ford/) > [One of my most productive days was throwing away 1,000 lines of code.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-thompson/one-of-my-most-productive-days-was-throwing-away-1-000-lines-of-code/) [Ken Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-thompson/) > [Programmers are always surrounded by complexity; we cannot avoid it… If our basic tool, the language in which we design and code our programs,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-hoare/programmers-are-always-surrounded-by-complexity-we-cannot-avoid-it-if/) [Tony Hoare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-hoare/) > [“Check the program before you two start undressing and...well, doing whatever freaky shit you talked Harley into.” I”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cox/check-the-program-before-you-two-start-undressing-and-well-doing/) [James Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-cox/) > [It is no secret that I have read 'The Da Vinci Code' several times. I genuinely believe that 'The Da Vinci Code' and 'Angels…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashwin-sanghi/it-is-no-secret-that-i-have-read-the-da-vinci-code-several-times-i/) [Ashwin Sanghi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashwin-sanghi/) > [When we shipped 'Borderlands 2,' we didn't ship it with a plan of how the level cap was going to increase. We didn't have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-pitchford/when-we-shipped-borderlands-2-we-didn-t-ship-it-with-a-plan-of-how/) [Randy Pitchford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-pitchford/) > [Of everything I have done, 'The Archers' always gets the most excitement; there's a sort of uncontrollable joy from fans of the program.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felicity-jones/of-everything-i-have-done-the-archers-always-gets-the-most-excitement/) [Felicity Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felicity-jones/) ## More by Eric S. Raymond > [The Wesnoth devs are good but not exceptionally so, and we're weighed down by a crappy implementation language (C++). Nevertheless our productivity, in terms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-s-raymond/the-wesnoth-devs-are-good-but-not-exceptionally-so-and-we-re-weighed/) [Eric S. Raymond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-s-raymond/) > [“We’re proving not only that we can do better software, but that joy is an asset.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-s-raymond/we-re-proving-not-only-that-we-can-do-better-software-but-that-joy-is/) [Eric S. Raymond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-s-raymond/) > [The workstation-class machines built by Sun and others opened up new worlds for hackers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-s-raymond/the-workstation-class-machines-built-by-sun-and-others-opened-up-new/) [Eric S. Raymond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-s-raymond/) > [It is widely grokked that cats have the hacker nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-s-raymond/it-is-widely-grokked-that-cats-have-the-hacker-nature/) [Eric S. Raymond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-s-raymond/) > [“If (as is generally accepted) over 75% of a typical software project’s life-cycle costs will be in maintenance and debugging and extensions, then the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-s-raymond/if-as-is-generally-accepted-over-75-of-a-typical-software-project-s/) [Eric S. Raymond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-s-raymond/) > [The combination of threads, remote-procedure-call interfaces, and heavyweight object-oriented design is especially dangerous... if you are ever invited onto a project that is supposed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-s-raymond/the-combination-of-threads-remote-procedure-call-interfaces-and/) [Eric S. Raymond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-s-raymond/) > [Lisp is worth learning for the profound enlightenment experience you will have when you finally get it; that experience will make you a better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-s-raymond/lisp-is-worth-learning-for-the-profound-enlightenment-experience-you/) [Eric S. Raymond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-s-raymond/) > [You cannot motivate the best people with money. Money is just a way to keep score. The best people in any field are motivated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-s-raymond/you-cannot-motivate-the-best-people-with-money-money-is-just-a-way-to/) [Eric S. Raymond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-s-raymond/) > [“The Linux world behaves in many respects like a free market or an ecology, a collection of selfish agents attempting to maximize utility which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-s-raymond/the-linux-world-behaves-in-many-respects-like-a-free-market-or-an/) [Eric S. Raymond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-s-raymond/) > [“The reason this is a serious issue is that both the pool of users and the pool of talent available to be recruited into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-s-raymond/the-reason-this-is-a-serious-issue-is-that-both-the-pool-of-users-and/) [Eric S. Raymond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-s-raymond/) > [A security system is only as secure as its secret. Beware of pseudo-secrets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-s-raymond/a-security-system-is-only-as-secure-as-its-secret-beware-of-pseudo/) [Eric S. Raymond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-s-raymond/) > [Today I am one of the senior technical cadre that makes the Internet work, and a core Linux and open-source developer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-s-raymond/today-i-am-one-of-the-senior-technical-cadre-that-makes-the-internet/) [Eric S. Raymond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-s-raymond/) > [“The behavior of retailers when a vendor folds is very revealing. It tells us that they know something the vendors don’t. What they know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-s-raymond/the-behavior-of-retailers-when-a-vendor-folds-is-very-revealing-it/) [Eric S. Raymond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-s-raymond/) > [The easiest programs to use are those which demand the least new learning from the user](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-s-raymond/the-easiest-programs-to-use-are-those-which-demand-the-least-new/) [Eric S. Raymond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-s-raymond/) > [“This is quite unlikely to happen to Linux,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-s-raymond/this-is-quite-unlikely-to-happen-to-linux/) [Eric S. Raymond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-s-raymond/) [Explore all 104 Eric S. Raymond quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-s-raymond/) ## More Investing quotes > [Don't let's lose sight of what creates wealth. It is open markets, it is capitalism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-murdoch/don-t-let-s-lose-sight-of-what-creates-wealth-it-is-open-markets-it/) [Rupert Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-murdoch/) > [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/) [Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/) > [Don't think OF the market. Think AS the market.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-fishman/don-t-think-of-the-market-think-as-the-market/) [Michael Fishman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-fishman/) > [Personally, I prefer contemporary films, but the market calls for more period choices, especially since China opened up a cinema market in Hong Kong.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donnie-yen/personally-i-prefer-contemporary-films-but-the-market-calls-for-more/) [Donnie Yen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donnie-yen/) > [The market may never coalesce around one basic design, or even around two or three dominant devices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/the-market-may-never-coalesce-around-one-basic-design-or-even-around/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [“The market was king, that much was clear. Share worth had replaced human worth. And it wasn’t so much a question of what that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arne-dahl/the-market-was-king-that-much-was-clear-share-worth-had-replaced/) [Arne Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arne-dahl/) > [Windmills and solar cells are carbon-free sources of electricity. But they are costly. If you've been investing in those, give it up. That game…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-fisher/windmills-and-solar-cells-are-carbon-free-sources-of-electricity-but/) [Kenneth Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-fisher/) > [The exact details of how you practice value investing will vary investor to investor, but the fundamental principle of scouring the world, looking for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitney-tilson/the-exact-details-of-how-you-practice-value-investing-will-vary/) [Whitney Tilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whitney-tilson/) > [“Wed don't need to live like the elites of California, New York, or Washington, D.C. We don't need to work a hundred hours a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance/wed-don-t-need-to-live-like-the-elites-of-california-new-york-or/) [J.D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance/) > [Television series are like the stock market. There's room for bears and bulls but no room for pigs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-newhart/television-series-are-like-the-stock-market-there-s-room-for-bears/) [Bob Newhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-newhart/) > [That's one of the things about the NFL is that you have small-market teams, big-market teams. I feel like the bigger market teams do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/travis-kelce/that-s-one-of-the-things-about-the-nfl-is-that-you-have-small-market/) [Travis Kelce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/travis-kelce/) > [In China, people are moving from bigger cars to small hatches, and interestingly, the Indian market is graduating to bigger cars and sedans. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winfried-vahland/in-china-people-are-moving-from-bigger-cars-to-small-hatches-and/) [Winfried Vahland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winfried-vahland/) > [Congress passed the American Rescue Plan Act in a tremendous investment to support millions of workers without a paycheck and behind on bills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-auchincloss/congress-passed-the-american-rescue-plan-act-in-a-tremendous/) [Jake Auchincloss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-auchincloss/) > [“a select group of high-performing companies have managed to close the strategy-to-performance gap through better planning and execution. These companies—Barclays, Cisco Systems, Dow Chemical,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-c-mankins/a-select-group-of-high-performing-companies-have-managed-to-close-the/) [Michael C. Mankins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-c-mankins/) > [I'll invest my money in people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-keith-kellogg/i-ll-invest-my-money-in-people/) [Will Keith Kellogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-keith-kellogg/) [Browse all 13,164 Investing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/investing/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“For purposes of examining the software market itself, it will be helpful to sort kinds of software by how completely the service they offer is describable by open technical standards, which is well correlated with how commoditized the underlying service has become.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Eric S. Raymond" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-s-raymond/for-purposes-of-examining-the-software-market-itself-it-will-be/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Investing" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-s-raymond/for-purposes-of-examining-the-software-market-itself-it-will-be/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fc/eric-s-raymond-5007_investing_for-purposes-of-examining-the-software-m_3122626.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fc/eric-s-raymond-5007_investing_for-purposes-of-examining-the-software-m_3122626.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fc/eric-s-raymond-5007_investing_for-purposes-of-examining-the-software-m_3122626.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“For purposes of examining the software market itself, it will be helpful to sort kinds of software by how…” — Eric S. Raymond", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Eric S. Raymond", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-s-raymond/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“For purposes of examining the software...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-s-raymond/for-purposes-of-examining-the-software-market-itself-it-will-be/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-s-raymond/for-purposes-of-examining-the-software-market-itself-it-will-be/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```