On 25 Sep 2007, at 00:36, Nick Arnett wrote: > On 9/24/07, jon louis mann <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > >> >> not sure waht you mean about-- >> -- a feedback-based market can't self-regulate >> goods and services that violate the law of diminishing >> returns, a/k/a network effects. > > > For most products, the more you sell, the lower the marginal value > -- that's > decreasing returns. In products subject to network effects, the > more you > sell, the more valuable each one becomes. If there's one telephone > on a > network, it is worthless. If there are two, it's worth something, > but not > much. As more people have them, each one can call more people, so > the value > of each phone goes up. It's the same with operating systems. The > more you > sell, the more valuable the operating system itself becomes, since > it's more > attractive to software developers when there are more users. >
But for developers that leads to numerous competing applications in every niche which makes alternative platforms with less competition with other developers more attractive. Big fish, small pond Maru -- William T Goodall Mail : [EMAIL PROTECTED] Web : http://www.wtgab.demon.co.uk Blog : http://radio.weblogs.com/0111221/ "Build a man a fire, and he will be warm for a day. Set a man on fire and he will be warm for the rest of his life" - Terry Pratchett _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
