ABSTRACT
The worldwide software market is booming. Growth is occurring at a swift pace from $10.3 billion in 1981 to $18.5 billion in 1983; by 1987, the market is projected at $55 billion. This growth is not surprising, given the strategic importance of the software industry to so many other technology-intensive industries, such as the computer and telecommunications industries. The US software industry is made up of a large number of suppliers and markets and a wide variety of software products. The markets range from personal computers referred to as the “low-end,” to large or super-large computers referred to as the “high-end.” Software products range from integrated systems and custom software to packaged software. The growth of the US software industry was stimulated by IBM’s announcement in 1969 to price software separately from hardware. This event spurred the growth of independent software suppliers and a packaged software market in the United States.
