Upgrade to Pro — share decks privately, control downloads, hide ads and more …

The Evolution of Software Distribution (1995–2025)

The Evolution of Software Distribution (1995–2025)

Full Talk on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrnYKgTl184

Blog post on Medium:
"Software Through the Ages"
https://medium.com/cardstack/software-through-the-ages-7ae7b3debfd7

Chris Tse, Founding Director of the Cardstack Project, talks about the history of software distribution, walking through the five phases that were defined by companies like Microsoft, IBM, Apple, Google, and Salesforce.com—which eventually led to open source.

In detail, Chris explains how software evolved from Software-as-a-Product (SaaP) into Software-as-a-Quote (SaaQ) and Software-as-a-Resource (SaaR)—oscillating between off-the-shelf and customized software—until Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) became the most popular distribution method. Finally, he answers the question, “What comes after SaaS?”, introducing the new idea of Software-as-a-Tool (SaaT)—which will define the future of software by combining powerful off-the-shelf tools with individual customization.

Chris Tse

June 29, 2020
Tweet

More Decks by Chris Tse

Other Decks in Technology

Transcript

  1. CARDSTACK V30 CHRIS TSE Founding Director Cardstack Project [email protected] @christse

    The Evolution of Software Distribution (1995–2025) JUNE 2020 – TECH TALK
  2. Software-as-a- roduct P Software-as-a- uote Q Software-as-a- esource R Software-as-a-

    ervice S Software-as-a- ool T 1995 2000 2005 2010 2020
  3. Software-as-a- roduct P Peak Year 1995 Market Leader Microsoft Key

    Concepts Gold Master (GM) Upgrade Price Suite / Editions Code CD-ROM Retail Box + License Key Physical Store User DESKTOP ERA
  4. Software-as-a- roduct P Peak Year 1995 Market Leader Microsoft Key

    Concepts Gold Master (GM) Upgrade Price Suite / Editions Code CD-ROM Retail Box + License Key Physical Store User DESKTOP ERA
  5. Software-as-a- roduct P Peak Year 1995 Market Leader Microsoft Key

    Concepts Gold Master (GM) Upgrade Price Suite / Editions Code CD-ROM Retail Box + License Key Physical Store User DESKTOP ERA
  6. Software-as-a- roduct P Peak Year 1995 Market Leader Microsoft Key

    Concepts Gold Master (GM) Upgrade Price Suite / Editions Code CD-ROM Retail Box + License Key Physical Store User Magazine Buy product Discover product DESKTOP ERA
  7. Software-as-a- roduct P Peak Year 1995 Market Leader Microsoft Key

    Concepts Gold Master (GM) Upgrade Price Suite / Editions Code CD-ROM Retail Box + License Key Physical Store User Magazine Buy product Discover product Install & use program DESKTOP ERA
  8. Software-as-a- roduct P Peak Year 2010 Market Leader Apple Key

    Concepts Top Free / Top Paid In-App Purchase Update All User Social Media Native App Code App Bundle App Store Buy & install app Discover app Use app MOBILE ERA
  9. Software-as-a- uote Q Peak Year 2000 Market Leader IBM Key

    Concepts Build vs Buy Systems Integration Software Dev Lifecycle SOW COTS Code Servers User Statement-of-Work Commercial- off-the-Shelf Customizations & Integrations On-Premise or Hosted ENTERPRISE EDITION
  10. Software-as-a- uote Q Peak Year 2000 Market Leader IBM Key

    Concepts Build vs Buy Systems Integration Software Dev Lifecycle SOW COTS Code Servers User Statement-of-Work Commercial- off-the-Shelf Consultant / Reseller IT Manager Discover capabilities / needs Define & refine scope Specify Customizations & Integrations On-Premise or Hosted ENTERPRISE EDITION
  11. Software-as-a- uote Q Peak Year 2000 Market Leader IBM Key

    Concepts Build vs Buy Systems Integration Software Dev Lifecycle SOW COTS Code Servers User Statement-of-Work Commercial- off-the-Shelf Consultant / Reseller IT Manager Discover capabilities / needs Define & refine scope Specify Customizations & Integrations On-Premise or Hosted Use app ENTERPRISE EDITION
  12. Software-as-a- uote Q Peak Year 2010 Market Leader Many Agile

    Dev Shops Key Concepts Scrum Master Story Points Pair Programming Stories 3rd-Party Tools Code Servers User Open-Source Frameworks or External APIs Product Owner Stakeholders Discover needs / goals Translate into user stories Minimum Viable Product (MVP) On-Premise or Hosted Use app Iterate AGILE DEVELOPMENT
  13. Software-as-a- esource R Peak Year 2005 Market Leader Google Key

    Concepts Deep Link Open Web RESTful HTML Resource Code Hosted Servers Gateway to Databases, Protocols, and Systems User Web Browser WEB 1.0 2010
  14. Software-as-a- esource R Peak Year 2005 Market Leader Google Key

    Concepts Deep Link Open Web RESTful HTML Resource Code Hosted Servers Gateway to Databases, Protocols, and Systems User Web Browser WEB 1.0 2010
  15. Software-as-a- esource R Peak Year 2005 Market Leader Google Key

    Concepts Deep Link Open Web RESTful HTML Resource Code Hosted Servers Gateway to Databases, Protocols, and Systems User Web Search Engine Crawling Searching Web Browser WEB 1.0 2010
  16. Use app Software-as-a- esource R Peak Year 2005 Market Leader

    Google Key Concepts Deep Link Open Web RESTful HTML Resource Code Hosted Servers Gateway to Databases, Protocols, and Systems User Web Search Engine Crawling Searching Web Browser WEB 1.0 2010
  17. Software-as-a- ervice S Peak Year 2010 Market Leader Salesforce.com Key

    Concepts Freemium Multi-Tenant Cloud-Based Code Web Browser User Front-End (HTML/CSS/JS) Back-End (APIs & Databases) “NO SOFTWARE” Hosted Servers
  18. Software-as-a- ervice S Peak Year 2010 Market Leader Salesforce.com Key

    Concepts Freemium Multi-Tenant Cloud-Based Code App Bundle Web Browser User Front-End (HTML/CSS/JS) Back-End (APIs & Databases) “NO SOFTWARE” Hosted Servers
  19. Software-as-a- ervice S Peak Year 2010 Market Leader Salesforce.com Key

    Concepts Freemium Multi-Tenant Cloud-Based Code App Bundle Web Browser User Front-End (HTML/CSS/JS) Back-End (APIs & Databases) Discover, subscribe to, and use app “NO SOFTWARE” Hosted Servers
  20. Software-as-a- ervice S Peak Year 2010 Market Leader Salesforce.com Key

    Concepts Freemium Multi-Tenant Cloud-Based Code App Bundle Web Browser User Front-End (HTML/CSS/JS) Back-End (APIs & Databases) Native App User Code App Bundle App Store Front-End (iOS/Android) Discover, subscribe to, and use app “THERE’S AN APP FOR THAT” Hosted Servers Modules
  21. Software-as-a- ervice S Peak Year 2010 Market Leader Salesforce.com Key

    Concepts Freemium Multi-Tenant Cloud-Based Code App Bundle Web Browser User Front-End (HTML/CSS/JS) Back-End (APIs & Databases) Native App User Code App Bundle App Store Front-End (iOS/Android) Discover, subscribe to, and use app Use app “THERE’S AN APP FOR THAT” Hosted Servers Modules
  22. Software-as-a- ervice S Peak Year 2010 Market Leader Salesforce.com Key

    Concepts Freemium Multi-Tenant Cloud-Based Code App Bundle Web Browser User Front-End (HTML/CSS/JS) Back-End (APIs & Databases) Native App User Code App Bundle App Store Front-End (iOS/Android) Discover, subscribe to, and use app Use app “THERE’S AN APP FOR THAT” Hosted Servers Modules
  23. Software-as-a- ervice S Peak Year 2010 Market Leader Salesforce.com Key

    Concepts Freemium Multi-Tenant Cloud-Based Code App Bundle Web Browser User Front-End (HTML/CSS/JS) Back-End (APIs & Databases) Native App User Code App Bundle App Store Front-End (iOS/Android) Discover, subscribe to, and use app Use app “THERE’S AN APP FOR THAT” Hosted Servers Modules
  24. Front-end Back-end Software-as-a- Peak Year 2015 Market Leader Amazon Web

    Services (AWS) Key Concepts Build Tools / CLI DevOps Jamstack Code Modules Deployed Assets Cloud Hosting (CDN) Cloud Hosting (API) ervice S User’s Environment PUBLIC CLOUD App Bundle Front-End Back-End
  25. Front-end Back-end Software-as-a- Peak Year 2015 Market Leader Amazon Web

    Services (AWS) Key Concepts Build Tools / CLI DevOps Jamstack Code Modules Deployed Assets Cloud Hosting (CDN) Cloud Hosting (API) ervice S User’s Environment PUBLIC CLOUD App Bundle Front-End Back-End
  26. Front-end Back-end Software-as-a- Peak Year 2015 Market Leader Amazon Web

    Services (AWS) Key Concepts Build Tools / CLI DevOps Jamstack Code Modules Deployed Assets Cloud Hosting (CDN) Cloud Hosting (API) ervice S User’s Environment PUBLIC CLOUD App Bundle Front-End Back-End Back-end Biased
  27. Package Registry Source Code Repository Software-as-a- ervice S Peak Year

    2020 Market Leader GitHub Key Concepts Open Source Dependencies Package Management Code Modules Deployed Assets Cloud Hosting (CDN) Cloud Hosting (API) User’s Environment Front-End Back-End MODERN DEV WORKFLOW App Bundle
  28. Package Registry Source Code Repository Software-as-a- ervice S Peak Year

    2020 Market Leader GitHub Key Concepts Open Source Dependencies Package Management Code Modules Deployed Assets Cloud Hosting (CDN) Cloud Hosting (API) User’s Environment Front-End Back-End MODERN DEV WORKFLOW App Bundle
  29. Package Registry Source Code Repository Software-as-a- ervice S Peak Year

    2020 Market Leader GitHub Key Concepts Open Source Dependencies Package Management Code Modules Deployed Assets Cloud Hosting (CDN) Cloud Hosting (API) User’s Environment Front-End Back-End MODERN DEV WORKFLOW Developer’s Toolbox App Bundle
  30. Package Registry Source Code Repository Software-as-a- ervice S Peak Year

    2020 Market Leader GitHub Key Concepts Open Source Dependencies Package Management Code Modules Deployed Assets Cloud Hosting (CDN) Cloud Hosting (API) User’s Environment Front-End Back-End MODERN DEV WORKFLOW Developer’s Toolbox App Bundle 80% 20%
  31. Software-as-a- ervice S Peak Year 2020 Market Leader GitHub Key

    Concepts Open Source Dependencies Package Management Code Modules Deployed Assets Cloud Hosting (CDN) Cloud Hosting (API) User’s Environment OPEN-SOURCE CATALOG Module Catalog App Bundle Front-End Back-End
  32. Software-as-a- ool T Peak Year 2025 Market Leader JavaScript Key

    Concepts ES Module Imports Full-Stack Composability Runtime Configuration LIVE CODING ENVIRONMENT Module Catalog Live Code Editor Cloud Hosting (CDN) User’s Environment Cloud Hosting (API) App-Specific Modules Front-End Back-End Off-the-Shelf Modules
  33. Software-as-a- ool T Peak Year 2025 Market Leader JavaScript Key

    Concepts ES Module Imports Full-Stack Composability Runtime Configuration LIVE CODING ENVIRONMENT Module Catalog Live Code Editor Cloud Hosting (CDN) User’s Environment Cloud Hosting (API) App-Specific Modules Front-End Back-End Off-the-Shelf Modules Front-end Biased
  34. Software-as-a- ool T Peak Year 2025 Market Leader JavaScript Key

    Concepts ES Module Imports Full-Stack Composability Runtime Configuration LIVE CODING ENVIRONMENT Module Catalog Live Code Editor Cloud Hosting (CDN) User’s Environment Cloud Hosting (API) App-Specific Modules Front-End Back-End Off-the-Shelf Modules Front-end Biased
  35. Software-as-a- ool T Peak Year 2025 Market Leader JavaScript Key

    Concepts ES Module Imports Full-Stack Composability Runtime Configuration LIVE CODING ENVIRONMENT Module Catalog Live Code Editor Cloud Hosting (CDN) User’s Environment Cloud Hosting (API) App-Specific Modules Front-End Back-End Off-the-Shelf Modules Change Front-end Biased
  36. Change Software-as-a- ool T Peak Year 2025 Market Leader JavaScript

    Key Concepts Shared Content Types Versioning / Merging End User Configuration NO-CODE ENVIRONMENT Module Catalog Cloud Hosting (CDN) User’s Environment Cloud Hosting (API) App-Specific Modules Front-End Off-the-Shelf Modules Live Code Editor Back-End No-
  37. Change Software-as-a- ool T Peak Year 2025 Market Leader JavaScript

    Key Concepts Shared Content Types Versioning / Merging End User Configuration NO-CODE ENVIRONMENT Module Catalog Cloud Hosting (CDN) User’s Environment Cloud Hosting (API) App-Specific Modules Front-End Off-the-Shelf Modules Live Code Editor Back-End No-
  38. Software-as-a- ool T Any User Any Resource Any Cloud Any

    Module ACCESS HOST DEPLOY Personal Data Securely Store
  39. Software-as-a- ool T Any User Any Resource Any Cloud Any

    Module ACCESS HOST DEPLOY Personal Data Securely Store Personal Data Continuously Sync
  40. HOST DEPLOY Software-as-a- ool T Any User Any Resource Any

    Cloud Any Module ACCESS Personal Data
  41. HOST DEPLOY Software-as-a- ool T Any User Any Resource Any

    Cloud Any Module ACCESS Personal Data Personal Data Continuously Sync
  42. HOST DEPLOY Software-as-a- ool T Any User Any Resource Any

    Cloud Any Module ACCESS Personal Data Securely Serve Personal Data Continuously Sync
  43. Software-as-a- ool T Any User Any Resource Any Cloud Any

    Module ACCESS HOST DEPLOY Content / Data / Configuration Stored and sync’ed as a set of file-based Resources
  44. Software-as-a- ool T Any User Any Resource Any Cloud Any

    Module ACCESS HOST DEPLOY Software Code Load as a Tool to view or edit Content / Data / Configuration Stored and sync’ed as a set of file-based Resources
  45. Software-as-a- ool T Any User Any Resource Any Cloud Any

    Module ACCESS HOST DEPLOY Software Code Load as a Tool to view or edit Distribute to others via a Resource link Content / Data / Configuration Stored and sync’ed as a set of file-based Resources
  46. Software-as-a- ool T Any User Any Resource Any Cloud Any

    Module ACCESS HOST DEPLOY Software Code Load as a Tool to view or edit Assemble & tweak modules to make a Product suite Distribute to others via a Resource link Content / Data / Configuration Stored and sync’ed as a set of file-based Resources
  47. Software-as-a- ool T Any User Any Resource Any Cloud Any

    Module ACCESS HOST DEPLOY Software Code Load as a Tool to view or edit Subscribe to a recurring Service for hosting Assemble & tweak modules to make a Product suite Distribute to others via a Resource link Content / Data / Configuration Stored and sync’ed as a set of file-based Resources
  48. Software-as-a- ool T Any User Any Resource Any Cloud Any

    Module ACCESS HOST DEPLOY Software Code Load as a Tool to view or edit Get a Quote for a custom module Subscribe to a recurring Service for hosting Assemble & tweak modules to make a Product suite Distribute to others via a Resource link Content / Data / Configuration Stored and sync’ed as a set of file-based Resources
  49. “Real Code” “No Code” Software-as-a- ool T Any User Any

    Resource Any Cloud Any Module ACCESS HOST DEPLOY Get a Quote for a custom module Subscribe to a recurring Service for hosting Assemble & tweak modules to make a Product suite Distribute to others via a Resource link
  50. CARDSTACK • CatalogJS Front-end biased JavaScript Module Catalog and build

    system. Works with NPM package registry. • Cardstack Hub Full-stack application runtime for module-driven Cloud Hosting (API) built on NodeJS and Postgres. • Cardstack Builder End user focused No-Code Editor built on EmberJS (Octane). Support Live Code Editing for CSS theming and (soon) template customization using Monaco or VS Code. OPEN-SOURCE TOOLS FOR DEVELOPERS & USERS and Card Catalog