The Economics of Information Systems and Software

Book excerpt: The Economics of Information Systems and Software focuses on the economic aspects of information systems and software, including advertising, evaluation of information systems, and software maintenance. The book first elaborates on value and values, software business, and scientific information as an economic category. Discussions focus on information products and information services, special economic properties of information, culture and convergence, hardware and software products, materiality and consumption, technological progress, and software flexibility. The text then takes a look at advertising to finance software, perspectives on East-West relations in economics and information, and evaluation of information systems. Topics include research on information systems, knowledge on Eastern European information services, GDR information institutes, local databases, GDR databases, CMEA directions, and theoretical propositions. The manuscript reviews software reuse, software methodology in the harsh light of economics, quantitative aspects of software maintenance management, and calibrating a software cost-estimation model. Concerns cover the need for calibration, measuring maintainability, prognosis of maintenance effort, object-oriented programming, metaprogramming, and software quality and reuse. The text is a dependable reference for computer science experts and researchers wanting to explore further the economics of information systems and software.