Microsoft Indonesia will held ISV Innovation Day. It's a good event where Indonesia ISVs can show case their products. It is clear that Intimedia is not participating in this event as Intimedia is NOT an ISV. Intimedia is a Custom Solution Developer. But I'm not going to talk about Intimedia, I'm going to talk about "ISV".
So, what is an ISV? You can do a web search on the term but mostly the idea is all about company that makes and sells software, a specific software for a specific user (niche market) and the software runs on one or more Operating System / Platforms. Currently, people thinks that ISV ships software (IN THE BOX or downloadable) and the software is TO BE INSTALLED on their machine (or servers). In short, the software targets certain Operating System as a Platform.
To me, this is a a narrow minded understanding about the term "Independent Software Vendor". Especially, now where the Web can be seen as a platofrm. I'd like to propose we redefine the term ISV (and the way we define "platform" in general). So, companies that create Software As A Service or uses the Web as the Platform (instead of OS) should be called ISV too.
There are many ISVs that creates CRM software (even Microsoft do this), but what about the creator of www.salesforce.com?
My point is, we as a Developer should start to think that WEB IS A PLATFORM. So that we create new breeds of Software that targets this ultimate platform. Familiar with Word, Excel, Open Office, Star Office, etc? Well, meet Google Docs & Spreadsheet!
These new breed of applications make Client OS (including Windows) irrelevant. Microsoft won the 80s & 90s cos they "won" the platform war, but Google may rule now and in the future as they lead in the "new platform". Microsoft is now just playing catching up. Ray Ozzie that will step up as "geek no 1" (after Bill G stepping down) is in charge to "Webify" Microsoft products, right? It means Microsoft too agreed that Web is the "new platform"... (But they still have to sell Windows, though. That is why I feel there is a tension between the two).
So, why are we all just focusing on building software in the box (that target desktop OS as platform)? Let's also brainstorm for apps that uses Web (Internet) as the platform.
Back to ISV thing again... (I gotta consistent with the post title), Software Companies that create Software As A Service on the web (internet) are also ISVs!