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.

Transcript

1. CARDSTACK V30 CHRIS TSE Founding Director Cardstack Project chris.tse@cardstack.com @christse The Evolution of Software Distribution (1995–2025) JUNE 2020 – TECH TALK
2. Software Code Software User
3. Software Code Software User DISTRIBUTION
4. P Q R S T Software Code Software User
5. 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
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 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 DESKTOP ERA
8. 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
9. 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
10. 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
11. 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
12. 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
13. 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
14. 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
15. 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
16. 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
17. 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
18. 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
19. 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
20. 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
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) “NO SOFTWARE” Hosted Servers
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) Discover, subscribe to, and use app “NO SOFTWARE” Hosted Servers
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 “THERE’S AN APP FOR THAT” Hosted Servers Modules
24. 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
25. 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
26. 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
27. 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
28. 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
29. 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
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 App Bundle
31. 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
32. 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
33. 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%
34. 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
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
36. 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
37. 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
38. 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
39. 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-
40. 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-
41. Software-as-a- ool T Any User Any Resource Any Cloud Any Module
42. Software-as-a- ool T Any User Any Resource Any Cloud Any Module ACCESS HOST DEPLOY
43. Software-as-a- ool T Any User Any Resource Any Cloud Any Module ACCESS HOST DEPLOY Personal Data Securely Store
44. Software-as-a- ool T Any User Any Resource Any Cloud Any Module ACCESS HOST DEPLOY Personal Data Securely Store Personal Data Continuously Sync
45. Software-as-a- ool T Any User Any Resource Any Module ACCESS HOST DEPLOY Personal Data
46. HOST DEPLOY Software-as-a- ool T Any User Any Resource Any Cloud Any Module ACCESS Personal Data
47. HOST DEPLOY Software-as-a- ool T Any User Any Resource Any Cloud Any Module ACCESS Personal Data Personal Data Continuously Sync
48. HOST DEPLOY Software-as-a- ool T Any User Any Resource Any Cloud Any Module ACCESS Personal Data Securely Serve Personal Data Continuously Sync
49. 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
50. 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
51. 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
52. 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
53. 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
54. 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
55. “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
56. 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
57. 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 USERS DEVELOPERS
58. 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
59. CARDSTACK © 2020 CARDSTACK FOUNDATION. CARDSTACK® IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK.