http://www.accountingweb.co.uk/item/199620

I posted the following comment on accounting web as part of the discussion linked to above. Sums up the way we look at online software. Basically, it has to be for the benefit of the end user.

Clarity is needed
I agree with this comment - “in the end who cares?”. Perhaps we as software developers get too hung up on jargon and technical terms sometimes when we should be concentrating on the impact it has on the end user. Whether it’s called SaaS or on-demand software has no bearing on the decision making process.

As Mark says, people don’t value software based on the underlying technology. (Or most people at any rate.) What they want is ease of use, utility, cost effectiveness etc etc. It could be made of string and tin cans - if it offered these benefits it matters not a jot.

However, in the same way that you need not understand exactly what Bhp means to buy a car, you don’t need to know what SaaS means, only what it can do for you and your business, surely it helps.

For this reason, I believe it is important to get the principle of SaaS across to the end user. Web-based software in its currect guise is a new concept that brings many benefits (and perhaps drawbacks too), and explaining it is important.

If two thirds of the professionals in the survey did not know what SaaS was, it needs addressing. The first step should be a common language and clearly defined terms. At a BASDA meeting last week a room full of software developers tried to put their collective fingers on exactly what “Cloud computing” “SaaS” and “on-demand” may mean. We got some way towards it, so there are steps being made.

Which brings me to my point. The software user cares only about the benefits, not the name. However, we as developers have to strive to defined the terms used, to bring clarity and consistency. This is being done, which will allow those 66 or 67% of professionals to make informed decisions based on the benefits of the software, with an understanding of the basic principle but without needing to think in detail about the technicalities of it.

(For the record; I think SaaS is as good a term as any. Says what it does on the tin. On-demand is a separate thing and should be kept that way. Cloud computing should be reserved for the whole area we are looking at - SaaS is a sub-set, along with many other variations.)

Yesterday I attended the inaugural meeting of the BASDA ‘Cloud Computing’ Special Interest Group. It was a very productive session, with a lot of work in the future mapped out.

BASDA is the Business Application Developers Association - Arithmo is an active member. We have a particular interest in the principle of cloud computing because of the way our software works.

Cloud computing is a generic term that has not yet been clearly defined. It generally covers anything to do with online software, but within that definition there are many sub-divisions.

The aim of the BASDA group was to work out how the association can inform its members first of all, then follow that up with clear guidance for the software end users - businesses. The first meeting was to create a route-map for this.

Great news. Arithmo  web based accounting software is now being exclusively included on Pipex, the leading business broadband provider.

This press release on accounting web tells the whole story. Click here to read the press release.

The voting is carrying on for the software satisfaction awards.

I spoke to the team collating the votes and of course they could not give me any details, other than to let me know we are doing ok.

Thanks to everyone who has already voted for our accounts software. However, one thing has arisen, and it would be great if you could vote twice.

We are up for two voted awards and each vote only counts for one category. This means our users need to register twice. This is a bit of a long winded way of doing it, but that’s the way it is.

It’s a bit like the recent elections. We are getting a lot of votes, but they are spread across the two categories.

Arithmo is now included in the pages of MSN money.