Demosthenes, the legendary 4th Century B.C. Athenian orator and teacher, didn't know much about Java, or even JavaScript. But he did have wisdom that we in the software business can learn from.

Somebody once asked Demosthenes what he thought were the three most important parts of public speaking. His answer: "Delivery, delivery, delivery."

In Demosthenes' day, public speaking was a lot like the Internet: the latest, coolest medium for communicating and learning. There were regular oratory demonstrations and contests, and orators fueled the intellectual flames of Athenian society.

Were Demosthenes alive today, it's possible that he'd be running one of the cool web companies instead of delivering speeches from the steps of the Acropolis. And, were he asked to name the three most important parts of the software business, he might answer, "Distribution, distribution, distribution."

Why am I talking about distribution -- a marketing term if there ever was one -- in a technical forum like View Source? For two reasons. First, without wide distribution, the most innovative, easiest-to-use, most carefully designed and coded software doesn't stand a chance in the market. No matter how much you like your software, chances are customers are not going to come to you to get it (unless, of course, it's an applet that manufactures money). You have to get it out there to make it easy for people to find it and buy it.

Second, I want to be sure you know about a new, highly visible outlet for distributing your Netscape ONE software products: Software Depot from Netscape and software.net. Software Depot is a unique online software store -- open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year -- linked directly to the Netscape Home page. It has the following main purposes, both of which I think can help your business:
 

• If you're a DevEdge Community, Gold, or Application Builder program member, Software Depot gives you an efficient way to reach a large, highly qualified audience with your Netscape ONE products. (The Netscape Home page receives over 4 million page views a day, on average.)
• It's a comprehensive source for tools, components, and other software you need to do your development work.

When Netscape kicked off Software Depot, it's main goal was to give its developer partners -- large and small --  an inexpensive way to sell software products, one that wouldn't require you to follow the expensive, often tortuous path it takes to get your products into more traditional channels. Netscape wants to make it easy for you to sell your products, so you can focus on the important work of developing innovative Internet software.

Briefly, here's how it works: Once you're a DevEdge member, it costs you $500 to list up to 10 products in the depot catalog; Software Depot reviews the products to be sure they work with the Netscape ONE plaftorm. Once your product is accepted, you provide the artwork, description of your products, and the software itself. Software Depot -- actually, software.net, the reseller for the depot -- handles the rest for a 35 percent royalty from each product sold. They provide encryption, accept and fulfill both credit card and purchase order-based orders, and all the other details of maintaining an online software store, including giving you the names and addresses of your product's customers. For additional fees, Software Depot lets you offer customers a "try-before-you-buy" version of your software.

Approximately 200 DevEdge members currently offer products through Software Depot, which brings me to its other main purpose: to give you an online source of all the tools and software you need to develop great Netscape ONE products and great web sites. Check out the Web Builder section of the store for a growing list of tools and components. You can order them any time you need them and have them delivered to you securely and quickly.

By using Software Depot, you can make money by selling your products, and you can save money by finding the right tools. You also help extend the Netscape ONE platform by being sure that customers know about your product.

We now return you to our normally scheduled technical content.

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Related Readings:

• Frequently Asked Questions: Find the answers to your questions on Internet technologies.
• Documentation: A library of technical information.
• Developer Central: Collections of developer resources organized by Internet technology areas.

Any sample code included above is provided for your use on an "AS IS" basis, under the Netscape License Agreement - Terms of Use