[b2m9]

> Other reason, they are gaining money mainly because there are enough fools around running big corps, who can conveniently pass the buck if something goes wrong.

Well, this can be said for any big business software company. It's the same story with SAP, IBM and friends. Business software is simply not about spending money well.

[strictnein]

Business software is about regulatory compliance. That is the baked in value that these behemoths offer.

[AndyNemmity]

People say that a lot, but I work with customers all the time who are very happy with their solutions. I don't disagree that some people hate them, or hate this or that ui, but I can think to many companies/interactions with people that love the products.

That's never really expressed places like here. It's just "not spending money well", when I think there are legitimate positives to a lot of business software.

[b2m9]

I don't claim that I know the ultimate truth, but I worked for many years for one of those big business software companies. But from my experience, only the people who don't have to interact with such products in any form like it. (Who are often also making the decision to purchase it)

It happened only a few times that users of such products (analysts, admins, support, devs, ...) told me that they like this or that. And I still remember each one of those guys and girls. (Weren't that many)

I know what those companies charge for their software and maintenance. I've been involved in the development of those products for a couple of years. And my very personal opinion is: they're not worth their money. No matter what a customer tells the press how much easier their business is after purchasing product X from company Y.

As I said, it's my personal opinion on that matter.

[TeMPOraL]

Big companies are often are complicated mess, and I can emphasize with desire to simplify and streamline operation. There's some benefit with setting your infrastructure in such a way that there's a known party you can pay to fix things quickly, and that you can sue if they can't.

[AndyNemmity]

Often they also like to stay understaffed in IT, so having consistent vendors, and similar systems allows them to keep just a few guys around that have any clue how it works, and supplement with consultants and vendor support.