W0139

Crystallographic Software – A Bleak Future? David Watkin & Richard Cooper, Chemical Crystallography Laboratory, Univ. of Oxford, Oxford, England.

Traditionally, crystallographic software has been developed in the 'public domain', and distributed freely. The maintenance has been done by the authors, at their institutions expense. Many of the authors of significant programs are now approaching retirement. Many institutions are being forced to make harsh cost-analyses. The world is changing and there are issues to be faced.

Is software moving towards 'the best possible', or 'the lowest acceptable' level?

Is there a problem emerging, or will 'cultural evolution' ensure survival of the best?

Is there a risk of us loosing 'software diversity'?

How can Crystallographic Software be financed and maintained?

Who should 'own' academic software, and what provisions can be made for its maintenance?

What role can government and charitable institutions play in software projects?

Is there a future for academic software?

Is it worth preserving legacy software, and if so, who should pay?

What can companies do with software which becomes unprofitable?

This list is not comprehensive - there is no strategy evolving which can optimise the needs of funding agencies, educational and government research, commercial enterprises and individuals. The role of computers in research is now inescapable, but there is no good model to explain who is going to pay for the software we all need.