Software Agreements Line by Line: A Detailed Look at Software Contracts and Licenses & How to Change Them to Fit Your Needs

Rating:
Summary: The Book to Read on Software Contracts
Review: Having worked on hundreds of software contracts - from both a vendor and customer standpoint, I can honestly say this book would have made my life 100x easier throughout the years. I can not stress enough how valuable the content is in this book for anyone signing, or composing, a software contract. I guarantee this book will become "the industry standard" on the subject.

Rating:
Summary: A Must-Read for Attorneys
Review: I am a practicing attorney and I found this book extremely useful. Thanks to the authors for writing it.

Rating:
Summary: Thorough and on target
Review: If you develop or evaluate RFPs, acquire software, or even are involved in contracting for services this book is an essential resource. I'll be frank about the readability - it's tough to plow through this book. The authors are terse and the writing style dense. However, when you consider a typical license agreement, contract terms and conditions and the stilted language associated with them, if you cannot deal with the writing style in this book you'll probably find contract and license evaluation ponderous as well.

I like the way this book presents information and advice by starting with a typical vendor agreement, then leading you through it, line-by-line as the title implies, and explaining the implications. It also shows how to modify each term or condition.

Another area I like is the chapter on software specifications and acceptance testing. I've worked with one client after another which licensed expensive software (in some cases to the tune of over a million dollars), or application services, without performing acceptance testing. The advice on this critical part of licensing is solid and should be carefully heeded. The chapter on maintenance and support covers another area that is too often overlooked in the acquisition process, and one that will almost certainly be important after the contract is signed. Again, carefully consider the advice in this chapter because it addresses a critical area. One final aspect of this book I like is Appendix A, which cross-references this book's chapters to vendor licensing provisions. This makes this book easy to use when evaluating licenses and contracts.

Take the time to read this book, then apply it to real world contracting and licensing and you will find yourself referring to it often.

Rating:
Summary: Thorough and on target
Review: If you develop or evaluate RFPs, acquire software, or even are involved in contracting for services this book is an essential resource. I'll be frank about the readability - it's tough to plow through this book. The authors are terse and the writing style dense. However, when you consider a typical license agreement, contract terms and conditions and the stilted language associated with them, if you cannot deal with the writing style in this book you'll probably find contract and license evaluation ponderous as well.

I like the way this book presents information and advice by starting with a typical vendor agreement, then leading you through it, line-by-line as the title implies, and explaining the implications. It also shows how to modify each term or condition.

Another area I like is the chapter on software specifications and acceptance testing. I've worked with one client after another which licensed expensive software (in some cases to the tune of over a million dollars), or application services, without performing acceptance testing. The advice on this critical part of licensing is solid and should be carefully heeded. The chapter on maintenance and support covers another area that is too often overlooked in the acquisition process, and one that will almost certainly be important after the contract is signed. Again, carefully consider the advice in this chapter because it addresses a critical area. One final aspect of this book I like is Appendix A, which cross-references this book's chapters to vendor licensing provisions. This makes this book easy to use when evaluating licenses and contracts.

Take the time to read this book, then apply it to real world contracting and licensing and you will find yourself referring to it often.

Rating:
Summary: Great Content
Review: Pros: Must read for software managers
It is definitely one of the best descriptions for software agreement that I could find. I would rate the content at 5 stars.

Cons: The quality of the paper and the print is extremely low.
The book is about 120 pages printed on "yellow" paper with relatively small font. You have the feeling that the printer that printed the book was running out of ink. When you open the book it is difficult to read in the middle. It looks more like a novel than a computer book...