We stand on the brink of a fundamental shift in the software world. The concept of Software as a Service, which dominated the market for the past decade, is slowly beginning to falter. Not because of new competition or better alternatives - but because the very idea of paying for generic solutions is losing its meaning.

This was supposed to happen twice in the 1980s, first with "fourth gen" languages, and I forget what the other fad was called. Things like "business objects" were supposed to do this in the 2000s. I'll believe it when I see it.