"Vaporware," loosely defined, is software that's been announced, but isn't actually on the market. There was a time when Microsoft could pre-announce a product--which, by pure lily-white coincidence, had just successfully been released or announced by a competitor--and put the competitor out of of the market. If not entirely out of business.
Microsoft doesn't get away with that any longer, of course, but that hasn't discouraged other software companies, particularly those in "gold rush" market niches, from trying the same tactic.
The precise distinction between pre-announcement vs. vaporware is up for debate, of course. You could make a case for any of the following points in the software's 1.0 life-cycle:
- When it's still in beta-testing
- When it's still pre-alpha
- During its design phase
- After it's written--preferably in blood and/or stone--into the budget for a future fiscal year
- When it's been more or less promised to a strategically-critical client, and sooner than later
- When the Powers That Be conclude that it could be a profitable venture
- When a competitor looks like they've already thought of it
Now, I'm not much for "slippery slope" arguments myself--not least of which because really and pig-ignorant and pig-illogical Nazi Germany analogies tend to be at the bottom of those arguments. But there is a distinct continuum or spectrum to the the notion of vaporware, as demonstrated above.
I do believe, too, that--regardless of which end of the spectrum it's on--vaporware is an admission of insecurity and me-too-ism. If your idea's been scooped, you're probably better off taking enough time to get it right, keeping your mouth shut, and coming out of nowhere with something that show just how much the original product sucks. Because, by that time, the original "crazy idea" turns out to be not-so-crazy after all. (That whole "second mouse gets the cheese" thing, y'know...)
Only a purist wants to be known as "the Carl Perkins of x," whatever "x" may be. I think I can safely say that the rest of us would be perfectly happy to be hailed as The King, baby.
