I actually have two questions:
- the first concerns ASP (application service providers) vs SaaS (software as a service providers), what is this opposition about? Are blog, forum and CMS hosting providers are ASP hosting providers?
Who are SaaS hosting providers then?

-the second is about the word application itself, are blogs, forums, cms scripts or applications?

What exactly are you going to host? Or you are looking to learn about that only?

My question is purely theoretical, I'm a content writer, hosting is one of the topics I'm interested in, so this is the best place to get oriented.

I might be wrong.. but aren't ASP's and SaaS essentially the same thing? Web Applications sold in a subscription model.

These are also more business models than anything else, I don't believe you'd need a specific kind of host for them as much as you'd need a specific kind of payment processor.

Russel, ASP and SaaS seem to be opposite things, at least in this context

The traditional Application Service Provider - ASP Model is overrun by the upcoming Software as a service SaaS Model. Whether it is a deployment, upgrade or maintenence project - the onshore offshore model present in leading indian software companies were growing with a lot of money inflow as a result of ASP model. But In the present scenario, the companies like salesforce, workday are providing the software on demand services with client specific customizations based on the SAAS model also. In SaaS the customer pays for the services offered by the company/vendor and the cost involved in maintaining the application in their inhouse is not necessary.

http://blogs.hexaware.com/pitstop/20...ation-ser.html

But I seem to have worked it all out: SaaS refers to software providers, not to hostong providers.

Originally Posted by timbre

Russel, ASP and SaaS seem to be opposite things, at least in this context

http://blogs.hexaware.com/pitstop/20...ation-ser.html

But I seem to have worked it all out: SaaS refers to software providers, not to hostong providers.

I'm sure you're right, but I'm still a little fuzzy on this..

Would an ASP be a downloadable piece of software with a licensing scheme that requires recurring payments then, or some kind of time limited license?

And An SaaS would be a web application with a recurring fee, like Salesforce, used in the example in the blog?

Originally Posted by ECSuite_Russell

... or some kind of time limited license?

I don't think it's a time limited license. As far as I know it requires recurrent payment.