Not too long ago, software development was an expensive deal.
Development tools used to cost a lot of money, project management and documentation tools cost money, servers cost money, internal network, telephony, office space etc. etc.
Software development practices, on the other hand, aren't that different - Technology is, but the product cycle is largely the same - scrum and agile like methods exist for 20 years now, they were just called micro management :)
I remember coding in Borland C or early versions of Visual C++ (There was no visual studio back then, just a collection of MS tools), writing documentation in Word, updating my Project file, and using a shared network Novell drive. My computer was running windows 3.11, which was considered the standard OS. And none of that was free.
And that was only money. Setting up your business took time. Buying software (At a store...) gave you a lot of discs. Configuring a company network required a specialist. Installations took forever .(Remember disc 3 out of 14?)
Now all you need to have is a computer. It can run a free version of Linux. And if you don't compile, in could also be a cheap Chromebook. Hell, even if you DO compile, there are SAAS platforms which do that as well.
Servers? Basic SSD hosting would cost you ~60$ per year. Monthly internet access + Router + Cell phone would cost ~50-100$ Monthly. Need linux servers? Get a Pi for 25$. Need a phone to test? Use your own :). The only hardware that's relatively expensive would be if you want to develop iOS app, that would set you a minimum of 600$ for a mac mini and 230$ for an iPod touch... (Plus a 99$ yearly developer subscription...)
And all the rest is free. From task management to development tools to server software and source control, everything is completely free (To a certain scale, of course).
The only thing that's really expensive?
Your time.
Now go and make the most of it!
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