Say I think I have a good idea for software that I want to develop to sell, but I don't know any programming. Would it be reasonable to hire that work out? Or would my lack of programming knowledge create too many problems for it to be worthwhile? Are there people who have profitably done this before? I ask because as far as I've seen the people who are selling software are usually the one's who designed it, or at least are programmers themselves.

My second question is, is there anything to stop people from copying your idea and selling their own version? I'm guessing there's not, and you just need to try to develop your program from the beginning to be better than any future competitors. But what if your software idea isn't all that complex and easily replicated? Can simple programs make profit?

I'm currently nearing the end of the process of outsourcing the development of an idea because I have almost no development skills myself; however, I outsourced to a large city less than 2 hours away where face-to-face meetings aren't that difficult to accomplish on an almost immediate basis. I initially considered outsourcing overseas to save money, but did my homework and am very glad I didn't.

Most, if not all, unpatentable ideas/business models can be copied, so it's essentially up to proper execution. I'm focusing on proper execution and letting my development team do the rest.

Software development is very expensive. Unless you have experience outsourcing there is a good chance you're going to get abused. As x2c said your idea will get copied if its any good - its just a matter of time. Great execution and a product that constantly gets better are your best weapons against that

I had some custom applications developed by Russians thru elance for a pretty small sum and they work fine. My American software dev friends all estimated it would cost like 25x as much.

I have very limited coding skills and what's always been the stumbling block for outsourcing application development or website dev for me has been writing specifications and explaining exactly what I want, especially to Indians and Pakistanis who seem to give me the bare minimum of what I ask for without taking any initiative in the process.

I'd also suggest to use Latin Americans for design/art/logos. Russians for code. Indians/Pakistanis for cobbling together websites for super cheap.

Here are two things to look out for:
1. You have to write the specifications out in detail. Most people who write specs don't seriously think out the functions they want. So, you end up with huge gaps in or unrealistic requirements. Draw out the screens that you want. Describe in detail how the data should flow through the app. When you think you have described the app well and written out every detail, go back and add more detail.

2. Very frequently, you get exactly what you tell them you want regardless of how stupid it is. This makes #1 especially important.