Software vending instrument

A software vending instrument comprising a memory for storing a plurality of different software programs, selector switches for selecting a desired program from among the stored programs, a recording device for duplicating the selected program in a recording medium, and a central processing device for retrieving from the memory the desired program when it is selected by the selector switches. The central processing device operates the recording device to duplicate the selected control program in the recording medium. The instrument may further comprise a visual display device on which the selected program is executed during the duplication of the program and/or demonstrated to show the contents of the program before the selected program is duplicated. The memory may include a memory area for storing labelling data used to print labels to identify the programs, and/or sales data representing the number of duplication of each program. The sales data of the program is updated each time the program is duplicated.