The problem of people wanting software for free is such a hard thing to combat. There's something psychological about software that people don't realize what it takes to make it. Most people would never expect to obtain a physical item for free, and then get mad when they are charged for it, yet they do this with software.
Problem is, people mostly don't pay for free software. Even if they know how hard it is to make it. The free software we have, we got thanks to corporate charity.
I don’t understand when people complain about software that isn’t free. You want it free? Go make it yourself and give it away...oh, you can’t make it yourself? Maybe that’s why it’s not free.
Free software isn't about money, it's about freedom. You value the freedom enough to complain when it's trodden on, but not enough to do the work required to continue to be free.
I don't think there is anything wrong with paying for software. Free software isn't about the price, it's about the liberty,freedom of the software itself.
It's not surprising that people and especially companies are not going out of their way to pay for a free product.
Instead of being hurt by how ungrateful the world is, maybe it would be better to find a way to make the rich pay and let the poor (like me) still get the software for free.
It's not like it's unheard of in the open source world.
Your argument doesn't address the parent's first point, that many customers hesitate or refuse to use free software. By having paid downloads from their main front, they can market to these people, and use them to generate a modest amount of revenue that would otherwise not exist.
A lot of people/companies don't like paying for software. You would be surprised by the amount of straight up pirated software some companies use before they get caught.
It's no surprise that offering your product for free won't make you much money.
Historically, software was free - it was a value-add thrown in to support sales of hardware or developed by universities and licensed to the public. Microsoft was the one who convinced consumers that they oughtta pay for their software, and then Netscape convinced them that they shouldn't.
Anyway, the way to get consumers to shell out for software is to solve a problem that they'd previously been spending money on. Netflix gets away with charging because the alternative was Blockbuster, which was even more expensive. Spotify and Rdio get away with charging because the alternative was buying CDs, which was even more expensive. Uber and Lyft get away with charging because the alternative was taxis or buying a car, which are even more expensive. Solve a problem like rent, taxes, gas, better jobs, Internet, etc. and you'll have a bunch of people happily shelling out money.
So many people don't realise that Free (Libre) software can be sold, and that there exist several ways to monetize Libre software to successfully support creators and Devs.
There is nothing wrong in free software (everyone loves it).. but how can most people expect free software while they pay 3$+ for a single coffee. people are OK to pay for a physical thing, but not software. I ask for extra pay for hours if I worked overtime/weekends, so I am not expecting my company to sell the software for free unless they have a significant income through ads like google or android free games with ads.
I am asking this because , I never understood the concept of (freedom in linux/I hate windows) and at the same time no one complains spending 1.5-2k on a Macbook
reply