OSX for the rest of us
You guys know I'm something of an operating system slut. I like to get in and root around on an OS. See what I can see. Break what I can break. Try on the culture and the paradigm and see how it fits.
One thing that happens on OSX that doesn't seem to happen as much in the Windows and Linux worlds is "Shareware."Now, before you start harping on just how wrong I am in this regard, let me ask you this: Most of my favorite aps on Windows are free. Most of my favorite aps on Linux are free. Most of my favorite Aps in OSX are about $25.
So far, I've not found a single one that I would pay for. Fetch is close, but frankly,I can put up with the non-OSX-y kluge of Filezilla for my limited SFTP needs. A lot of the other "Shareware" aps that I've used on OSX would be better served behaving as "donor wear" rather than "trial" software. I'll never, ever, ever, buy WriteRoom, as much as I like it. Never. Sorry Writeroom guys. I just don't need a distraction free text editor more than I need a nice lunch once in a while.
Of course, if the Writeroom guys let me use Writeroom for free, forever, one day I might just happen upon a benevolent, giving mood and end up sending them five bucks. By locking me out at the end of a 30-day trial, that's never going to happen.
Another example: Blogging client Ecto. If Ecto was free, I'd sing it's praises, but as it is today, it's not the app I'm willing to throw $25 toward. (Apologies to Mike. I'll happily state here, for the record, that Ecto's problems are _not_ its icon.)
I suggest that the pervasive nickel-and-diming of the OSX user base is just part of why OSX users have the stigma they have. The thought seems to be: if you can afford to pay extra for "The Apple User Experience" it seems reasonable that you'll pay for "The Writeroom" user experience. You OSXers gots to be more spendthrifty. It'll make everything better for all of us.
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If I don't charge for my work how do I make a living? Donation ware is a nice idea, I've tried it, and it wasn't sustainable for me. Shareware on the other hand does allow me to make a living and work full time developing new apps for your Mac. It's fine if you say my programs are not worth what I charge, but saying that it's wrong for me to charge anything is a bit unfair don't you think?
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Submitted by Jesse Grosjean (not verified) on Wed, 03/12/2008 - 06:38.Wow!
Thanks for your comments Writeroom Guy. I love that the internet makes this kind of conversation possible. If I was just badmouthing your software with my friends at the bar, you'd never be the wiser and no one would ever call me out.
I'm not saying it's wrong for you to charge for your software. I'm saying that locking me out of using your software by implementing a $25 fee is a good way to keep me from using it. This is a short-sighted business plan.
By preventing me from using Writeroom over an arbitrary $25, you'll _never_ converting me to a paying user, ever. But if you gave me your software for free, your business and I might establish a relationship. And I might decide to hire you to write a custom peice of software for my little company. Or I might decide to buy an "Enterprise" edition of Writeroom. Or I might put Writeroom on all the computers in my classroom and one of those kids might learn to love it and have his dad buy it for him. You close all those doors of possibility when you cripple Writeroom after 30 days.
By all means, charge me for _a better_ version of Writeroom. (Notice I did't say _remove functionality from Writeroom.) I'm saying make it worth my $25 to buy a -better- version of writeroom.
I think, more than anything, what I'm saying is that perhaps the "Shareware" model works so well in OSX-land is becuae OSX-users typically have larger amounts of disposable cash. A fool and his money and all that claptrap.
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Submitted by heygabe on Wed, 03/12/2008 - 20:19.