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General Software Discussion / Re: For Developers: Do Donations Make a Difference?

« on: September 05, 2005, 12:25 PM »

(1) Do donations from users make you want to work on pay more attention to a program, or not?

-zridling (September 04, 2005, 01:24 AM)

I started writing all my application as freeware applications.  As time went on I realized I was putting in way too much time on my applications and not enough time on the consulting business.  I needed something to justify the time I was putting in to developing these free applications. 

I started by converting a couple of the applications to Shareware and one application to Donationware.  The money brought in by these applications nowhere justifies the time I spend on them so I fall back to the real reason I created them - the love of creating applications that people enjoy using.

What drives me now is emails saying how much they like my applications, a postcard here and there, an occasional donation / reg fee.  Most of all its the thank you emails.

(2) If you get few or no donations, do you discontinue the program's development, no matter how good it is?

-zridling (September 04, 2005, 01:24 AM)

Never.  This is the problem I am running into now with some under performing shareware applications.  Like my Seeker application which I feel is a good solid application that is not making it as a shareware application - now do I go back into development and add all the ideas I have for the next release..

My mind is saying if people aren't going to pay the shareware costs I may as well give it out for free (or donation with no reg key required) and get some glory from it.  This is where I am now, considering changing the shareware applications back to freeware / donationware..

I wish there was a way to get good applications to people that can't afford the costs while still making something for the developers to help defray the costs of development.