Since the original article was about webapps, here's a list of Webapps I pay for:
* task/todo list - in my case hiveminder
* mail/webmail - in my case fastmail
* time/accounts/invoicing - in my case freeagent
* rss reader - at the moment newsblur was blogbridge for a while
* bookmarks/snippets - at the moment diigo but keeping my eyes peeled for something more open
* backup - spideroak
* librarything
I have also paid for livejournal, blipfoto, a mapping site and a few topic content/community sites.

Webapps I would pay for:
* a good calendar that is easy to integrate/link to/access/share - must support setting meetings, capturing what one might want to do, and displaying a public calendar - and sync to phone :S
* a personal address/contact management system that is web and web service aware. Trying Nimble, Gist, Plaxo but none ticks all the right boxes.
* a good aggregator of all-of-me that gathers and saves what might else sink without trace and where I can export and own my content...
* a more clever version of dopplr

My problem with webapps is that so many are a single subject, one trick pony. And whereas I might spend $10-20 on a single trick piece of software that sits on my PC, the efforts one has to make to use a webapp means I am not willing to pay $20+ a year for an app that focuses too narrowly - especially if it doesnt use open formats and standards so I can take my stuff away.

hmm, sounds a lot like codesector.com's audio sliders - although that didnt quite work as smoothly for me as I'd have expected.

I'll go try this, could save me hassle  :Thmbsup:

Anyway to go back to software and people who buy etc. I

a) only use free web apps when I don't care much, since if I care I find something where I can expect accountability (and that usually means either free software self hosted OR paid for services)
b) use quite a lot of freeware small tools for things I only occasionally use
c) if a freeware tool turns out to be used a lot I will donate (if that is possible). I donate to 1 thing a month at least (usually freeware/donationware, rarely web, although I have donated to a fiction site and a poetry magazine)
d) if I need software for a task, i search for shareware (and here on DC) first
e) and I buy software, I tried to make a list for 2011 and it's perhaps a tad shorter than 2010 but not much (think i missed some small tools incl 1 donation here but it gives an idea) http://iphi.net/index.php/iphi/comments/yearly-confession-software-i-bought-2011
f) for games I also often buy indies including pre-ordering games in early development. Think I did that to almost 10 games in 2011, not all of which are yet released. And already 2 in 2012. I can't see why I wouldnt do that for the right kind of software, too!

At the moment I am still looking for many things which I cannot yet find the right solution for - and I will buy :)