DonationCoder.com Software > Circle Dock
Change of Licensing from Version 2 (Cancelled)
Markham:
I really feel for the software developers who try to offer good freeware. Especially since joining this forum and getting to know developers, I really value the work you guys (and gals!) do. I have no problem happily paying for good software. I've never understood how freeware authors can sustain the development of their programs without charging for it. I'm not a programmer, but I know that it's too much work to not get paid for it. i don't understand that at all.
I wish mouser would take my money for his software that I use every single day. I wish some of you guys would charge $20 or so for your stuff. It just doesn't make any sense to me any other way. People in this world are getting paid a lot of money for doing a lot less.
I have a hard time understanding how the freeware model can sustain itself. I can't justify working that hard, putting out a quality product, giving up hours of your life that you can be getting paid for doing other work...and in the end just get by on donations. If people can get it for free, they will. There's no way around that. You have to force them to pay, even if they are like me and they will pay graciously.
I understand that you want to be charitable and offer free stuff for everyone out there, out of the goodness of your hearts. But it frustrates me because I don't want the situation being described here to happen. I don't want the developers to feel like they are not being appreciated or feel frustrated. I want you guys getting money for this work, it's good work. You need to get rewarded financially for this stuff. There's so much crappy software out there that people are paying for, you can't do it for free. I feel like those other developers are laughing at you. They do shit and get paid, you guys work hard and produce awesome software, and you only get a few little donations. Please make us pay you!
Anyway, I really feel for you all. I love software. I love these little tools that make my life so much easier. I love it a lot. The service you guys provide is something I always will appreciate.
-superboyac (August 04, 2010, 12:56 PM)
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Thank you!
I don't believe the freeware model can survive in the medium to long term. Things in life tend to go in cycles. First there was only commercial software, then came along "shareware" and "try before you buy", then "freeware" and finally "postcardware" and "donationware". Releasing your stuff as freeware is all very well if the program is small and easy to maintain. Circle Dock's source code is now running into hundreds of thousands of lines split between 30 or so modules. It is neither small nor, given its shere size, that easy to maintain. But it's far easier for me to maintain that code now than when I first became involved with it almost a year ago.
I know many people are sick of paying high prices for software that doesn't work as documented - and even sicker when they find out that they have to pay an upgrade charge for the next version that fixes some of the bugs - but inevitably introduces new ones. And I do have a particular software company in mind! However many of those same people seem to expect that authors who do not charge for their software to be held accountable to the same degree as commercial developers. There have been several occasions where a user has reported a bug, I fix it and reply that the fix will be included in the next release and for them to almost demand to know when that release will be made - as if I must make releases available as soon as each bug is fixed or each new feature added!
The Register, an online computer industry daily newspaper, has coined a term for such users; I will leave it to your research to discover what that term is, if you don't already know.
My advice to any author is think very carefully before releasing any software with a GPL (or similar) license. If in doubt, don't!
Mark
wraith808:
Um, you'd also have to offer sourcecode for YOUR binary build (aka latest circle dock!)
That's how it works, unfortunately. It was kind of expected, tho.
-scancode (August 04, 2010, 02:24 PM)
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Not if he stops working on it and removes it from the market. And also not if he removes all GPL code from any new build of CD that he does.
app103:
Um, you'd also have to offer sourcecode for YOUR binary build (aka latest circle dock!)
That's how it works, unfortunately. It was kind of expected, tho.
-scancode (August 04, 2010, 02:24 PM)
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Not if he stops working on it and removes it from the market. And also not if he removes all GPL code from any new build of CD that he does.
-wraith808 (August 04, 2010, 02:52 PM)
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I just downloaded the latest version. Am I not entitled to the source? It is not posted anywhere on the site.
scancode:
Um, you'd also have to offer sourcecode for YOUR binary build (aka latest circle dock!)
That's how it works, unfortunately. It was kind of expected, tho.
-scancode (August 04, 2010, 02:24 PM)
--- End quote ---
Not if he stops working on it and removes it from the market. And also not if he removes all GPL code from any new build of CD that he does.
-wraith808 (August 04, 2010, 02:52 PM)
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I just downloaded the latest version. Am I not entitled to the source? It is not posted anywhere on the site.
-app103 (August 04, 2010, 02:56 PM)
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+1
wraith808:
So he's in violation and has to stop distributing it, by what the license says. /me shrugs
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