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What does it mean when I say "successful freeware"?
vlastimil:
;D It seems like being freeware author sucks :tellme:
People expect free software because copying is so cheap, we have to deal with it. There seems to be two ways. Freeware that the author made and forgot about and freeware that is maintained and nursed. The former is OK without donations, the later not.
vlastimil:
It's a simple matter of being honest.
Always the best policy with yourself and others. :)
-40hz (February 14, 2011, 07:29 AM)
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True. I may actually do that - I mean explaining why it is this particular piece of software "free" and how does it fit in the whole scheme. I always thought it was obvious, but obviously ;), it was not.
40hz:
I always thought it was obvious...
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The U.S. Marine Corps have a rule of thumb for how to give instruction.
In the immortal (and likely apocryphal) words of the boot camp Drill Instructor:
- First ya tells 'em what yer gonna tell 'em.
- Then ya tells 'em.
- Then ya tells 'em what ya just told 'em.
Must work. Some of those "jarheads" learn how to fly jet planes. ;D
mouser:
40hz's post that started with "Does anybody else see the problem here?" is one of the best things i've read in a while. :up:
Really well put -- I think that should go up somewhere more permanent where others can read it. I'll post it to the blog.
[The only tiny quibble i might have is the advice to stop calling software offered for a motive "freeware". There are very heated debates about the term freeware, and my general feeling is that motivation is not a good way to determine whether something is freeware or not. My personal view is that it really comes down to whether you are offering something fully functional that can be used permanently without "punishment", financial cost, or undue annoyance, like being forced to endure ads or similar unwanted things).
[EDIT: I guess i also have a quibble with the second part of this: "If you want to get paid - say so. And require it. "
I believe strongly in the concept of encouraging voluntary payments for digital goods (e.g. Donationware).
But i do think the key is being honest and up front and letting people know what you expect and want from them, and not trying to make money off your software in ways that aren't transparent to users.]
Renegade:
There's a difference between freeware and software that's being given away for free but with an agenda or motive behind it.
That's why it's important to insist on the distinction. Otherwise, the end-user feels they're being set-up; and the programmer feels resentful and unappreciated.
If you really want to give something away for free, then just give it away.
If you hope or expect to get something back in return, then be precise and upfront about it. And also stop calling your program 'freeware.'
-40hz (February 14, 2011, 07:29 AM)
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I think you're splitting hairs a bit. I can't see some company not calling a free version of their software "freeware" simply because they don't say that they want you to buy the full/pro version.
If it doesn't cost anything and has no strings attached, I'd call it freeware. I'd even call it freeware with some strings attached. e.g. Signing up at a site, etc.
Is mouser's software not freeware because you have to get a free license? I wouldn't say so.
Quite often the "agenda" isn't anything more than simply wanting to be able to continue writing software and giving it away for free.
Except for software...
-Renegade (February 14, 2011, 07:19 AM)
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And music...
And movies...
And books...
And...pretty much anything that can be distributed electronically.
Hmmm...
Do we detect a pattern here? :huh:
-40hz (February 14, 2011, 07:34 AM)
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I wouldn't say books (yet). But yeah... there's a pattern.
**********
It seems like there's a tone in this thread that if you try to write software and give it away for free but still make some money somewhere along the line, then you're doing something wrong or scummy.
I can't see anything wrong with trying to give software away for free and at the same time trying to make a living off of it.
Should we demand that all wait-staff in restaurants stop getting paid because the warm fuzzy feelings that they get from serving people should be enough? How about police? Firemen? Nurses? etc. etc. etc.
People keep posting too fast...
It's a simple matter of being honest.
Always the best policy with yourself and others. :)
-40hz (February 14, 2011, 07:29 AM)
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True. I may actually do that - I mean explaining why it is this particular piece of software "free" and how does it fit in the whole scheme. I always thought it was obvious, but obviously ;), it was not.
-vlastimil (February 14, 2011, 07:42 AM)
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I can't see why/how not telling people "why" software is free makes you dishonest.
There are some pretty sinister implications there. What are the underlying assumptions?
The site I'm working on goes at length to explain why the software is free, but on other sites, I never mention it at all. Does that make me dishonest?
Here's an example:
http://renegademinds.com/Products/DuplicatePhotoFinder/tabid/122/Default.aspx
There's no mention at all about why I give it away for free. None.
Does that make it not freeware because I've not confessed my motives, which must be dishonest and sinister because I've not disclosed them all...
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