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Deluxe/Pro versions: Good or Bad?

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Sentinel:
I understand your sentiment and can also confirm that many software companies do indeed have a conscience and would (do) provide software for free if/when they feel it is a just cause (I know of cases where software has been provided to the UN and humanitarian agencies for exactly this reason - think tsunami).  At the same time, software companies will make pennies from the lite versions of their product and can only hope to spread it so widely as to make enough overall to be worth bothering at all, or to attract enough new customers to the pro version because of the additional features it offers over the lite version they no doubt have only recently discovered, via bundling etc.  I do agree that there are many disparities in current software licenses which I can only hope are ironed out over time, yet I strongly believe that a good product is always worth its price to an interested party.

Think about CD burning software here.  With every $40 DVD burner sold a software writing solution is bundled with it.  For most end users (think your parents here) who just want to burn the occasional documents or digital camera pictures the bundled solution is perfect.  The software company get an almost incalculably small sum from each sale but hope to make it up on the bulk of sales.  For techies who want to make their own Boot DVDs, Video DVDs, AAC/MPEG4/MP3Pro/Ogg DVDs etc. etc. the bundled solution is not suitable and the pro version is worth every penny for these additional features and perhaps a small discount to trade up from one license to another benefits everyone.

mouser:
i should make something else clear -
i have been very pleasently surprised by how many companies have given me very reduced prices or even free licenses for programming components that i have used in my software - without such discounts and free licenses i would not have been able to produce some of the programs i have.  to those companies i have great respect and appreciation.

also i need to make clear the problem is not just with the company - it is a combined problem with company and consumers.
there is no solution unless consumers would be willing to pay fair amount for software and pay according to what ehy could afford.  if consumers are always trying to find ways to avoid paying anything, then there is no solution.

so i'm not blaming the companies as much as a i am saddened by the system as a whole.
i'd just like to find a better way, but it requires a reasonable sized base of producers and consumers willing to support each other, and it requires a change in goals - if the goal is to make the most money possible - if greed runs the show, then it won't work.  if the object is to make a reasonable living doing something you love, then there is a better way.

Sentinel:
It seems we both agree completely.

mouser:
a word of advice to people who do not have an abundance of money: write to the companies/authors selling the program you like.
explain your situation whatever it may be.  tell them you love their program, you want to pay for it, but you can't afford the full price, etc. be honest, be real, be friendly.  tell them what you want to use it for and why, etc.  especially if you want to use it for a good purpose.

you'd be surprised at how many companies have real people working for them that are supportive of such things.
and you'll probably also find yourself being able to identify companies that are good vs. bad in terms of responding to users, caring about their users, etc. and you'll get at the minimum some idea of whether there are real humans that answer emails at the company.

jpfx:
Although my thoughts were a little bit 'tongue in cheek' I would like to add that I feel there are a lot of software companies that are not the least bit interested in providing fair value for money.
Although off-topic I would also say that the companies that are moving towards subscription based pricing models are on the top of my shit-list too.

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