Why software isn't free

[Omaroo (Chris Malikoff)]

I saw this ditty on a Mac tech forum. It holds true whether the software some people expect for nearly free is truly worth $3.99, $39.99 or $399.00. I suspect that many people would like this costly resource to be almost given away, and can't understand why it costs what it costs and still assume that software that "costs" is a rip-off. As a software producer, I can agree with the overall sentiment of this clipping. This article cites Apple as a major supplier of discount software (i.e. they sell it for far less than it's normally considered to be worth), but it also reads true for Adobe, Microsoft et al to a degree. Adobe is a little different because they are a software-only house, so discounting high-end software would not generally be good business.

13 Reasons Why Software Is Not Free

Lately it seems more and more evident that the general population expects software to be free or at the very least cheap. This is reinforced when companies like Apple, who make a tremendous income off of their hardware, the iTunes store, and many other revenue streams, heavily discount their software. I’m thinking of the iWork suite in particular. Apple can afford to discount their software because it’s not their main source of income and by doing so they are able to sell more copies and make their computer/iPhone/iPad-buying consumers happier. It also isn’t helped by the re-occurring “dot com boom” theme of putting out products or web services for free, getting investors involved, signing up millions of people, and then only kind of worrying about how to make money. I mean who cares, all it takes is a little annoying advertising to make some money and keep the investors happy, right?

So I thought I would sit down and write to all of those people out there who are buying software for $3.99 and wondering:

Why the hell do I have to pay $3.99 for this software? Shouldn’t it just be free?! WTH?!

This article is for you…

13 reasons why software isn’t free:

1) The majority of software is made by small software shops, usually less than a dozen people. They specialize in creating software and do not have billions in other revenue streams to fall back on.

2) Software is not easy to create — especially not software that people consider easy to use and attractive. It’s a whole heck of a lot of work, in fact.

3) Good software takes somewhere between months and years to create. It’s not something you just whip up in a night like they show you in the movies.

4) Software is created by hard working people… like you. Do you get paid for your work?

5) People who make software have more to do once your purchase has been made. We are here for you when you run into issues by providing a support team to answer questions, walk you through troubleshooting steps, fix bugs, etc.

6) Software teams are constantly working on improving and updating the software to keep up with changing technologies. It’s a continuous process.

7) Not all software developers seek outside investment to fund their projects. In fact, most of us do not. This is not suited for everyone and has many strings attached which often shape the end result.

8) It costs money to put out a software product. We have to spend years creating it, paying people’s salaries, renting office space, purchasing computers, etc. If we want you to actually find out about our product, we often need to spend money to advertise as well.

9) Software is an art and a science. It takes talented people skilled in computer science, engineering, and design, and more to create a quality software product.

10) Not all of us want to show you obnoxious advertising in order to make money, rather than just selling our actual work. Some of us hate obnoxious advertisements. Advertisements are not suitable for all software projects.

11) You pay for your clothes, gadgets, your movie tickets, your lunch, your plane ticket, etc. So why not your software?

12) Without software, your fancy laptop or iPad would be… well… pretty darn useless.

13) We do our best to price software affordably. Just like a sandwich shop owner figures out how much to charge for a sandwich based on the price that adequately covers the cost of ingredients, running the store, and paying their employees. Most of us price our software as reasonably as possible.

Hopefully after reading this, you understand that software does not create itself. It’s made by hard working people just like you. We often work in small teams and we put a lot of time thought, money, and effort into creating it for you. It’s our technological work of art. We’re not perfect, but we do our best. Please think about this article the next time you drop $10 on an app. Thanks!

[Zaps]

One thing I notice more with each passing day/month/year is that the software I consider to be worth the most is free, while the rest is seldom worth the asking price.

Not always, of course; but often enough to be interesting.

[DJDD]

i think similar sentiments would hold true in many industries:
farming, dairy, transport & logistics, manufacturing, retail...

[supernova1965 (Warren)]

The one and only thing that irks me when buying software be it games or Productivity software is that a lot of sellers seem to think that I am only buying the software for as long as the Medium (DVD,CD) lasts lets face it they will not last I have not paid for a piece of pretty looking plastic that makes nice reflections everwhere. I have paid for software that should be available for me to use forever. I know that some software has a yearly fee involved and to be honest I don't buy that software for that reason.

[RickS (Rick)]

Originally Posted by DJDD

i think similar sentiments would hold true in many industries:
farming, dairy, transport & logistics, manufacturing, retail...

The difference is with software (and music or video) is that you can copy it essentially for free.

I'm in the software business too, but for the past decade or two I have been building it into hardware devices. It's easier to ask for money when you have a physical device...

[ballaratdragons (Ken)]

Although I find it very generous and helpful, I often wonder how some guys like Patrick Chevalley and others can spend enormous time on fantastic programs, then give them away!

I quote on Cartes du Ciel creator: "According to the programmer, Patrick Chevalley, it was released as freeware because "I’d rather see amateurs spend their money for a new eyepiece than for astronomy software". Patrick has also created a lunar atlas program, Virtual Moon Atlas, which is also free software".
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cartes_du_Ciel

Ricci from Italy (also a programmer who gives his programs for free) has posted a thread in here and other Astro Forums containing hundreds of totally FREE Astronomy software programs.

[supernova1965 (Warren)]

Originally Posted by RickS

The difference is with software (and music or video) is that you can copy it essentially for free.

I'm in the software business too, but for the past decade or two I have been building it into hardware devices. It's easier to ask for money when you have a physical device...

Actually you can not copy it for free it wont work again through (protection from pirates even though I am not a pirate I pay for my software but I cant make a backup against the enivetable failure of the medium) which goes to my previous post about the medium not lasting you cant make a backup of you purchase and if the medium fails for whatever reason even through natural wear and tear

[Omaroo (Chris Malikoff)]

Originally Posted by ballaratdragons

Although I find it very generous and helpful, I often wonder how some guys like Patrick Chevalley and others can spend enormous time on fantastic programs, then give them away!



Ricci from Italy has posted a thread in here and other Astro Forums containing hundreds of totally FREE Astronomy software programs.

That's usually a passion thing Ken, but it's increasingly becoming a mainstream business model too. Take Mozilla for example. These guys are wanting to change the world. Linus Torvalds (Linux) and plenty of others do it for many reasons - learning, proving that it can be done better, peeing off a competitor, etc. They sometimes capitalise on their effort at later stages after what they've done has become ubiquitous.

[RickS (Rick)]

Originally Posted by supernova1965

Actually you can not copy it for free it wont work again through (protection from pirates even though I am not a pirate I pay for my software but I cant make a backup against the enivetable failure of the medium) which goes to my previous post about the medium not lasting you cant make a backup of you purchase and if the medium fails for whatever reason even through natural wear and tear

You can certainly copy the bits & bytes. Some software does come with licensing which attempts to limit this, but it's not always successful (almost never against a determined and clueful copier). The failure of the medium is rarely an issue these days if you take some simple precautions and make a backup of your license data.

[supernova1965 (Warren)]

Originally Posted by RickS

You can certainly copy the bits & bytes. Some software does come with licensing which attempts to limit this, but it's not always successful (almost never against a determined and clueful copier). The failure of the medium is rarely an issue these days if you take some simple precautions and make a backup of your license data.

Games in particular like SIMCITY 4 will not work from a backup even if you have your license key and I have Ceasar 4 that I can no longer play because the CD has tiny scratches that are unavoidable because you must have the disc in the drive to play the game if you are honest, sure there are cracks out there but that is why they put this protection in the software in the first place. And you can not install these games if your media gets damaged and you can't install from backup media some solution needs to be found for people who wish to reward the makers of software for their hard work but also want to be able to continue to use their purchase without having to crack it with a nocd crack or whatever. Another game which I love to play wont work with Win7 because the protection software is incompatible with it. It is virtual skipper I have no need to buy the latest version because the one I have has great graphics and game play but the stupid protection system doesn't like Win7 or Win7 doesn't like it either way I am stopped from using software that I have paid for.

[GrampianStars (Rob)]

the same reason petrol isn't free for your car.
There's $$$$$$$$$$$$ to be made!
and your computer and car is useless without
forking out $$$$$$$$$$$ regularly to keep em running!

[DJDD]

Originally Posted by RickS

The difference is with software (and music or video) is that you can copy it essentially for free.

I'm in the software business too, but for the past decade or two I have been building it into hardware devices. It's easier to ask for money when you have a physical device...

i did not take the original post to be referencing digital piracy but rather that there is the expectation that software should be free (or almost) without recognising that someone should be rewarded financially for their hard work.

hence my comment that people in most industries would hold similar sentiments.

[RickS (Rick)]

Originally Posted by supernova1965

Games in particular like SIMCITY 4 will not work from a backup even if you have your license key and I have Ceasar 4 that I can no longer play because the CD has tiny scratches that are unavoidable because you must have the disc in the drive to play the game if you are honest, sure there are cracks out there but that is why they put this protection in the software in the first place. And you can not install these games if your media gets damaged and you can't install from backup media some solution needs to be found for people who wish to reward the makers of software for their hard work but also want to be able to continue to use their purchase without having to crack it with a nocd crack or whatever. Another game which I love to play wont work with Win7 because the protection software is incompatible with it. It is virtual skipper I have no need to buy the latest version because the one I have has great graphics and game play but the stupid protection system doesn't like Win7 or Win7 doesn't like it either way I am stopped from using software that I have paid for.

I don't buy games, so perhaps that's an exception. My major software purchases are things like Maxim and Photoshop...

[RickS (Rick)]

Originally Posted by DJDD

i did not take the original post to be referencing digital piracy but rather that there is the expectation that software should be free (or almost) without recognising that someone should be rewarded financially for their hard work.

hence my comment that people in most industries would hold similar sentiments.

I wasn't talking about piracy either. There is a fundamental difference between software development and many other industries. Software is scalable. You write it once and it can be used many times. The examples you quoted: "farming, dairy, transport & logistics, manufacturing, retail" are different in that there's a direct, linear connection between work done and payment demanded. I do agree with your point that effort should be rewarded if it produces a useful outcome. I was just trying to explain that there's a nuance here that's not obvious to everybody.

[irwjager (Ivo)]

Open Source Software is brilliant. As an independent software developer, it keeps my costs down, which in turn gives me enough time (and savings) to develop stuff on the side and contribute back.

Of course you can still charge an arm and a leg but you'll find that a competitor will be able to undercut you because of the low/zero cost of the development tools.

I think with OSS, everyone wins. It's about give and take.

If you're in the business of independently creating commercial software for a living though, it's almost always going to be a struggle. The market is saturated with software and you have to really do something extremely unique to stand out. Even then, within a couple of months there will be people who have copied your idea and you're back to square one.

It also comes down to how much you think your time is worth and what sort of standard of living you think you're entitled to. Me, I live like a hippie in a shared rental eating the occasional beans on toast. However, I get to do what I love; write software that people (seem to) appreciate.

I don't understand developers that use draconian DRM measures. The last thing you should do is p**s off your users. If you do that then your heart clearly isn't in it and it's clearly more about the money than it is about the thrill of coming up with the next improvement/feature/algorithm and delighting your users. But maybe I'm just a bit of a naive ueber nerd...

[AstralTraveller (David)]

Being a happy Linux user I'll turn the question around and ask why should I pay for software when I can have a machine that does everything I want for nothing? I don't game and I don't use anything fancy. The 'doze programs I use are all freeware too and run under WINE. I don't know what it is so that I can do this. It's not as though I refuse to pay, it is that others chose not to ask for payment for their (often considerable) labour. If knowing that people are happily using their creation is reward enough I'm happy to provide it.

[leon]

I really don't mind paying for software at all, I expect to as a lot of work went into what I use, but I do expect it to last as long as I intend to use it.

It's a bit like my purchase of Microsoft Office, which worked fine until they, Microsoft decided to send me a up date that I did not want or ask for, now the bloody program is stuffed and wont work.

I have researched the web on this update, and it seems that everyone, other than computer wizards are experiencing the same failure, and don't know what to do with it

Even Microsoft have admitted that the there is a problem with this up date, well that is all good and well, why didn't they, just put it out there with a warning of the possible problem, and let the owner of the purchased software decide to load it up or stay with what worked.

If it aint broke don't fix it, is my motto.

Leon

[Omaroo (Chris Malikoff)]

Yep - opeb source is all done for free, and you can't expect to earn decent money from an OS project.

Did someone tell Red Hat (free as in beer) this? Not bad revenue for a "free" software provider...

Total revenue for the quarter was $235.6 million, an increase of 21% from the year ago quarter. Subscription revenue for the quarter was $198.8 million, up 21% year-over-year.

Open source software IS NOT free. You may be free to give it away, but it certainly isn't free to develop.

[joe_smith]

People give their Free time and some even pay money to help develop open source software ( the *real meaning as in the "free software definition") because its a win win situation the more that goes into it the more they get out of it. I like the philosophy of open source and what it stands for. I like they way its promoted for everyone the rich and poor, for example Ubuntu's philosophy.They develop and promote open source because of a love of the system it represents not just the money they can make. Even Apple uses open source in its operating system. I read on the net that some in the apple camp don't like the Iphone being a closed system and feel android will take over the market place making the billions with a free and open OS. imagine if apple did that!!!! how much more market share would they have and how much extra income would they make? android proves open source is a very smart business choice.

Open source software IS NOT free. You may be free to give it away, but it certainly isn't free to develop.

You miss the whole point of the open source movement you should think of “free” as in “free speech,” not free as in “free beer.” People support open source, because they have open hearts and want to make a difference to others, some believe when John Lennon said "When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace" for some this is more powerful and rewarding than any money can buy. All this sounds like a load of "whatever" but it is happening in the open source movement its what's drives it and why its so big and so global, the Internet we have to day is because of the open source movement. People doing it for the love of it, for what it stands for and not just the money, That's the true power of love. Even some of the software people use here the authors give it away free, I wonder why? they must get the satisfaction of people being happy using it then getting money for it, because they could if they wanted to.

“Free software” is a matter of liberty, not price. To understand the concept, you should think of “free” as in “free speech,” not as in “free beer.”

Free software is a matter of the users' freedom to run, copy, distribute, study, change and improve the software. More precisely, it means that the program's users have the four essential freedoms:

* The freedom to run the program, for any purpose (freedom 0).
* The freedom to study how the program works, and change it to make it do what you wish (freedom 1). Access to the source code is a precondition for this.
* The freedom to redistribute copies so you can help your neighbor (freedom 2).
* The freedom to distribute copies of your modified versions to others (freedom 3). By doing this you can give the whole community a chance to benefit from your changes. Access to the source code is a precondition for this.

[Barrykgerdes]

Hi

Yes there are two ways to look at software, as a tool and as entertainment. By entertainment I don't mean games and the like. I mean writing programs for the fun of it without any particular commercial interest.

As a tool in commerce, companies use softaware to make money and will employ programmers (or contractors ) to write these programs which need to be paid for, quite rightly so. This is what all the commercial programs are about. Even "open source material can be classed as such"

On the other hand there are people like me who write little programs for fun and never think about the cost of development and supply them "free" to anyone who is interested. These people however are generally rewarded in other ways like honing skills etc. and of course eventually make money out of the "training". I would put all open source softaware in this catagory. Most of it is written by programmers who make money from their work in other ways so, is it really free?. As someone else said, The only thing that can be given free is "love" as if it is not given free it cannot be "love"

My pet program is Stellarium which is open source but the developer was in fact employed by ESO for three years to develop an open source version for them. This allowed him much time to develop the "free" version which most of you know.

Barry