Q for developers - releasing a program as freeware or shareware?

[Dave Turner]

Question to developers...
When you release a new program what makes you decide to release it as
freeware as opposed to shareware and vice versa?

 

[Toke Eskildsen]

When you release a new program what makes you decide to release it
as freeware as opposed to shareware and vice versa?

My freeware programs all started as something I could use myself. As
long as it's freeware, there's no obligations - I can work on them when
and how I want and abandom them if I'm tired of them. Making the
programs available for others are just a bit more work, which is
revarded by some kind words and some recognition. Good for my ego, I
guess. Funny how a somple number from the download-statistics can make
a person happy.

At least that's how it starts. When the number of users rises, I feel
some pressure and the amount of work grows. But then it's too late -
changing to shareware feels... Dishonest? Like taking something away.

 

[Al Klein]

My freeware programs all started as something I could use myself. As
long as it's freeware, there's no obligations - I can work on them when
and how I want and abandom them if I'm tired of them.

I have to agree 100%. As soon as I even ask for a donation I have to
be prepared to answer any and all questions, complaints, bugs, etc. If
not, you get what you pay for and I can forget about supporting it.

 

[Toke Eskildsen]

I have to agree 100%. As soon as I even ask for a donation I have
to be prepared to answer any and all questions, complaints, bugs,
etc. If not, you get what you pay for and I can forget about
supporting it.

Up until recently, I've done the same, but two weeks ago I put a donate
link at the page for one of my programs. I realized that a) some people
really want to donate, to feel that they give something back and b) I
answer support questions and fix bugs for that program anyway, so why
not accept something in return? The user-base for the program is rather
large, at least for me, so the amount of not-so-fun stuff is growing.

I have no plans for going shareware, but I'll admit that some sort of
monetary encouragement would most probably change the pace for my
programming. It's very simple: I like money, so from time to time, I'll
do paid projects besides my regular job. The more time I spend on
programming freeware, the less time I have for such projects.

Or maybe I'm just rationalizing and has just gotten greedy.

 

[al jones]

Question to developers...
When you release a new program what makes you decide to release it as
freeware as opposed to shareware and vice versa?

I'm a 'once in a while' programmer now. I coded for a living from the mid
'70s through the late '80s and decided I'd had enough with trying to make
the tool that satisfied every bosses desire. "I like that, but what do you
think about adding ...." get real old, real quick! Especially when we went
into most of what I wrote with design specs and specific targets.

Wrote some stuff in 6502 assembler - commercial products - and even though
they paid me for the time I put into them I found out soon enough that the
public was worse to work for than the corporate world.

Anything I write now goes out as freeware for the same reasons that Toke
gave - it starts off as something I can use and I embellish as I see other
needs (also others needs). I've considered going with a donation option,
but I'm not sure that it would be worth the hassle. Small demand - small
user base - few donations (if any?). So for the time being, if I have time
and the inclination I work on my 'toy'; if I don't then I don't have to
worry about paying customers clammoring for more and more that I may (not?)
feel like doing.

//al

 

[Sudden Disruption]

Dave,

When you release a new program what makes you decide to release it as
freeware as opposed to shareware and vice versa?

For me it was wanting some compensation but also wanting Sudden View to
be used as widely as possible, so I ride the edge between Freeware and
Shareware by distributing it as Unlimited Shareware. It asks you to
register every now and then, but is fully functional and can be used
forever.

To each their own.


Sudden Disruption

Sudden View...
the radical option for editing text


Beta test now in progress...
http://www.sudden.net/
http://www.sudden.net/blog/