downloadsquad.com — "We wanted to pop this question because we're seeing better and better software coming from open source, donationware and shareware developers, and yet many of them are still having a hard time making a living doing something they love, which is creating the products we obviously appreciate."
May 22, 2007 View in Crawl 4
cerebralMay 23, 2007
My biggest hold up with non-large branded software (be in OSS or Shareware/Donationware etc.) is the lack of interoperability.For example with adobe products you can seamlessly work from one product to the next throughout their ENTIRE SUITE. If you look at Microsoft Office you wouldn't think that this is that big of a deal but then you think about the fact that you have things (in the business world) like SharePoint and it becomes VERY CLEAR what is missing from OSS projects or smaller-scale projects.GIMP is stand alone and some other products don't have an alternative in the OSS world.I will say that things are becoming more gray in the computer world with OSS vs. BIG$$ and Ubuntu is ALMOST to a point where it can be used easily by ANY user without training (which is what I think it will take) so it is a very interesting time in the computer world in general.
polygoneMay 23, 2007
lol this is digg.of course no one reads the article :)
ishmalMay 23, 2007
Amazing that nobody mentioned the main motivation for contributing to a useful project:It is the right thing to do.
arjieMay 23, 2007
You are also contributing to that software being the de-facto standard, which helps them. It's why some companies show clandestine support for their software being pirated.
hausomeMay 23, 2007
Simple. Just think of it this way: If you found $500 cell phone wouldn't you be tempted to pick it up and use it for yourself? First off, the person who lost it obviously has the money to spare. I'm sure 90% of you would take advantage of this situation if you were certain it couldn't be traced back to you. The other 10% would have morals that lead them to returning the phone to their rightful owner.How do I know? I lost a pair of Oakley sunglasses at school and guess what. No one returned them! I was hoping that the someone within that 10% moral population would have picked it up...darn.
grumpyrainMay 23, 2007
> I have a driving license, but live in Edinburgh and so take the bus. It's cheaper than getting a car and paying insurance on it, without of course the > additional fuel costs of about a pound per litre.I suppose my point was whether you would refuse to buy a vehicle fueled by some oil company product (unleaded / diesel / LPG etc). Your argument on price is valid, but it is a decision that is purely financial and convenience. You have not made a philosophical stance against unethical business practices. Most buses still use diesel or gas, and that gas still equals profit for the oil companies.If you did some research about the behaviour of the oil companies in Northern Africa or Central and Southern America and you had any warm blood in your body, you would have no choice but to be deplored. From what I gather about Microsoft, their unethical practices are basically along the lines of using their large market share as a monopoly, and using that monopoly to compete unfairly resulting in other companies losing business. By no means do I condone this, it is unacceptable, but in comparison to allowing toxic bi-products of crude drilling to poison communities in Central America with full knowledge of the health risks and when such practices were previously outlawed in the US, you quickly get a bit of perspective.But just because you don't buy Microsoft, that does not mean you aren't supporting them. Have you contacted your superannuation or investment company and told them you are not interested in Microsoft shares for philosophical reasons? It will potentially reduce your retirement fund, so are you willing?I am not asking you to accept Microsofts business strategies. By all means vote with your wallet as that is the language companies understand. But be consistent. Asides from Google, I am not aware of any other commercial entity that is in a similar position to Microsoft that has not behaved in similar ways (and even Google are starting to have one or two questionable practices in the name of profit).
fuegosecretMay 24, 2007
When you make a product that makes me money rather than wastes my time, believe me, I'll pay for it.
fortezzaJun 29, 2007
True that!
phmfthacimNov 3, 2007
The price tag might have some people switching. It's interesting what a high price can do to alter peoples' perceptions of quality.