Payware is going extinct?

[OneFootInTheGrave]

Originally posted by Firelad
Service. Software is free, but maintenance, installation, tech help etc. isn't.

money making only needs to move to next level, which current crop of managers just doesn't like, but money making will evolve from current primitive/aggressive level.

[Ted Striker]

The best software is always paid for.

There is no way around it.

There's a reason alot of stuff is freeware. It can get you in the door but when you need power and reliability, the best stuff is always always paid for.

[raghar]

Re: Payware is going extinct?

Originally posted by muxec

Software developers would not work for a free and there are some possible futures.

Are you deffinetely sure?
[/QUOTE]
1. Computers taxes. All PC/Mac owbers would be taxed by the goverment and would get all software for a free. Those who don't pay lose their computer. The goverment pays to the software developers according to the usage rate of the software.
[/QUOTE]
it would ruin all free software development.

2. Adware programs. You pay developer by watching advertisments inside the program. The adware programs already appeared. For example you can download adware version of DivX pro. The disadvantage of the adware, that it requires internet connection and can not work offline.

With free Internet connection you could dream about it. No adware patch is always an option.

3. Paying with CPU time. Some huge projects (Human genome, for example) require a lot of computing and even supercomputers need a lot of time for data analysis. Maybe future software will have enormous hardware requirement and will run some specific calculation for third party while you are using the software. If your have not enought CPU resources for the background process the software would fail to run. The software of this kind already exists. In SETI@Home you pay for cool screensaver with your CPU-time.

I could use some computer time and I'm game developer. Then again doing it at slow computers? People who could really help would rather pay by money. Poor people have slow computers.
Calling SETI screensaver beautyfull is rather funny. You could run it without screensaver. This is major improvement in that aplication.

4. Death penalty for "warezist" in USA. The solution would probably fail, but everything may happen. Death peanalty would really stop distributing illegal files in peer-to-peer networks, but will make USA a dictatrship.

Isn't US already dictatorship or fashism?

[raghar]

Originally posted by Ted Striker
The best software is always paid for.

There is no way around it.

There's a reason alot of stuff is freeware. It can get you in the door but when you need power and reliability, the best stuff is always always paid for.

7 kingdoms? It was paid game however that person had BIG freedom in how it would be done. This freedom doesn't exist in paid industry.
If your chief doesn't alow you to create something revolutional you could find yourself copying a freeware program. By chief order of course... This was one of reasons why Open source become popular, aside open source ideologist. Big companies have a problem with copying of your work this way.

[muxec]

Yes, not-payware can be better. For example if Moo3 was adware it would be much better. Just because adware developers want users to use the software maximum time.

To raghar: You said about poor and rich people and good and bad computers. But i should reply, that i can buy a supercomputer for a price of 3D Studio Max. And i must say that the developer would better sell million copies for few dollars, than few copies for 5000$

[Mercator]

Originally posted by skywalker
Mercator: however, far more high-quality programs are made by paid programmers.

I'm not saying there wouldn't continue to be good software. I'm saying there probably wouldn't be nearly as much.

OK, well... You got me there...

But i should reply, that i can buy a supercomputer for a price of 3D Studio Max. And i must say that the developer would better sell million copies for few dollars, than few copies for 5000$

But how many people actually need 3ds max? Aside from the people who can afford it (e.g. the gaming and film industry)...

[Ted Striker]

An ad based revenue system simply doesn't work.

We already tried this. It was called the dot-com bubble and it simply did not work. Period. Several trillion dollars in losses don't lie.

Ad based systems simply do not provide enough source of income to support a project. And I can't imagine playing a game like Battlefield 1942 with a big old pop up ad intruding into the screen.

The more specialized you get, the more chance that you'll have to pay for the software. I think monetary compensation is fair for someone or a company that has poured their lives and resources into creating something.

It's kinda like a starving artist, people shouldn't be able to take his work and just copy it and sell it to anyone they want to.

I think open-source is starting to reach its peak.

[Urban Ranger]

Originally posted by Ted Striker
The best software is always paid for.

There is no way around it.

Really? What about bind and sendmail? Apache? Samba? OpenBSD? A bunch of GNU stuff?

[Urban Ranger]

Originally posted by Mercator
After all, people apparently find downloading payware illegally more worthwhile than getting free open-source software legally.

Most people who download warez don't know better free software equivalent exists.

Originally posted by Mercator
But I'm not sure about the importance of support. People are getting more and more familiar with computers, and I know I've never made use of any sort of official support.

On the contrary. People are becoming less and less knowlegable about computers these days, with all the efforts going into dumbing it down.

[muxec]

And I can't imagine playing a game like Battlefield 1942 with a big old pop up ad intruding into the screen.

Imagine, civilopedia of Civ4. "Elite units became elite after wining few battles and visiting www.somesite.com

[Kuciwalker]

Imagine if that was actually true, though

[Sirotnikov]

Azazel - as a person with interest in information technology and internet searching, I could share knowledge about theoretical ways to illegally acquire such software, provided you agree not to follow such instructions.


I'm also thinking about this question of payware alot.

I think that no software can stand 19 year olds with motivation and enough ASM knowledge.

But I think that if program developers lower their prices a bit (It's really not comparable to the music bussiness) they will find that many more people will be able to buy their products, and will want to.

While buying professional bulky equipment in real life is a hassle, and a normal person wouldn't want it, the average PC user most definitly wants to own Paint Shop or PhotoShop.

I have yet to meet an average user who was happy with what he could buy (paint / "presto imaging" / whatever crap).

Obviously most of the users will never use more than 10% of the features that photoshop allows, but they want the choise and the agility of top notch products. Not to mention they are getting easier and easier.

I personally suggest that an integrated model is developed.

Professionals pay for photoshop + patches + services + tools + tips

While a home user can pay a lowered price, and would pay extra if he wants patches + service + tools etc.

[Mercator]

Such things exist already. They're called OEM, Limited Editions and Windows XP home edition.

The majority of visitors to this site have payed hundreds of dollars on games. PSP8 can be downloaded off their site for $100 (boxed for a little more). That's as much as Civ3 + PTW. But still, the majority here do have Civ3 legally, but PSP illegally.

It's all about priorities.

[Kuciwalker]

Part of that is loyalty to Sid, I bet.

[muxec]

Originally posted by skywalker
Part of that is loyalty to Sid, I bet.

Agreed. They know theoretical ways of getting illegal software, but they want to support Infogrames. Donation, sort of.