[philm]

Something which I am very curious about is whether the fine people who write shareware apps and utilities actually make enough money from it to live on. Or, are they enthusiasts with other 'real' jobs, doing shareware in their spare time?

Some shareware seems to be devloped by companies or pseudo-companies (Unsanity with Fruitmenu to mention one utility I have bought recently), but most seems to come from individuals. I'm guessing that the Graphic Converter man must have made good money from that fantastic program (surely the most sophisticated shareware for the Mac). And well deserved if he did/does.

Can anyone shed any light on this?

Phil

[CharlesS]

Are you thinking of writing some software? If so, I say go for it. You might not make enough money to live on writing shareware, but it's nice to have a little extra cash on hand, and the hours are very flexible.

[Deicide]

Look at it this way. There is over 100,000 users of MacOS 10.2 alone. lets say you wrote a simple program that was actually usefull to most people and sold it for only $3 via something like paypal. Now lets say you only sell 10,000 copies. You still made $30,000! That's not bad even if you put in half time on this program for a full year.

[CheesePuff]

A few people at MacHack make about $85,000 a year with Mac-only shareware.

And then their's Jim Matthews who made Fetch - he gave out prizes at MacHack

[CheesePuff]

Originally posted by Deicide:
Look at it this way. There is over 100,000 users of MacOS 10.2 alone. lets say you wrote a simple program that was actually usefull to most people and sold it for only $3 via something like paypal. Now lets say you only sell 10,000 copies. You still made $30,000! That's not bad even if you put in half time on this program for a full year.

You won't ever get 10,000 out of 100,000 people to, unless it was a required utility, but that will probably not happen.

Plus, I would never pay $3 for something - I don't need all of these little charges on my card.

[mrwalker]

I think for the most part the authors of shareware write this stuff in their spare time.

I wrote a game for the psion called Rally which took a really long time to do & didn't make much money. I didn't expect it to, nor did I set out to do so. It's good that what started as a pet project paid for a new machine though!

There are a number of problems with the idea. Very few people actually register shareware, the people who do the transaction take a cut, so do the people promoting your software etc.

People seem more willing to pay for shareware in the mac community. If I were going to write any more, this is where I'd do it. For the mac, like the psion, you don't need to invest in developer tools either - they come with the OS.

-mrwalker

[mitchell_pgh]

You would make more money charging $19.95 as compared to $3... It was in a marketing class of mine... People see $3 and think (wow, why isn't it free) but when they see 19.95, they think (that's less then the price of a DVD or a Jinzu Knife...

[CheesePuff]

Originally posted by mitchell_pgh:
You would make more money charging $19.95 as compared to $3... It was in a marketing class of mine... People see $3 and think (wow, why isn't it free) but when they see 19.95, they think (that's less then the price of a DVD or a Jinzu Knife...

Exactly.

[Deicide]

The $3 was just an example. So lets say you sell it for $20. you only have to sell 1500 copies to make that $30,000. It shows that even with 10.2's very small market share you can make a good chunk of money as a decent shareware developer.

[funkboy]

Even selling 1500 copies is a lot out of 100,000 people, at least in my practice. Of course, maybe my programs aren't worth registering

I'd advise reading some of the articles at idevgames.com. Things like market research, time management, etc., can help you make money with shareware. If there is a real market for your product, you will make money. But if you've just made a program, put it out and thought, "Okay, I've made it, now people will buy it," your thinking is a bit wishful.

[Mr. Blur]

it all comes down to the product...something really good, maintained/updated regularly, and priced reasonably will probably make you some okay $$ - i know i've bought lots of great shareware over the years - graphic converter, kaleidoscope, cocoa efax just to name a few. i love the idea of shareware and can tolerate a "nag-ware" reminder as long as it's not so intrusive that it interferes with me giving the software a good trial run.

[sbjordal]

I'd be very interested in hearing Moki's take on this thread. Ambrosia's products are all shareware (atleast I think so) and they've been around for quite some time now.

[moki]

Originally posted by sbjordal:
I'd be very interested in hearing Moki's take on this thread. Ambrosia's products are all shareware (atleast I think so) and they've been around for quite some time now.

The short answer is that shareware or not, people don't buy on price, they buy on value. Let's take a game for example -- people don't suddenly change their definition of "fun" or "not fun" based on whether the game is shareware or in a box.

Write something that people want (either for a fun diversion, or for an intended purpose), and you can make money. If you don't make money from your product, either it hasn't been marketed well, or it simply isn't something people want.

[brainchild2b]

Let me guess, none of you have ever worked with any shareware companies? Shareware bends the market rules.

People feel since it's "shareware" it's not stealing if they don't pay or pirate. If you make it to expensive people won't pay. In shareware if you create a high quality applications (and a excellent website) you will sell more with the $5 software than a $19.95 application.

Shareware is a slow busines unless you create a killer app. With software like this only like 10% buy it.

[moki]

Originally posted by brainchild2b:
Let me guess, none of you have ever worked with any shareware companies? Shareware bends the market rules.

People feel since it's "shareware" it's not stealing if they don't pay or pirate. If you make it to expensive people won't pay. In shareware if you create a high quality applications (and a excellent website) you will sell more with the $5 software than a $19.95 application.

Shareware is a slow busines unless you create a killer app. With software like this only like 10% buy it.

I haven't found any of what you've said to be true -- I've been doing it for about 15 years or so.

[kent m]

Originally posted by CheesePuff:


You won't ever get 10,000 out of 100,000 people to, unless it was a required utility, but that will probably not happen.

Plus, I would never pay $3 for something - I don't need all of these little charges on my card.

But my guess is that you like all of these little apps on your machine...

~K

[CheesePuff]

Originally posted by kent m:


But my guess is that you like all of these little apps on your machine...

~K

Nope.

[bewebste]

One question I've always wondered about is what the most effective and least intrusive way of "encouraging" people to pay shareware fees is. Some common examples include:

1. Trial period, limited either by number of times launched or number of days since installation. The product is fully functional during the trial period and then ceases to work after it expires.
2. Missing features, a.k.a crippleware, where you can run the product without paying forever but miss out on some features. This can be more or less annoying depending on how crucial the missing features are.
3. Nagware, that puts up some sort of dialog that blocks you from using the app for some period of time, usually on launch but sometimes other places as well. Again, this can be really annoying, but also can be OK if it's done right.

I'd be interested on hearing both user and developer opinions and experience as to which of these methods, or other methods I haven't listed, are most effective in encouraging the user to buy a product and which are the most annoying and actually push the user away from buying the product.

[CharlesS]

Originally posted by bewebste:
One question I've always wondered about is what the most effective and least intrusive way of "encouraging" people to pay shareware fees is. Some common examples include:

1. Trial period, limited either by number of times launched or number of days since installation. The product is fully functional during the trial period and then ceases to work after it expires.
2. Missing features, a.k.a crippleware, where you can run the product without paying forever but miss out on some features. This can be more or less annoying depending on how crucial the missing features are.
3. Nagware, that puts up some sort of dialog that blocks you from using the app for some period of time, usually on launch but sometimes other places as well. Again, this can be really annoying, but also can be OK if it's done right.

I'd be interested on hearing both user and developer opinions and experience as to which of these methods, or other methods I haven't listed, are most effective in encouraging the user to buy a product and which are the most annoying and actually push the user away from buying the product.

Here's my take on this.

1. Trial periods seem to be too easy to work around - just trash the app's preference file and the trial period resets. A user could even set up a cron job to delete it every 30 days (or however long the trial period lasts).

2. Crippleware keeps users from discovering the full potential of your app, and thus makes it seem less powerful than it actually is. Plus, if users can't use all your features, they won't integrate those features into their work flow, so they won't become dependent on them, and thus, the need to register your app is not as strong.

3. Nagware is the method I'm currently using. Users can try my app as much as they want and discover all of its benefits, but they have to put up with an annoying 15 second wait, which they will eventually want to get rid of by registering.

I realize that I'm a relative newcomer to the world of shareware when compared someone like Moki, but I was using shareware long before I was writing it, and those are my thoughts.

[winterlandia]

The reason Jim Matthews gave out prizes is probably because he won a million bucks on "Who wants to be a millionairre." I kid you not. I saw the episode. It was even on Macintouch that next day.

Originally posted by CheesePuff:
A few people at MacHack make about $85,000 a year with Mac-only shareware.

And then their's Jim Matthews who made Fetch - he gave out prizes at MacHack

[sbjordal]

The intitial question still remain unanswered though: Is shareware profitable enough for someone/anyone to make a comfortable living out of it, or is it just for kicks and bonus income?

[King Bob On The Cob]

I think their's a few companies out there that make a living off of Mac Shareware, But not a whole lot of them. (Panic, Ambrosia, and Unsanity are the ones I'm thinking of right now)

[mrwalker]

Originally posted by CharlesS:

3. Nagware is the method I'm currently using. Users can try my app as much as they want and discover all of its benefits, but they have to put up with an annoying 15 second wait, which they will eventually want to get rid of by registering.

The 15 second thing really is annoying. That's the reason I didn't even give speed download a full trial. I know it's not one of your apps, CharlesS.

-mrwalker

[malvolio]

I disagree. I think it's a good way to let users discover the full potential of your app. GraphicConverter uses the countdown method, and after I used it for free for about 2 months, I happily paid the shareware fee.
To throw in an unsolicited testimonial, I once had a problem figuring out slideshow settings for GC. I sent an email to the developer, Thorsten Lemke, and in less than one day he replied with the answer I needed.

[CheesePuff]

Originally posted by winterlandia:
The reason Jim Matthews gave out prizes is probably because he won a million bucks on "Who wants to be a millionairre." I kid you not. I saw the episode. It was even on Macintouch that next day.

He won $500,000 - about $350,000 or so after taxes, and he used some of that to buy the right to the Fetch source code and name.

[eno]

Originally posted by Deicide:
Look at it this way. There is over 100,000 users of MacOS 10.2 alone. lets say you wrote a simple program that was actually usefull to most people and sold it for only $3 via something like paypal. Now lets say you only sell 10,000 copies. You still made $30,000! That's not bad even if you put in half time on this program for a full year.

How amusing that most of the people on this thread have NO EXPERIENCE WHATSOEVER in writing, marketing and selling shareware.

Also how amusing that these same people think that a 10% up-take on a shareware app can be reasonably expected.

I bet these are the same people who don't bother to pay for it.

[CheesePuff]

Originally posted by eno:
How amusing that most of the people on this thread have NO EXPERIENCE WHATSOEVER in writing, marketing and selling shareware.

Also how amusing that these same people think that a 10% up-take on a shareware app can be reasonably expected.

I bet these are the same people who don't bother to pay for it.

Sure thing - I wish I could get ahold of 10% of the market.

[RAILhead]

I think you'll be hard-pressed to find anyne who actually "makes a living" based solely on sales of shareware titles. Of course, the first hting is to realize that what "making a living" is to one author is may not be the same to another -- I remember the college days and paying $280 per month for rent, and now I'm paying MUCH more than that thanks to the good ol' mortgage. ; )

Nevertheless, one thing is for certain: though "making a living" off shareware may be difficult, getting an extra $200 to $800 per month supplementing my real pay is QUITE nice and it makes a tremendous financial impact!

On a slow month yeilding only, say, $195 from Kagi and $95 from PayPal, that's still more than enough to cover my web hosting and internet bills. What's left goes toward my own shareware purchases and into a "rainy day" web hosting fund (for if/when I get charged for exceeding bandwidth).

When a Good Month happens (usually dependant upon work being included in a magazine or reviewed on a website) and you get $600 to $800 (or more), it makes it all the better -- and that extra cash goes a long way: groceries, water bills, electric bills, property taxes, system upgrades, major software purchases, etc.

I guess what I'm getting at is that you may not be able to "live off" your shareware registrations and not worry about having a "real job," but if you write a good app/utility, you promote it (and your site) and gather support -- you should expect to make enough off of registrations to see a real, legit financial benefit.

My 2�,
Maury

[moki]

Originally posted by sbjordal:
The intitial question still remain unanswered though: Is shareware profitable enough for someone/anyone to make a comfortable living out of it, or is it just for kicks and bonus income?

If you have a good product that fills a need, and support and market it well, then yes, you can absolutely make a living writing shareware or any other kind of software.

[Gee4orce]

Nagware doesn't work for me - if I really need the application for something, and I don't use it too often, I can put up with a 15 second wait. That's why I've never registered Graphic Converter or iGetter (both excellent shareware).

Trial period does it for me every time. If I get a decent chance to evaluate the application, and then it stops working and doesn't let me do *anything* then yes, I'm likely to register it. Watson takes this approach - so does Snapz Pro I think.

If Graphic Convertor or iGetter used the trial period approach, then I would have registered them a long time ago. At the end of the day it's just laziness. It's going to take me more than 15 seconds to resigter the application, so I might as well just put up with the nagging just this once (and then, next time I use it, it's the same story...)

[step]

i'd like to vote for the "delayed start/nag".I've bought quite a lot of shareware apps over the years and it always seems to be the "15 seconds before starting" ones that get my cash. It takes me a couple of months to work something into my way of doing things. time trial apps always run out before i really get attached to them

[SMacTech]

I don't write shareware and don't intend too. I have been selling Mac point-of-sale software since 1985 on a very small shoestring budget, with little or no marketing. In the best year, I sold well over $50k in software and another $100k in hardware. In this way, the only people I need to support are those that actually paid for my software, not those who never intend on paying a shareware fee.
I work full time as a sys admin for a software company. If I didn't need the guaranteed income every month for child-support and health insurance, I would definitely go back to full-time self employment. Someone mentioned getting 10% of a market, what optimism. I would be happy with 1% of the whole Mac market needing a viable point-of-sale (POS) system.
I can tell you one very much needed product for Mac, and that is credit-card authorization software. Not web based or a filemaker plug-in, but one which integrates via applescript or a drop file method. The product MacAuthorize was discontinued over 16 months ago and I still have not found a replacement.

[sbjordal]

Originally posted by moki:


If you have a good product that fills a need, and support and market it well, then yes, you can absolutely make a living writing shareware or any other kind of software.

Bwaahahahaa....so that's why I am addicted to Maelstrom and Bubble Trouble...Because they fill a need
I'm off to pay for both of them now...thx for making me feel guilty ;-)

[Ghoser777]

I've done a lot of freeware apps in my spare time, but only one shareware app. I simply nag, without the delay. If you don't want to pay for it, oh well. Most people who aren't going to pay for it aren't going to pay for it no matter what I do. At least they'll get some us out of my alarm clock, even if they have to put up with a reminder message every time it starts up. Over the past year, I've made about $300 dollars... but that might be partly because a) Apple still hasn't fixed poer management, so no one wants an alarm clock that won't wake their computer from deep sleep or being off, and b) there's a pretty cool free app that will meet most people's needs (although he's not working on it anymore... my time to pounce is now! =))

My philosophy has been kind of directed by a friend of mine that works at Apple now. I mainly make free apps, because most shareware should in fact be free. I look at some of the $5 to $20 titles and think, "geesh, I could write that in a day." In stead of going for initial profit, I think a better approach is to make a lot of freeware, that people will be more likely to appreciate and give positive feedback about, and then you learn a lot about development. Once you get to the point where you want to make money off of your pogramming skills, you can do whatever you want - work for a business, make your own shareware, etc. And because you've created freeware the (hopefully) people love and appreciate, they will be more likely to buy you products in the future.

Just my 2 cents,
Matt Fahrenbacher
Humongous Elephants and Tigers

[dwishbone]

ive found that shareware is just a hobby. i hacnt made hardly anything no matter how much people like my apps.
i am currently just writing software as "Donationware" where people can donate whatever they wish (think the program is worth). I guess that isn't working either. According to my web stats my latest program "Blobber" has been downloaded over 23,000 times total since its release a few weeks ago. I have made $1 (I am not kidding)off of it, but have had great reviews. I would figure if so many people like it I would make more. Why do I continue? Because I like programming and I like helping people. Blobber makes people happy. I just wish I could be happier too :-)

[SMacTech]

Originally posted by dwishbone:
I have made $1 (I am not kidding)off of it, but have had great reviews.

Possibly you could consider a commercial version that costs what you think it is worth. I don't think you can expect a lot from donationware or shareware, unless you have a really hot program. But you still won't get the money if people use it, they will just put up with the nags or whatever limitations you may incorporate.

This is only a possible possibility

[Mike Thole]

[double post]

[Mike Thole]

Originally posted by dwishbone:
ive found that shareware is just a hobby. i hacnt made hardly anything no matter how much people like my apps.
i am currently just writing software as "Donationware" where people can donate whatever they wish (think the program is worth). I guess that isn't working either. According to my web stats my latest program "Blobber" has been downloaded over 23,000 times total since its release a few weeks ago. I have made $1 (I am not kidding)off of it, but have had great reviews. I would figure if so many people like it I would make more. Why do I continue? Because I like programming and I like helping people. Blobber makes people happy. I just wish I could be happier too :-)

Donationware is kind of cool, and it is what I've been using to get a little cash out of Neo, with some success. Since June, i've made slightly over $1,000 due to donations (although 70% was from 3 ppl). Compare this to the $500 or so that I've made from my one shareware application, Thumbnail Pro, which is much less popular (but still cool). Its also interesting to note that Neo doesn't exactly appeal to the most generous market either, it is a file sharing app.

This extra cash is great for pizza and beer, and keeps me from having to flip burgers or something else equally boring while in college. Even so, the relatively little money I've made doesn't begin to compensate for the thousands (yes thousands) of hours spent writing/supporting the software. Luckily, I'm still in the learning stage and the knowledge, experience and friends I gain are more valuable than cash...although its nice too.

Mike Thole

[mrtew]

Most of the stuff I've paid for (and it's quite a bit actually) is what I call Remiderware. It's similar to Nagware except that it reminds you that you might want to pay now AFTER you use it instead of when you are starting it up. It's a subtle difference, but an effective one. It's the difference beween being charged for something that you haven't got yet and asking for payment after you've gotten the benefit. Good examples are Iconographer that lets you make a bunch of icons and then starts in with a reminder now and then, and builds up to where it suggests that you pay almost every time you make an icon. It's a great strategy because you get used to it and realize how often you are using it and how much you like it.

[CharlesS]

Originally posted by mrtew:
Most of the stuff I've paid for (and it's quite a bit actually) is what I call Remiderware. It's similar to Nagware except that it reminds you that you might want to pay now AFTER you use it instead of when you are starting it up. It's a subtle difference, but an effective one. It's the difference beween being charged for something that you haven't got yet and asking for payment after you've gotten the benefit. Good examples are Iconographer that lets you make a bunch of icons and then starts in with a reminder now and then, and builds up to where it suggests that you pay almost every time you make an icon. It's a great strategy because you get used to it and realize how often you are using it and how much you like it.

The trouble with that is that it's way too easy to simply trash the prefs file and make such apps believe that you just downloaded them, so they don't nag you. If a user does this once a month or so, the effect is not dissimilar from having registered the app.

[Jordan]

Originally posted by CharlesS:

The trouble with that is that it's way too easy to simply trash the prefs file and make such apps believe that you just downloaded them, so they don't nag you. If a user does this once a month or so, the effect is not dissimilar from having registered the app.

CharlesS, your comment is probably true for most of the people on this forum. Those that are technically minded would know how to trash prefs and start again. Hell, as suggested you could set up a cron job for that. However, if a shareware developer is able to write a decent app, with a decent web site for support and a relatively easy payment method (Kagi is one of the better ones) maybe, just maybe they will get take up outside of their programming peers and into the "real" consumers. Remember that many users don't know the first thing about prefs files or how they work.

One way around the trashing prefs thing might be to store info in their that the app requires to run. eg. User Name, email, address, etc. If someone had to keep entering that every 30 days they might be persuaded to pay for it.

I buy a spitload of shareware some of it I use, some I don't. Basically comes from the fact that I used to be a programmer years ago. It's more out of a sign of appreciation than anything else. In saying that, my preferred method of "reminder" is one similar to GraphicConverter. Give the user some time to try it out then slowly make them wait longer and longer. Couple that with a very reasonable price (seems to me like under $20 is the level) then you should have a winner.

There will always be people who don't pay. Whether it be sneaking onto a train, hiding in the boot/trunk for a drive-in movie (does that still happen??) or shareware. What goes around comes around. Just make it easy and not to inconvenient for the honest folk.

[oops, went on a little longer than I meant to - wasn't supposed to be a rant!! :o ]

[rw]

Originally posted by Jordan:


CharlesS, your comment is probably true for most of the people on this forum. Those that are technically minded would know how to trash prefs and start again. Hell, as suggested you could set up a cron job for that. However, ... many users don't know the first thing about prefs files or how they work.

So there's a good example of a need you can fill with a good shareware product: a GUI that trashes trialware pref files once a month. Of course the user doesn't have to know that's what's going on--you market it as an app that extends the trial period of trialware indefinitely. Um, I guess you would have to offer it as nagware or (this would be interesting) crippleware.

[rw]

http://www.macdevcenter.com/pub/a/ma...0/dev_osx.html

[Trygve]

My applications use a delayed startup - they get a registration screen that they can't dismiss for 7 seconds or so. This has worked wonders - registrations went up 10x when this was put in vs. a screen they could dismiss right away.

I am self-employeed and the shareware is just one part of it, but it is very possible for developers to live of off good quality products.

having a nice website and polished look to the apps is important - people don't want something that looks cheap.

Trygve

http://www.timepalette.com

[IUJHJSDHE]

This also should be in the lounge, it's about Shareware earnings not OS X.

[Simon]

My reply may be a bit long, but I feel that shareware and its payment is a pretty lengthy debate... Please be patient or just go on.

Originally posted by CharlesS:

The trouble with that is that it's way too easy to simply trash the prefs file and make such apps believe that you just downloaded them, so they don't nag you. If a user does this once a month or so, the effect is not dissimilar from having registered the app.

I understand this very well from the point of view of you developers and I also know that you guys put a whole lot of sweat in these little apps. And since some of them come in extremely handy for users, I'd expect them to pay. I try to, even more since I have a somewhat bad conscience in this area.

When I came to junior high I had absolutely no money and used tons of shareware without paying. Even at that time I knew it wasn't right.
I used an app that made the Apple menu hierarchic from a guy from Belgium. I wrote him and said I didn't have money because I was a little kid going to school. He answered with a registration code. That was extremely kind and generous. The next time I tried to write a developer and explain my situation I got a reply like "I don't care...go earn some money...lazy brat, etc.". I was 11 and got a dollar per week. He wanted 25 for his app. That was when I first got a serial database and pirated shareware. Like I said it still bothers me today a bit, but that's good, because I never forget to pay for stuff anymore.

After leaving the university I started earning money. In the mean time I'm still not rich, but I have more than enogh money to pay 10-20$ on shareware. If a really useful app comes around and the developer even gives quick feedback to questions or suggestions by mail, I won't hesitate to shell out my visa.

That said, I hate crippleware and I don't believe it encourages people to pay, since most of the time the crippling prevents you from thoroughly testing an app (for instance only being able to back up 30 files - how shall I test if that backup is bootable???).

I also don't like reminders with countdowns, i.e. nagware, since I feel constrained by the app making my testing come to a halt (especially if testing requires me to restart the app a lot). But I understand the developers to some extent when they do this, since if nobody pays they are the ones who get screwed.

My most prefered method is the no-limit, no-nagging, pay-when-you-are-done-testing shareware. I loved this when it came to testing Carbon Copy Cloner. I could test the app as long as I needed, Mike Bombich (the author) wrote back extensively to every question or feature request and the app just worked. I have no problems paying for something like that. Mike will always get my 10$ with a product and customer service like that.

I also would like to believe that this method encourages people most to buy an app, since you know the developer gave you all the freedom and trusted you. Why screw him? On the other hand I know that the world is not perfect and that maybe people take too much advantage of the authors when they put no restraints to their apps. That's why I understand nagware even though I really don't like it. Actually, I hate it.

And finally, I sometimes scratch my head when I see how much time and effort is put into a program's nagging/crippling and how badly this time would be needed to be invested into the app itself. Here goes: I had FileBuddy for quite a while and I paid the shareware fee up to the last OS 9 version. The app was not bad. Then came the betas and finally the GM for OS X. It sucked. I hated it and didn't register for the new version. I dumped the program and don't use it anymore. A collegue at work had it, but didn't pay. He got a serial from some Carracho server and unlocked the app with it. The next time he downloaded a newer version of FileBuddy he got an error box saying that he should not use pirated serials, be ashamed of himself, etc. That was all true and what he did was surely not right (btw, he went back to Carracho and got a new serial which then worked). But I still had to think about how damn much time the author used to track down serial database codes to his app all over the net, exclude them from the registartion process of his app and even keep his bogus number list up to date. At the same time his app was sucking big donkey and his time and effort would have been much more needed on the bug squishing of his code. That is a stupid waste of time. I know he has spent much time on his app and I know people should pay, but playing police officer and trying to educate people (who won't let themselves be educated anyway - they'll just get another serial which is newer and works) is ridiculous.

That said, I love the concept of shareware, even more when it doesn't nag you or is crippled. I hope people realize what great value some of these nifty apps have and pay for them. That will give the authors the motivation needed and us the great apps. And it will always be much cheaper than the >150$ MS will charge for any piece of crap they ever release.

BTW, I believe the high quality of some of the shareware there is for the Mac is really an argumnent for the OS plattform as a whole. On the Windows side there is much more shareware, but 80% is so crappy that I'd rather not even see it. The Mac has way less but on the average it is better by miles.

[LeeG]

I don't write or sell software, prob never will, but use quite a bit of shareware. As for those making freeware - good for you, you are incredible people and theres great freeware out there, as far as shareware, if I think its good and I use it, I pay for it, but most "shareware" apps are little tiny programs that do 1 thing well - and some charge $30 for it. I won't pay for that. Sure if its an involved prog, or a great game maybe but most little utilities I will not. If its $10 or less though, I usually won't even think about it, I'll buy it.

Whoever wrote that you should charge $20 instead of $3 - maybe thats what the marketing books say, but for me personally, I will buy 10 $3 programs (maybe more) before I will buy 1 $30 program, heck warcraft 3 wasn't that much more than $30 - I can't justify a small shareware program at 1/2 the price of warcraft 3. I look at it as value per dollar.

just my $3

Lee

[Simon]

Originally posted by LeeG:
Whoever wrote that you should charge $20 instead of $3 - maybe thats what the marketing books say, but for me personally, I will buy 10 $3 programs (maybe more) before I will buy 1 $30 program

I'd like to second that. I also will at once pay a price <10$ for a useful tool. 20$ is no problem for a larger app. Everything above 30$ will only be bought if I desperately need it and I just had pay-day.

Of course marketing books tell people to try to charge 30 instead of 3, but that's because marketing has never been about charging what it should cost, rather it's about charging as much as you can. That's good for some few, but bad for an economy as a whole. This philosophy has judged its own self enough through the course of the last two decades and its recent fall.

An author that wants 3$ will get me to Paypal immediately and with no doubts. An author charging 30$ will almost never make me keep using the app. And therefore no pay. If ten people think like this, down the drain with this marketing theory.