Hi V,
Your "rant" (your words) is interesting, and you raise some valid points. Like most things, the question is where to draw the line:
>I am in the middle ground. I have software I have paid for and I
>have software I am evaluating.
I follow a very similar path, but I have a personal standard that I follow: If I evaluate a program and I'm still using it after 30-60 days, I go out and buy it, or I delete it -- plain and simple. From my experience, I'm in a very small majority. I have friends and colleagues who have been "evaluating" software for years.
>I evaluate software. If I like it and it is within my budget then I
>will buy it.
If you like the software, and it's NOT within your budget, do you refrain from using it, and find another solution? I do -- without exception. If someone loans me a program to try, I either end up buying it, or I cut up the disk and erase all traces of the program from my computer. If you don't follow this guideline, you're sending a very mixed message to the software developers: "I like it, but I'm not willing to pay for it." Now, you might MEAN "because it's too expensive," but there's no clear message of this fact being sent to the author. You're joining with the group of users who feel that any price is too much.
>So all you developers can cry and weep all you want. Reduce the
>cost, increase the sales and pile those excessive profits into a far
>cheaper upgrade path and all in the world will be well again.
Umm, I'm not all that sure that your idea will really fix everything up. Let's look at WinZip, one of the most useful, widely used programs ever made. Nearly every PC owner has a copy, but it's not SUPPOSED to be free: Each time the program loads, a 30-day evaluation message pops up, with an "I Agree" box that moves around between uses to prevent blindly closing it. The message clearly states that after evaluation, you're expected to pay for further use. The cost isn't much -- I think I paid about $49US in 1999, when I started my company, and have never been hit with an upgrade fee since. It only took a couple of minutes to pay for it online, and I wasn't prevented from using my copy until the registration code arrived. So how come I'm about the only person I know who actually paid for a registration ID? I even walk into client companies and find the engineers using unlicensed copies. It's clearly not a question of too much money, nor an unclear user benefit.
Or let's look at the number of musicians who "trade" software with each other. It's not like trading my AN1x for your MS2000R; we both get to continue to use our traded items. And it's not just a question of cost: I've played with many a musician who doesn't believe in paying for licensed MIDI files, sheet music, recordings, or software. Their position wouldn't change by dropping the cost by 50%, 60%, or more; they don't want to pay ANYTHING for these items, even though they gain benefit from their use.
Regards,
-BW
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Bruce Wahler
Ashby Solutions™
http://music.ashbysolutions.com978.386.7389 voice/fax
bruce@...