aevaAug 14, 2024

#poll Have you ever paid for software when it was optional to do so?

EDIT: If you only occasionally pay for software when it is optional, please reply with what sorts of software you typically do and don't pay for.

yes, always
7.9%
yes, but only rarely
78%
no, but maybe some day
9.6%
no, lol
4.5%
Poll ended at .
Show threadSteffo (moving)
@aeva uhhh, more than rarely but less than always?
Aug 14, 2024 at 5:11pmWeb
Show threadLuke (Shiv)Aug 14, 2024
@steffo @aeva Also in the "yes, sometimes" group. (But I voted "yes, rarely".)
Show threadaevaAug 14, 2024
@Shivaekul @steffo question for both of you: what makes you more or less likely to pay for software when it's not required?
Show threadClickyMcTickerAug 14, 2024
@aeva @Shivaekul @steffo
1. How useful the software is
2. How the developer asks (or doesn’t ask)
3. Whether the developer sells support to businesses
4. How transparent the developer is with finances
5. Whether they’ve been involved in a scandal
Show threadClickyMcTickerAug 14, 2024

@aeva @Shivaekul @steffo
6. Whether licenses are perpetual or not

I’m not paying a subscription for mediocre closed source software that nags me to pay from a developer that charges businesses and abuses customers

I want to support developers that support me.

Show threadLuke (Shiv)Aug 14, 2024
@aeva @steffo The short little "Hi, We are a small group of devs that made this out of love, but any money you could spare would be greatly appreciated" blurbs tend to work for me. That and the smaller the team producing it. Guess it just makes me feel like I'm supporting *people* who are trying to do good. (Also lack of fuckery, any fuckery and I nope out, that's why I've been trying to be more intentional about supporting good creators.)
Show threadSteffo (moving)Aug 15, 2024

@aeva Hmmm, for me the main factors I can think of are, in order of importance:

  • my current financial availability
  • how much use I find for the software
  • how much potential I see in the software for the future
  • the absence of dark patterns
  • the availability of the source code
  • how transparent the developer is with the payments they receive
  • the platform they collect payments on

    • (Example: I really dislike paying via Patreon due to poor previous experiences, even more so if the creator does not display the current number of patrons and the amount of money received per-month, but I’d still be willing to pay there if the software is very useful.)

    Show threadMistyAug 14, 2024
    @steffo @aeva Haha yeah, I feel like there’s a gap between those options. Though mastodon doesn’t really give enough poll options
    Show threadaevaAug 14, 2024
    @misty @steffo yup, only 4 options on my server 🤷‍♀️