In my last article I talked about why freeware usually doesn't succeed as a long term competitor to commercial software. In a nutshell it was because freeware authors tend to start their programs because it interests them, then they stick with it because they feel a loyalty to their "user base" but then eventually stop developing either from lack of time, losing interest totally, or (very commonly) because their "user base" abandoned them suddenly.

Now, predictably, some freeware advocates pointed out a bunch of successful "freeware". They apparently didn't understand the point (since after all, the most popular freeware programs in the Windows customization community are made by us so I obviously don't have some axe to grind against freeware programs). And open source programs aren't necessarily freeware (nor can you really compare a "freeware" program created by "Joe Developer" with some browser created by a team of professional, salaried software developers.

I personally use freeware whenver I can. I'm cheap. If a free program will do the job, I'll use it.  But on the other hand, if I have something I've got to do and the freeware won't do the job, I'll gladly pay money for it.  (case in point, I'm about to stop using free CamStudio for my video demos and go to HyperSnap's product because CamStudio's too flakey).

Every community has its zealots.  The point I was trying to illustrate is the inevitable EFFECTS of zealot behavior. In this case, I was pointing out how the fickle nature of freeware communities tend to drive freeware developers into the commercial camp.

Let me give you a common scenario (this is a fictional example):

Joe Developer gets interested in making a really cool calculator program. He's interested in making such a calculator but decides one day to put out his first "Beta" version onto a site he frequents called "NeatGadgets.com".  Within a few weeks, a forum is made for him on NeatGadgets.com and a bunch of "regulars" start praising him.

Pretty soon every time he releases a new version of his calculator, some of the people from his "community" go out and start posting and about it elsewhere. They evangalize it.  They tell Joe how great he is and how much better his program is than commercial calculators are.

Over time, Joe gets busier and busier with other things but keeps at it because he feels responsible to his "customers" (the community). He doesn't want to let them down. So many weekends are spent putting in request X and Y that came in from his "customers". At this point, his calculator is pretty damn impressive. It's very feature rich, very solid.

Then one day, he logs on, and a new guy, Bill Developer, has released his first build of his free calculator. It's rough and doesn't do anything that Joe's calculator already do and do better. But suddenly, many, even most of Joe's "community" flocks over there, some of them saying how much better it is than Joe's calculator. And in fact, suddenly, when Joe makes a new release, no one even comments on the new release or reposts about it on other news sites. In fact, some of them will come on and say "Joe's Calculator is crap, you should try Bill's calculator!"

Now Joe feels hurt and betrayed. He thought of these people as his friends, his supporters. But they weren't really supporting him or his program. They were simply supporting the CONCEPT of free software and for them, the goal is to have LOTS of free software in quantity.

Joe then calls up Commercial Calculator Corp. and starts talking to them.  Pretty soon, a new calculator is being made that's even better because he's being paid to do it and he already liked doing this stuff anyway. And the free calculator disappears or lags and those same people who had previously betrayed him are calling him greedy or worse.

I've seen that scenario play out so many times over the years that it's amazing how predictable it is.

In the commercial world, what do I care if some guy like Byron is running around pissing about some half-baked freeware program.  If someone likes my work, they hopefully purchase it. If they later decide something is better, that's fine, they can go use that.  

In the commercial world, there's a certain..fairness. While I hope that our customers will be loyal to us, I don't expect it. If another product comes out and they switch to that, I am not going to have my feelings hurt in the same way that I would if I were devoting countless hours of my free time to them.  

What happens is that many freeware developers start to mistake their supporters as customers. And the "currency" their customers pay them in is through their support, appreciation, and accolates.  So when, inevitably, some/most/all those supporters instantly flock to the latest/greatest  freeware gadget, the developer feels hurt and betrayed. He can't get that free time back. He has nothing at all to show for his lost weekends and nights.  The commercial developer, by contrast, might still feel a bit of a sting but at least they were able to earn a living or at the very least be able to have bought a new computer or paid for a trip to Disney World or whatever. 

The OS/2 market was full of similar zealots. They would lobby for a product to be made for OS/2 and then not buy it when it came out. They didn't really want the product to use, they just wanted to add another notch to the OS/2 software catalog.  The freeware idealogues are much the same way. They don't really care about the actual program or the developers. They just want to (as some people in related threads) to list off a bunch of quality freeware programs that exist.