I see lots of people commenting about the release of a new #Mastodon client for #iOS #iPhone and asking the dev:
Why is it free? Why don't I have to pay? How're you going to monetise this?
It's really odd how people just accept the Apple way of paying over the odds for something they could get for free on #Android. Android has several fantastic open source clients, which fits really well with the general Mastodon ethos. #FOSS
Apple is just marketing over substance. Better alternatives exist.
@druid It's also a trap for developers. With free software, you have users, and some of them may have the ability to help you fix bugs or may contribute code (not all of them, though - in most cases the vast majority of your users will not be coders or developers, and developers shoot themselves in the foot when they don't recognize that. The exception is if your software is a tool primarily used by coders and developers).
However, with paid software you have CUSTOMERS. And CUSTOMERS feel they have the right to demand your attention. After all, they paid their hard-earned money for your product and if it doesn't work the way they expect, then you had damn well better hop to and fix whatever the problem is, or they will leave you terrible reviews and do whatever they can to make you sound incompentent, lazy, or evil. And that will have a negative effect on future sales!
I realize I am generalizing and there are exceptions and outliers that don't fit these patterns, and especially with free software you will still have a few demanding users, but you can ignore them if you choose to because it's not like they can affect your sales. They may, with or without justification, persuade others not to use your software, but that won't take any food off your table or leave you shivering in the cold.
