Comments on: Why I don’t do software giveaways http://www.rarst.net/thoughts/software-giveaway/ cynical thoughts on software and web Tue, 22 May 2012 09:35:35 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Rarst http://www.rarst.net/thoughts/software-giveaway/#comment-66881 Rarst Sun, 19 Dec 2010 19:53:14 +0000 http://www.rarst.net/?p=691#comment-66881 <a href="#comment-66757"><strong>@wdhpr</strong></a> <blockquote>A chance to have unfettered use of quality software.</blockquote> Most of giveaway offers I get contacted about are low to mid range fluff, not high quality products with reputation. <blockquote>A chance to have unfettered use of quality software.</blockquote> That is what trial versions are for. Giveaways are not about giving a taste, they are cheap (literally) attempt to pull consumers` strings. @wdhpr

A chance to have unfettered use of quality software.

Most of giveaway offers I get contacted about are low to mid range fluff, not high quality products with reputation.

A chance to have unfettered use of quality software.

That is what trial versions are for. Giveaways are not about giving a taste, they are cheap (literally) attempt to pull consumers` strings.

]]> By: wdhpr http://www.rarst.net/thoughts/software-giveaway/#comment-66757 wdhpr Sun, 19 Dec 2010 00:44:39 +0000 http://www.rarst.net/?p=691#comment-66757 Sounds to me like your throwing the baby out with the bath water. Although I somewhat understand your logic you miss the point of give-aways from the consumers view. A chance to have unfettered use of quality software. Of course some free offers are not quality. If I the consumer likes what I see I will buy the product after it becomes obsolete. That is far better than buying something thats is over hyped and finding out its a dud. I guess its a matter of perspective. Wdhpr Sounds to me like your throwing the baby out with the bath water. Although I somewhat understand your logic you miss the point of give-aways from the consumers view. A chance to have unfettered use of quality software. Of course some free offers are not quality. If I the consumer likes what I see I will buy the product after it becomes obsolete. That is far better than buying something thats is over hyped and finding out its a dud. I guess its a matter of perspective.

Wdhpr

]]> By: Rarst http://www.rarst.net/thoughts/software-giveaway/#comment-32353 Rarst Sat, 21 Aug 2010 00:13:20 +0000 http://www.rarst.net/?p=691#comment-32353 @Pallab Nothing against shareware, but it isn't focus of this blog. This post is more about my blog and less of some generic judgement on giveaways overall. I think review is natural part of giveaway or more like giveaway should only be bonus to review. Recommending stuff without caring what it is borders "selling out". @Pallab

Nothing against shareware, but it isn’t focus of this blog. This post is more about my blog and less of some generic judgement on giveaways overall.

I think review is natural part of giveaway or more like giveaway should only be bonus to review. Recommending stuff without caring what it is borders “selling out”.

]]> By: Pallab http://www.rarst.net/thoughts/software-giveaway/#comment-32188 Pallab Fri, 20 Aug 2010 08:14:29 +0000 http://www.rarst.net/?p=691#comment-32188 Interesting reasoning. I am not averse to doing giveaways, but then I am not averse to reviewing sharewares either. However, I always review a product before agreeing to do a giveaway. No point in giving away a product, that I myself don't like. Interesting reasoning. I am not averse to doing giveaways, but then I am not averse to reviewing sharewares either. However, I always review a product before agreeing to do a giveaway. No point in giving away a product, that I myself don’t like.

]]> By: Geek Squeaks’ of the Week (#71) « What's On My PC http://www.rarst.net/thoughts/software-giveaway/#comment-28777 Geek Squeaks’ of the Week (#71) « What's On My PC Wed, 04 Aug 2010 08:32:02 +0000 http://www.rarst.net/?p=691#comment-28777 [...] Rarst.net Why I don’t do software giveaways [...] [...] Rarst.net Why I don’t do software giveaways [...]

]]> By: Rarst http://www.rarst.net/thoughts/software-giveaway/#comment-27602 Rarst Wed, 28 Jul 2010 16:29:53 +0000 http://www.rarst.net/?p=691#comment-27602 @Sandrina Well, you can get lucky but most of the time it's hardly the usual case. Books are much nicer than software for giveaways. Good book is meaningful to read at least once and there are no update strings attached. I do have few books from giveaways queued to read myself. @kelltic As above - you can score good freebies sometimes, and there is really no reason not to grab something you might have use for. But I completely agree that software blog just isn't good place for giveaways (well, unless it's completely dedicated to them). @Sandrina

Well, you can get lucky but most of the time it’s hardly the usual case.

Books are much nicer than software for giveaways. Good book is meaningful to read at least once and there are no update strings attached.

I do have few books from giveaways queued to read myself.

@kelltic

As above – you can score good freebies sometimes, and there is really no reason not to grab something you might have use for.

But I completely agree that software blog just isn’t good place for giveaways (well, unless it’s completely dedicated to them).

]]> By: kelltic http://www.rarst.net/thoughts/software-giveaway/#comment-27590 kelltic Wed, 28 Jul 2010 14:23:19 +0000 http://www.rarst.net/?p=691#comment-27590 I don't visit blog sites for giveaways. I like your attitude. That's why I check out your site regularly. That said, I've gotten some great freebies (elsewhere), most notably Concept Draw, that carry huge price tags, which I could never have justified paying. Not the newest and can never updated but that doesn't really matter to me. Anyway, my point is, (Did I have one?) blog sites don't, in my humble opinion, seem the right places for giveaways. I applaud your decision. I don’t visit blog sites for giveaways. I like your attitude. That’s why I check out your site regularly.

That said, I’ve gotten some great freebies (elsewhere), most notably Concept Draw, that carry huge price tags, which I could never have justified paying. Not the newest and can never updated but that doesn’t really matter to me.

Anyway, my point is, (Did I have one?) blog sites don’t, in my humble opinion, seem the right places for giveaways. I applaud your decision.

]]> By: Sandrina http://www.rarst.net/thoughts/software-giveaway/#comment-27565 Sandrina Wed, 28 Jul 2010 11:51:48 +0000 http://www.rarst.net/?p=691#comment-27565 I have received couple of rewards on giveaways, and it depends, I got really disappointed when one of my licences of a really good software stopped working after two weeks (I just got used to it and after a while it stopped working :( ), the other software was a free licence for software which I don't use regularly, but it was handy having it couple of times, so I really started liking that software and recommended it around afterwards (I am not sure if it gets updated regularly or they just gave me old version), third one (from a best answers contest) was a very good book. I have received couple of rewards on giveaways, and it depends, I got really disappointed when one of my licences of a really good software stopped working after two weeks (I just got used to it and after a while it stopped working :( ), the other software was a free licence for software which I don’t use regularly, but it was handy having it couple of times, so I really started liking that software and recommended it around afterwards (I am not sure if it gets updated regularly or they just gave me old version), third one (from a best answers contest) was a very good book.

]]> By: Rarst http://www.rarst.net/thoughts/software-giveaway/#comment-27504 Rarst Wed, 28 Jul 2010 04:02:45 +0000 http://www.rarst.net/?p=691#comment-27504 @Henk I don't follow giveaways closely, but time-limited license doesn't seem to be usual case (except for antivirus software that is more of subscription than software really). I agree on this case being especially crappy one. Still even without time limit there are often prices for major version upgrades... And such apps have to upgrade every year if not more often for some reason. :) Old version still works, but it is old... I think that buying shareware with lifetime upgrades is actually better deal than getting it for free but being trapped in cycle of paid updates. @Henk

I don’t follow giveaways closely, but time-limited license doesn’t seem to be usual case (except for antivirus software that is more of subscription than software really). I agree on this case being especially crappy one.

Still even without time limit there are often prices for major version upgrades… And such apps have to upgrade every year if not more often for some reason. :) Old version still works, but it is old…

I think that buying shareware with lifetime upgrades is actually better deal than getting it for free but being trapped in cycle of paid updates.

]]> By: Henk http://www.rarst.net/thoughts/software-giveaway/#comment-27454 Henk Tue, 27 Jul 2010 22:38:59 +0000 http://www.rarst.net/?p=691#comment-27454 @Rarst: As almost always, I highly value your well-argued, no-nonsense, take-it-apart-and-rationally-analyze-the-fad-of-the-day approach. In this case I fully agree. I'd like to add one more point to consider: often, those giveaways are licenses valid for just one or if you're lucky, two years. If you don't want to pay afterwards, you'll have to uninstall that piece of software you just got used to. Meaning it's actually not a giveaway at all, but just a loan. @Rarst:
As almost always, I highly value your well-argued, no-nonsense, take-it-apart-and-rationally-analyze-the-fad-of-the-day approach. In this case I fully agree.
I’d like to add one more point to consider: often, those giveaways are licenses valid for just one or if you’re lucky, two years. If you don’t want to pay afterwards, you’ll have to uninstall that piece of software you just got used to. Meaning it’s actually not a giveaway at all, but just a loan.

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