There are outstanding softwares found on internet, which are extremely helpful, and have been downloaded millions of times. But they are totally free of cost. What is the objective of the software makers behind this when they make such softwares ang give it free? I mean, how do they make money by making free products?
2006-11-08 07:27:01 · 10 answers · asked by Anonymous in Computers & Internet ➔ Software
Well in a way they do make money:
They have advertising on their sites
People donate
Most have a free version and a pay to use version, people upgrade to the pay to use version if they think the free one is good
Also someone has to do it, there are millions of people out there doing nothing, and in my opinion programming is quite fun. Also some of these programs can be made by students etc. for projects.
2006-11-08 07:30:19 · answer #1 · answered by Wolf 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A really cool bunch of computer geeks started the concept and others followed. The reason for following is that you just need to download the software and install it. If it provides you with the functionalities that you wanted that's cool, if it doesn't work then you haven't payed a lot for the software anyway. The fact is that most of the time you can write the same piece of software yourself if you wanted, just by understanding the concept behind it. This would take you more time than you have and most commercial software packages do not provide that kind of functionality; the companies developing these commercial software packages do not want to invest in that field for just a few users.
You understand for example that you wouldn't get Ethereal (a network monitoring tool) functionalities for example in your Windows XP distribution; that's just an example.
And of course nobody would be willing to pay for some software that is cool but that they use in special and rare occasions.
2006-11-08 15:59:08 · answer #2 · answered by Franlee 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Why do people give charity? Why do people volunteer? Why do people just give their money/wealth/time away for no good reason when they can obviously put it to better use?
People don't always make rational decision. In fact, people hardly ever make logical decisions. This is one of them. They make software for free so obviously they get something in return. You think that the only possible thing they will want is money.
NO
There is satisfaction to be had. There is this prospect of knowing that you can achieve something. You can invent something new which never existed before or you can take something that already exists and make it much much better. Their goal is obviously not to make money.
Some people do it for spyware, adware, malware, and just to get you to come to their site. But some do it just for the hell of it.
2006-11-08 15:39:22 · answer #3 · answered by The Prince 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There are many reasons. Some folks make free software just for the hell of it. Other folks use free software as a medium to distribute adware/spyware (which is how money is made). AOL Instant Messenger, for example, has plenty of adware.
2006-11-08 15:29:54 · answer #4 · answered by gracious94 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Some people don't want to make money, they do it as a hobby, as an extended college project or because the ethos of computing and the internet is "free" and they believe in that ethos - it was Bill Gates' letter to the Homebrew Computer Club that stopped the free ethos (from his point of view anyway)
-- I am not charging for this information and you are welcome to it and all the other knowledge I have
2006-11-08 15:31:46 · answer #5 · answered by cool_clearwater 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Not everyones' ambition in life is to make money. Thankfully there are some good people left in this world that would create free softwares to benefet web users, especially the people that are vulnerable to internet predators.
2006-11-08 15:34:59 · answer #6 · answered by echam 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They are not backed up by big corporations so it would cost too much to get their software on the market.
2006-11-08 15:29:58 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Nothing is totally free in this world if you read the acceptation Agreement before you click '"YES ACCEPT" you will be surprise
2006-11-08 15:40:14 · answer #8 · answered by Letal. 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because nobody will pay for software, so it has to be free.
2006-11-08 15:28:45 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I do it as a hobby. Keeps the skills and the mind sharp.
2006-11-08 15:35:43 · answer #10 · answered by SpankyTClown 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋