4 ms·

Or maybe when they searched for a crack and found your smug page, they get pissed because they were trapped, and some get even more pissed when they were instru

by jimmies 10y ago

Or maybe when they searched for a crack and found your smug page, they get pissed because they were trapped, and some get even more pissed when they were instructed to beg for a license. I wonder if you see a difference if you just put out a button on the page (that is not searchable by an engine) with a 75% off coupon, so they feel like they 'saved' the money by just being smarter than other people. To you as a software developer, I don't think it will hurt the business because those are the ones that aren't going to pay the full price anyway (and because the coupon cannot be shared/searched as a standard discount, you won't risk people who are willing to pay the full price).

tlogan 10y ago
We had it on pricing page. But it does not matter - because that is not the point. You should not have these kind of people (rude, pathological, etc.) as customers because they will hurt your business. If you cannot get money from somebody at least that person needs to be nice so that your support is not stressed out, you have pleasure working with that person, etc.
- jimmies 10y ago
  If you don't want them as your customers in the first place, then why bother setting up the honeypot to trap them and convince them to pay?
  - biot 10y ago
    The article's author is Andy Brice. I see no evidence that HN user tlogan setup a honeypot page, let alone a "smug" one. As tlogan claimed, the ability to get a discounted or free copy was directly on their pricing page.
  - tlogan 10y ago
    > If you don't want them as your customers in the first place, > then why bother setting up the honeypot to trap them and > convince them to pay? Because stupid me was thinking that people who are looking for discount / free do not have money (students, financial difficulties, etc.) and they need help. No - that is not the case. Majority of people who are looking for discount / free are pathological.
    - jcoffland 10y ago
      Now you've become another one of the angry people who's angry that everyone else is so angry.
    - jimmies 10y ago
      I don't know about you and how you set up your page, but I think how you approach those people matter too. I have seen Parted Magic's author, Patrick, being a pain in the ass about offering a free student version [1]. So in that case, technically a student version is provided, I don't think anyone would ever choose to beg for the license, or they will send an email and say mean things. Of course, his intention might be good, but with that page, no one would want to take his good intention. Case in point, so even I was a student, I still chose to pay full price for Parted Magic after reading that (not very happy, but OK), and got a download link to a version that had a bug (very disappointed). So what did I do? I didn't bother to ask the author for anything, fearing I will upset him, and just went ahead and downloaded another version on thepiratebay that works. Can it be handled differently instead of having that page ranting about people being assholes? I think so. Just ask them to verify the .edu address automatically by sending them an automated email. I am sure I am so much happier being offered a 50% discount being a student and get verified automatically than to get a free version when I beg. https://partedmagic.com/students/ https://partedmagic.com/students/
      - ygaf 10y ago
        You've been giving valuable insight in these posts, but that page isn't asking for begging, the message is simply "be a legit student".
        jimmies 10y ago
        I think having to provide a scanned ID and driver's license, and being reminded "you can't afford it?" and "have some self respect" is far from requesting the person just "being a legit student." It is saying I don't trust you being a good person by default, and I pity you for not being able to pay for it. You give discount or free program then just do it, like how MS do dreamspark, don't do it and antagonize people like that. Everyone knows that a person having to resort to those kinds of discounts are tight on budget - they aren't willing to pay whatever the price the author asks. Rubbing on those aspects is, to me, being a pain in the ass - which the author does have a right to. But everyone else does have a right to what they do as well, to which they might choose to either unhappily not take that offer and pay, or unhappily not take that offer and pirate. In which case, the whole discounted/free student thing becomes a joke, rather than actually helping anyone.

by jimmies 10y ago

tlogan 10y ago

We had it on pricing page. But it does not matter - because that is not the point. You should not have these kind of people (rude, pathological, etc.) as customers because they will hurt your business. If you cannot get money from somebody at least that person needs to be nice so that your support is not stressed out, you have pleasure working with that person, etc.

jimmies 10y ago
If you don't want them as your customers in the first place, then why bother setting up the honeypot to trap them and convince them to pay?
- biot 10y ago
  The article's author is Andy Brice. I see no evidence that HN user tlogan setup a honeypot page, let alone a "smug" one. As tlogan claimed, the ability to get a discounted or free copy was directly on their pricing page.
- tlogan 10y ago
  > If you don't want them as your customers in the first place, > then why bother setting up the honeypot to trap them and > convince them to pay? Because stupid me was thinking that people who are looking for discount / free do not have money (students, financial difficulties, etc.) and they need help. No - that is not the case. Majority of people who are looking for discount / free are pathological.
  - jcoffland 10y ago
    Now you've become another one of the angry people who's angry that everyone else is so angry.
  - jimmies 10y ago
    I don't know about you and how you set up your page, but I think how you approach those people matter too. I have seen Parted Magic's author, Patrick, being a pain in the ass about offering a free student version [1]. So in that case, technically a student version is provided, I don't think anyone would ever choose to beg for the license, or they will send an email and say mean things. Of course, his intention might be good, but with that page, no one would want to take his good intention. Case in point, so even I was a student, I still chose to pay full price for Parted Magic after reading that (not very happy, but OK), and got a download link to a version that had a bug (very disappointed). So what did I do? I didn't bother to ask the author for anything, fearing I will upset him, and just went ahead and downloaded another version on thepiratebay that works. Can it be handled differently instead of having that page ranting about people being assholes? I think so. Just ask them to verify the .edu address automatically by sending them an automated email. I am sure I am so much happier being offered a 50% discount being a student and get verified automatically than to get a free version when I beg. https://partedmagic.com/students/ https://partedmagic.com/students/
    - ygaf 10y ago
      You've been giving valuable insight in these posts, but that page isn't asking for begging, the message is simply "be a legit student".
      - jimmies 10y ago
        I think having to provide a scanned ID and driver's license, and being reminded "you can't afford it?" and "have some self respect" is far from requesting the person just "being a legit student." It is saying I don't trust you being a good person by default, and I pity you for not being able to pay for it. You give discount or free program then just do it, like how MS do dreamspark, don't do it and antagonize people like that. Everyone knows that a person having to resort to those kinds of discounts are tight on budget - they aren't willing to pay whatever the price the author asks. Rubbing on those aspects is, to me, being a pain in the ass - which the author does have a right to. But everyone else does have a right to what they do as well, to which they might choose to either unhappily not take that offer and pay, or unhappily not take that offer and pirate. In which case, the whole discounted/free student thing becomes a joke, rather than actually helping anyone.