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I don't like the "Pay What You Want" system they have to download the OS. It feels misleading that you have to click on custom then enter 0 to download for free

I don't like the "Pay What You Want" system they have to download the OS. It feels misleading that you have to click on custom then enter 0 to download for free. I totally understand how important donations are to keep a project going but this one rubs me off the wrong way. I hope I'm not the only one.

parf02 8y ago
I think it's totally fair they do this to be very honest.
xupybd 8y ago
I don’t mind it. It’s a reminder that you’re getting something for free and that you could donate. You have to enter 0 as oppposed to by default paying nothing.
saagarjha 8y ago
This is a relatively recent change. I remember that they used to be much clearer about this back in Loki.
- craftyguy 8y ago
  They've had this since at least 2015, so not really all that recent.
  - saagarjha 8y ago
    Must have been Freya, then.
craftyguy 8y ago
You're definitely not the only one. They have been called out before for this exact stunt: https://liliputing.com/2015/02/elementary-os-devs-say-youre-cheating-dont-pay-free-software.html https://liliputing.com/2015/02/elementary-os-devs-say-youre-... Along with the "you're cheating if you don't give us money" (paraphrasing) quip. There are better distros out there.
treeform 8y ago
That is like the first thing I saw too. I was not fooled. But maybe this system works better then a free + donate button. Only data can tell... Maybe people are donating more with this system?
- all2 8y ago
  I didn't see anything remotely like A/B/C testing. They might benefit from something like that.
ademup 8y ago
I love it. I feel that having the downloader physically typing the number zero ensures that the downloader understands that there is 'A' number that belongs there. It respects the downloader (no ads or pushy verbiage) while sending this message of 'yeah, it is free to use, and it costs money/time/resources to create, so your financial contribution would be appreciated.
dymk 8y ago
It’s just forcing you to confront the fact that you’re using software that others put a lot of effort into, for free. A simple fix to quell the bad feelings would be donate a few bucks. Win/win.
rijoja 8y ago
Nah .. everybody thinks that they will give contributions and are really charitable in their heads. When it comes down to reality however you never really donate. When it's pushed into your face like this there's an actual call to action to do it. If you want it for free you still get it. Remember this is for consumer oriented projects, they can't expect to get B2B support deals for keeping vital servers up and running. So why not. Maybe a slider would've done it better, because then the 0 value is made available in a different way. Like the humble bundle used to. But that's just nitpicking. And sliders with different platforms and whatever might get messy.
dlivingston 8y ago
This is a pretty common practice in the arts - Louis CK and Radiohead both used this to great effect. Indeed, my recollection is that Radiohead made more money on their album In Rainbows doing 'pay as much as you want' than their label paid them on previous records.

parf02 8y ago

I think it's totally fair they do this to be very honest.

xupybd 8y ago

I don’t mind it. It’s a reminder that you’re getting something for free and that you could donate. You have to enter 0 as oppposed to by default paying nothing.

saagarjha 8y ago

This is a relatively recent change. I remember that they used to be much clearer about this back in Loki.

craftyguy 8y ago
They've had this since at least 2015, so not really all that recent.
- saagarjha 8y ago
  Must have been Freya, then.

craftyguy 8y ago

You're definitely not the only one. They have been called out before for this exact stunt: https://liliputing.com/2015/02/elementary-os-devs-say-youre-cheating-dont-pay-free-software.html https://liliputing.com/2015/02/elementary-os-devs-say-youre-... Along with the "you're cheating if you don't give us money" (paraphrasing) quip. There are better distros out there.

treeform 8y ago

That is like the first thing I saw too. I was not fooled. But maybe this system works better then a free + donate button. Only data can tell... Maybe people are donating more with this system?

all2 8y ago
I didn't see anything remotely like A/B/C testing. They might benefit from something like that.

ademup 8y ago

I love it. I feel that having the downloader physically typing the number zero ensures that the downloader understands that there is 'A' number that belongs there. It respects the downloader (no ads or pushy verbiage) while sending this message of 'yeah, it is free to use, and it costs money/time/resources to create, so your financial contribution would be appreciated.

dymk 8y ago

It’s just forcing you to confront the fact that you’re using software that others put a lot of effort into, for free. A simple fix to quell the bad feelings would be donate a few bucks. Win/win.

rijoja 8y ago

Nah .. everybody thinks that they will give contributions and are really charitable in their heads. When it comes down to reality however you never really donate. When it's pushed into your face like this there's an actual call to action to do it. If you want it for free you still get it. Remember this is for consumer oriented projects, they can't expect to get B2B support deals for keeping vital servers up and running. So why not. Maybe a slider would've done it better, because then the 0 value is made available in a different way. Like the humble bundle used to. But that's just nitpicking. And sliders with different platforms and whatever might get messy.

dlivingston 8y ago

This is a pretty common practice in the arts - Louis CK and Radiohead both used this to great effect. Indeed, my recollection is that Radiohead made more money on their album In Rainbows doing 'pay as much as you want' than their label paid them on previous records.