> I also paid for the BOSCH drill I use, my 4K monitor, ergonomic chair and other such work tools, so why not pay for SW tools as well? None of these are a use

> I also paid for the BOSCH drill I use, my 4K monitor, ergonomic chair and other such work tools, so why not pay for SW tools as well? None of these are a useful comparison, since they're physical objects which cannot be infinitely copied, so the reasons to pay for them do not necessary apply to software. > Why NOT pay for software you use? Each person probably has a different answer, and the same person might have different answers in different situations. In my case, nearly all of the software I use is free software, which is offered free of charge (and any payment I make is actually a donation to the developer, not paying for the software).