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I have been writing ToDoList (http://www.codeproject.com/Articles/5371/ToDoList-An-effective-and-flexible-way-to-keep-on http://www.codeproject.com/Articles/537

I have been writing ToDoList (http://www.codeproject.com/Articles/5371/ToDoList-An-effective-and-flexible-way-to-keep-on http://www.codeproject.com/Articles/5371/ToDoList-An-effecti...) as freeware for nearly 12 years and never regretted a minute. I have a day job and write ToDoList purely for fun/joy. A Thriving community has grown up around it, it has provoked a number of people to develop related tools and has kept the passion alive when my day job (also programming) sometimes sucked.

paulryanrogers 11y ago
Interesting perspective, thanks for taking the time to share. I'd imagine that most people who do open source are in a similar situation. That is, expenses already paid. Yet such efforts also appear to undermine the value of your profession as a whole. Consider the poor-yet-educated developer (maybe strait out of college or living in the 3rd world) with a great idea for a to-do application like yours. He pours precious time and effort into his work. Then after establishing his product someone with time to spare starts giving away a free alternative. The poor developer cannot compete as more and more of his consumers, and potential customers, opt for the free project. Quality and execution are the arguments I often read in response to such an argument. Yet the sacrifice of the poor developer just to get basic functionality are greater than those of us who already have a day job. While I love to share, create, and avoid reinventing the wheel; I'd also like others to enjoy at least some of the career and benefits I've been blessed with.
- abstractspoon 11y ago
  But if no one does create that app then my app never gets written... So it's not really a working argument. And if I charge for it and no one buys it, what then, should I give up or make it open-source? What if that 'person' can use my software for free and in doing so save some money so that they can write the software they want to?
  - paulryanrogers 11y ago
    > But if no one does create that app then my app never gets written You could write it and release it at a price equivalent to your time and effort. You could even include the source for personal modification and offer free updates to anyone who contributes back to the project. Or write it yourself and keep it private. > And if I charge for it and no one buys it, what then, should I give up or make it open-source? Pricing is an art, so I imagine some experimentation is in order. I've begun doing so myself. Making it open source, as in no cost to redistribute, would still devalue programming as a paid profession; even if it's hard to see at the micro level. > What if that 'person' can use my software for free and in doing so save some money so that they can write the software they want to? Good counter-point. Some producers do benefit indirectly as they are also consumers of tools. Yet if they ultimately find it harder to get paying work--because the market as a whole expects software below cost--then the net effect looks negative to me.

paulryanrogers 11y ago

Interesting perspective, thanks for taking the time to share. I'd imagine that most people who do open source are in a similar situation. That is, expenses already paid. Yet such efforts also appear to undermine the value of your profession as a whole. Consider the poor-yet-educated developer (maybe strait out of college or living in the 3rd world) with a great idea for a to-do application like yours. He pours precious time and effort into his work. Then after establishing his product someone with time to spare starts giving away a free alternative. The poor developer cannot compete as more and more of his consumers, and potential customers, opt for the free project. Quality and execution are the arguments I often read in response to such an argument. Yet the sacrifice of the poor developer just to get basic functionality are greater than those of us who already have a day job. While I love to share, create, and avoid reinventing the wheel; I'd also like others to enjoy at least some of the career and benefits I've been blessed with.

abstractspoon 11y ago
But if no one does create that app then my app never gets written... So it's not really a working argument. And if I charge for it and no one buys it, what then, should I give up or make it open-source? What if that 'person' can use my software for free and in doing so save some money so that they can write the software they want to?
- paulryanrogers 11y ago
  > But if no one does create that app then my app never gets written You could write it and release it at a price equivalent to your time and effort. You could even include the source for personal modification and offer free updates to anyone who contributes back to the project. Or write it yourself and keep it private. > And if I charge for it and no one buys it, what then, should I give up or make it open-source? Pricing is an art, so I imagine some experimentation is in order. I've begun doing so myself. Making it open source, as in no cost to redistribute, would still devalue programming as a paid profession; even if it's hard to see at the micro level. > What if that 'person' can use my software for free and in doing so save some money so that they can write the software they want to? Good counter-point. Some producers do benefit indirectly as they are also consumers of tools. Yet if they ultimately find it harder to get paying work--because the market as a whole expects software below cost--then the net effect looks negative to me.