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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 the

• 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.