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Paying Freeware Authors?

Is FS website owners paying freeware authors a good idea?

  • Total voters
    84
P

pashley

Guest
Hi Guys,

I'm Patrick Ashley, and I started a new website, FlightSimulatorXWorld.com

This is not an ad for the site. However, this being a freeware designers forum, I thought this might be a great place to pose this question...

How would you feel about designers like yourselves getting paid for your product?

I know this will bring some strong responses, but here me out...

I realize that the FS world is very heavily community driven; people helping people for the sake of doing it. That's great, we need more of that on the internet! Authors like yourself make product for the sake of giving it away, and you find satisfaction in others having a good time with it. I get that.

With FSX, it's my understanding that making quality product is much more time consuming. My concern is that people like yourselves will stop producing good, free stuff, because of this lenghty time committment, versus the payback that might come from it. In short, I'm wondering if quality freeware will dry up, because authors just don't want to put THAT much time into it.

That's were this idea (again, just an idea!) of paying guys like yourselves for quality product comes in.

I'm not talking about you setting up a paypal account, and people have to buy the product from you!

Rather, I'm talking about owners of FS sites, like myself, giving you some amount of renumeration for your hard work. I'm not talking lots of money here either; my thought was to make some sort of payment based on number of downloads, ratings, or reviews of the product. I'm not talking lots of money here, but some small amount to give to the author to say thanks for all the work you did, and please keep it coming.

The money would not come from users downloading your product; rather, it would come from the site owner. And no, they don't have to pay any extra for download speeds. I don't do that at FlightSimulatorXWorld.com. My money comes from tutorial subscriptions. All else, including file downloads is unfettered and free.

Again, this is just a thought I had to help keep the freeware side of FS going strong, given the lead time with makeing FSX product.

I'd appreciate your courteous thoughts on this matter.
 
pashley said:
Hi Guys,

I'm Patrick Ashley, and I started a new website, FlightSimulatorXWorld.com

This is not an ad for the site. However, this being a freeware designers forum, I thought this might be a great place to pose this question...

How would you feel about designers like yourselves getting paid for your product?

I know this will bring some strong responses, but here me out...

I realize that the FS world is very heavily community driven; people helping people for the sake of doing it. That's great, we need more of that on the internet! Authors like yourself make product for the sake of giving it away, and you find satisfaction in others having a good time with it. I get that.

With FSX, it's my understanding that making quality product is much more time consuming. My concern is that people like yourselves will stop producing good, free stuff, because of this lenghty time committment, versus the payback that might come from it. In short, I'm wondering if quality freeware will dry up, because authors just don't want to put THAT much time into it.

That's were this idea (again, just an idea!) of paying guys like yourselves for quality product comes in.

I'm not talking about you setting up a paypal account, and people have to buy the product from you!

Rather, I'm talking about owners of FS sites, like myself, giving you some amount of renumeration for your hard work. I'm not talking lots of money here either; my thought was to make some sort of payment based on number of downloads, ratings, or reviews of the product. I'm not talking lots of money here, but some small amount to give to the author to say thanks for all the work you did, and please keep it coming.

The money would not come from users downloading your product; rather, it would come from the site owner. And no, they don't have to pay any extra for download speeds. I don't do that at FlightSimulatorXWorld.com. My money comes from tutorial subscriptions. All else, including file downloads is unfettered and free.

Again, this is just a thought I had to help keep the freeware side of FS going strong, given the lead time with makeing FSX product.

I'd appreciate your courteous thoughts on this matter.
Click to expand...

Checked your site......very flimsy to start with monthly and yearly charges, make some history first...:isadizzy:
 
Flimsy? What do you mean?

And I did state that I charge for Tutorials only, nothing else.
 
As a freeware painter, I won't need anybody's money for my work. Neither yours nor users'.

As a user, I won't pay a penny for tutorials, aircraft, sound pack or whatever that is available for free elsewhere.

Meanwhile, I appreciate the fact that you are not planning on stealing files off other sites and selling them via compulsory subscriptions like FlyAwaySimulation people do. I've said this on HoverControl and I'm saying it here, again: that is day light robbery.
 
It,s a nice thought but I dont see that one possible.I see it as a recipe for disaster..If you want to spoil the spirit of free sharing throw some money in. With the traffic of your website at the moment were are talking nonsense from the start.:icon_lol: I think it,s just masked self promotion,wich is ok,i wish you luck with your new site ! Who,s doing freeware is doing it from passion only. Some coins wont change that. Who wants money compensation for their time and effort can always join the payware side of the FS world.:ernae:
 
Well, if you like a particular freeware release an anonymous donation will do as much as your idea.

However, even this by no means guarantees that a freeware developer will continue throwing out quality releases till kingdom come.
There'll always be the day when the fire's out or something else is more interesting than gmax or FFDS.

As a freeware developer, you have the liberty to do what you want when you want in the way you want.
Money, especially bound to certain conditions is more of a leash than a benefit.
 
Personally I have a lot more freeware stuff than I do payware,and fly them more,but I do have a lot of payware also, but when one retires he can't buy every new plane that comes out.House payments,food,and and all the other bills are much more important.If everything was payware it would kill this hobby for me,and I'm sure a lot of others.God bless those that develope planes and such simply for the love of our hobby.
 
I looked at the site...and it looks very professional. Two things (This is purely constructive criticism)

-I noticed the "small print" in the "join" panel... that could seem a little shady to some. I think you should just come out and tell everything...
-I noticed that you had Google Ads on your site. They weren't distracting or overbearing so you should be commended. Perhaps rather than selling memberships, you should set up "partnerships" with freeware designers in which they get a custom, personal area on your site where they can talk about new releases and post files for download. In return they'll get Ad revenue.

Good luck with the new endeavor! :ernae:
 
Thoe6969: Again, this is not something you, the user would pay for, rather the website would. Youd would download normally, for free, per ususal.djscoo : I have the small print in the join box just so people know up front that tutorials are a paid membership feature, and not part of the free membership - just trying to give people a head's up on that. Regarding the Google ads - we'll have to see. They don't generate that much revenue, although I've only been up two weeks, so it's too early to tell.

Thanks to both of you!
 
Interesting - yes
Altruistic - yes

Practicable? I think some of the response here already answered that.

Your site looks interesting enough to bookmark (which I now have) and to visit quite a few times (which I will). Certainly you'll need a thick skin for a while but I have no doubt that the site has potential. So don't let the nay-sayers get you down here.

Strange... your logo looks like it has a tad "aussim" influence in the style. Nice. Although personally I'd try to avoid personal subjective statements sach as "...allows you to access our awesome animated tutorials..."

Of course you are convinced your product is awesome. But that is a subjective opinion and the average simmer is a jaded forty-something who is not easily impressed by self praise. Of course, this is my own subjective opinion ingrained upon me by some years editing D-Moz entries (They don't like 'subjective' in any shape, colour or size...)

But otherwise... an interesting site to watch and maybe report on in one of my other roles.

Good luck Patrick, with your enterprise.
 
This is my personal opinion
not as admin here but from Henry the sim enthusiast
once money is involved creations take on a different
perspective, there is always a second reason
and a tie, Money does not come out of the air
wish it did but it doesnt:kilroy:
I am assuming that it would come from your site
and the creators if only uploaded them to your site
you would get traffic hence more money to you
and pass some along to the creators
basically thats payware
i do not believe that most freeware creators
would go that route
could be wrong but im not often
H
 
Another thought...you should offer a free example tutorial of something simple so users can get an idea what they're in for.:wiggle:
 
Great, yet another FS site to divide and dilute the simming community even further :applause:
 
You forgot one option in the poll so I will vote my mind here.

  • I follow the ELUA that the author has set forth and if its payware I buy, it if is freeware it remains free...
Now would I donate to a particular author for their creation?

Yes I own all of the Donationware FS9 aircraft availible at the Outhouse.

Even the models I could have got for free on the respective freeware sites.

You might think that the authors of the Donationware aircraft did not get paid for those purchases but in a way they did. I supported that which they thought important enough to donate their hard work and effort to support this site.

You will not see me joining your site but best of wishes to you. :guinness:
 
Well......no. I restrict my initial distribution to three major freeware distributors. That way, when there is an update, I only have to swap files out three times, and I can tell folks where to go to get the latest and greatest pretty easily.

I don't even like the idea of a "Premium" membership where you have to pay for download speed. Two of the three sites above have premium memberships available, but don't require participation to get the downloads. I'm not a premium member of any of them.

Other freeware folks may feel differently, but that's the way I work it and it's comfortable for me.

Jim
 
I won't put it in quite the same phrasing, but I agree with the sentiment of 97J... Unfortunately while I can see your idea and in an ideal world would support it, in the current climate I can't.

I, as a freeware developer (albeit a pretty pathetic one), would not put files on your site. As has been proven time and time again in this hobby, the moment you introduce money to the equation it changes things totally. The expectations grow exponentially (and greatly to the detriment of the developer) as soon as you ask for money or, more critically, the people downloading your product believe you are getting money for it.

So while being paid is a boost for the developers, whether the income is advertising generated or direct from individuals, the insistence that they will produce payware quality products in return will become very great indeed from the most vocal "customers" - those who expected more than they feel they got.

In my opinion, which I accept holds little value whatsoever, I feel this is not the right idea at this time. Sorry.
 
I'm not too proud to take donations but as for charging, can't see it, I just don't like being committed to something and not being ultimately the one in charge, too much responsibility for my meager mind also, lol. :ernae:
 
Hmmm, being paid for my repaints?
Why?
I do it for fun, for myself, and if others like it, that's fine by me.
If they don't, that's fine too.
Money would change everything I fear..
 
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