The problem with free (2019) • Hacker News Board

Re: The problem with free (2019)

#41

Post by Dan_Sylveste » Mon, Jul 04, 2022, 3:05 PM UTC

Gordonjcp wrote: post #20

Quoted post unavailable.

I think by that they mean software-for-consumers-not-professionals i.e. excluding photoshop, garageband, stuff like that.

Re: The problem with free (2019)

#42

Post by wawjgreen » Mon, Jul 04, 2022, 3:17 PM UTC

alexashka wrote: post #3

This isn't new. The propaganda machine is always free or just about. Free as in we tax you and then give you propaganda we make using your money, but, it's free, because you see, it's 10 steps removed from you having paid for it.

No post body was provided.

Re: The problem with free (2019)

#43

Post by Gordonjcp » Mon, Jul 04, 2022, 3:34 PM UTC

Dan_Sylveste wrote: post #41

Gordonjcp wrote: post #20

Quoted post unavailable.

I think by that they mean software-for-consumers-not-professionals i.e. excluding photoshop, garageband, stuff like that.

That still makes no sense. Video games existed 20 years ago, are they not software for consumers?

Re: The problem with free (2019)

#44

Post by Dan_Sylveste » Mon, Jul 04, 2022, 3:45 PM UTC

Gordonjcp wrote: post #43

Dan_Sylveste wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think by that they mean software-for-consumers-not-professionals i.e. excluding photoshop, garageband, stuff like that.

That still makes no sense. Video games existed 20 years ago, are they not software for consumers?

Games are usually categorised as leisure software, not consumer software. Different market sector.

For example, in the UK and Europe, game developers were represented by ELSPA (the European Leisure Software Publishing Association) which specifically did not represent non-game publishers. It was ELSPA that forbade the release of non-demo products (i.e. full games) as computer magazine 'coverdisks.

Full versions of consumer software could still be distributed as their publishers weren't part of ELSPA.

Re: The problem with free (2019)

#45

Post by trinovantes » Tue, Jul 05, 2022, 1:00 AM UTC

marginalia_nu wrote: post #39

trinovantes wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Even if it's not free, you may still be the product (Windows)

Isn't windows sort of quasi-free these days? They've been aggressively pushing free version upgrades for Windows on me several times.

Upgrade is free but you still need an original copy

Re: The problem with free (2019)

#46

Post by _carbyau_ » Tue, Jul 05, 2022, 3:03 AM UTC

chinathrow wrote: post #9

_carbyau_ wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This rankled me too. I understand the world was different, but "barely existed" ?

> "barely existed" Maybe the term is better understood in terms of amount of "offered software then vs. now"?

It is true that however you measure it there is a lot more software now.

But the phrase "barely existed" has connotations of struggle. As though it was close to not existing at all.

No one says "cars barely existed in the 1930's" or "humanity barely existed pre 1600" (world population ~0.5 billion).

By 1999 consumer software definitively existed and was thriving just fine even if it was comparatively early days to what we have now.