Write "Freehold" Software
deadbeef.io
Write "Freehold" Software
1–10 of 33 posts
Re: Write "Freehold" Software
#2I completely agree with the "freehold" principle, and it's how I exclusively release any of my work however how we get back there for the majority I just don't know. The only apps I know that are a success in the modern day that are using that model is Goodnotes that saves repurchase for significant updates which I think is acceptable, and Affinity design apps. I sense many feel their business model is better suited to subscriptions and the lapsed subscription fee is also valuable. It's likely a societal change whereby many are not happy to spend significant upfront costs on software now. Even a small amount on an app can be thought of as too much.
Re: Write "Freehold" Software
#3As it stands right now the freehold category is unnecessarily restrictive, eliminating some great, fair price, games.
Polytopia for example would not be considered "freehold" because it contains one of micro transactions... However those are in a way ~ expansions like when you bought StarCraft II expansions.
The freehold apps website I'd never contribute to as one should always separate a vendor from a marketplace... Otherwise you just end up with Amazon basics....
Re: Write "Freehold" Software
#4As it stands right now the freehold category is unnecessarily restrictive, eliminating some great, fair price, games. Polytopia for example would not be considered "freehold" because it contains one of micro transactions... However those are in a way ~ expansions like when you bought StarCraft II expansions. The freehold apps website I'd never contribute to as one should always separate a vendor from a marketplace...…
Polytopia sells both skins and extra content as dlc so it's rightfully not included. Just as I expect SC2 is not included for the same reason. However I would agree, I feel freehold should go along with drm free
Re: Write "Freehold" Software
#5I enjoy this idea, but it's undercut somewhat by the author asking ChatGPT to define the term they're writing a post about define.
I'm not sure what the anecdote is meant to add, either. ChatGPT and other hosted LLMs seem to be the antithesis of "freehold software."
Am I missing something?
Re: Write "Freehold" Software
#6I enjoy this idea, but it's undercut somewhat by the author asking ChatGPT to define the term they're writing a post about define. I'm not sure what the anecdote is meant to add, either. ChatGPT and other hosted LLMs seem to be the antithesis of "freehold software." Am I missing something?
I wasn't asking it to define it. I came up with the list of principles first, then spent ages trying to think of a suitable name for them. It was quite gratifying when ChatGPT, without any context, when asked to guess what the term "freehold" might mean with respect to software, came up with almost the exact same set of principles. That told me that the "freehold" term is a pretty good fit. It would be an incredible coincidence otherwise.
Re: Write "Freehold" Software
#7I enjoy this idea, but it's undercut somewhat by the author asking ChatGPT to define the term they're writing a post about define. I'm not sure what the anecdote is meant to add, either. ChatGPT and other hosted LLMs seem to be the antithesis of "freehold software." Am I missing something?
I approach this dichotomy with two tiers of software: "core functionality" and "nice to have". For items that have become core, I have a fallback I can use that is something I have a high degree of control over. This is typically something like freehold software, although I'm more extreme and very strongly prefer libre software.
But in cases where the functionality is quite compelling (like multi-hundred billion parameter models) and also hard to run on hardware I control, I tend to relent, and work with the "nice to haves" so I can learn about them and leverage them, but I routinely practice with my fallback software.
One example: I use Google Maps for search because it's so darn good at it, but I regularly use OsmAnd~ or Organic Maps with offline maps and on-device routing for actual navigation (despite the lack of traffic insights!) so I'm proficient with them in case I need to ditch Google Maps entirely (due to policy change, technical issue, or something else).
Re: Write "Freehold" Software
#8I enjoy this idea, but it's undercut somewhat by the author asking ChatGPT to define the term they're writing a post about define. I'm not sure what the anecdote is meant to add, either. ChatGPT and other hosted LLMs seem to be the antithesis of "freehold software." Am I missing something?
I wasn't asking it to define it. I came up with the list of principles first, then spent ages trying to think of a suitable name for them. It was quite gratifying when ChatGPT, without any context, when asked to guess what the term "freehold" might mean with respect to software, came up with almost the exact same set of principles. That told me that the "freehold" term is a pretty good fit. It would be an incredible…
Oh, I see, almost rubber-ducking the semantic meaning of the term. That makes more sense to me. Apologies for my knee-jerk LLM skepticism.
Re: Write "Freehold" Software
#9I grew up in Freehold, NJ. Would this make any Freehold software I write Freehold2x?
Re: Write "Freehold" Software
#10There is a cost-revenue pairing issue with traditional software business models: if someone pays upfront, how do you pay to deliver bug fixes? In games that offer any kind of multi it's worse because you have continued server costs as well.
One could say, for example, "ship bug free" or perhaps more reasonably, "include the net present value of future costs". Both of those are essentially infeasible.
Subscription model software one-shots the cost-revenue pairing issue.