free software -why ?

Question

why do people produce free software( & antivirus/spyware programes).what's in it for them?
don't they need the $, or is it like a challenge to see if they can "do it "?
why would they do it ?

Answer 1

Some programmers do it for personal satisfaction or out of the generosity of their heart. They keep the full version of the software free by asking for donations. Sometimes they will sell advertising on their web sites to help support their efforts.



Other programmers will create more than one version of their software. The basic limited version will be free, and the full version will sell for a price. Once users start using it on a regular basis and encounter some of the limitations, some will realize that they need the extra features that the full version has. So they eventually purchase the full version.



And yet other programmers will offer free software because they know that this is the best and fastest way to get people interested and using their product. These programmers are hoping that someday, their software will become so popular that some large company will purchase their "business". This kind of "business" deal could make the programmer millions of dollars.



And finally, there are other programmers who also have a good "business" sense. An example of this is Adobe. They offer a free Adobe reader program to anyone who visits their web site. And lots of other web sites have links to the Adobe reader download site. Because they offer a free reader version to anyone who wants it, they can now sell their Adobe converter program to businesses who are trying to reach those same users. Once these businesses can be convinced it would be good "business" sense to convert their products into Adobe, they will purchase Adobe applications and licenses.

Answer 2

Some free software ask for donations, so I think they are hoping that someone will donate.

Answer 3

I have heard that AVG does this as a service to their paying business customers. The idea being that the less viruses home computers are infected with, the less likely their customer's computers will get infected.



Of course, AVG, which I prefer, like many others offer premium upgrades that do cost money. The free packages are in essence loss leaders that help drive business.



Other software projects are open source projects. That is, the source is available for all to see. The idea being peer review makes for better software. I agree with that sentiment. In these cases, it's difficult to make the source code available to everyone and not make it free.



However, people still make money from open source software. To meet their specific requirements, businesses pay programmers to maintain the software and they pay for support contracts and other services from the vendors that maintain the main branches of the product.



Most PC users are able to benefit from all of this by using all of this free software.



You can find freeware and open source software here:



http://www.free-software-catalog.com/

Answer 4

For the most part, free security software is made available so that more computers will be protected from viruses and malware. The more computers that are protected the less likely a virus/trogan will propagate across the web via e-mail. Also, but introducing people to this software the more likely they be to download and use the "full", "pay" versions of this software.

Answer 5

some developers offer free versions to get you hooked on the software. they have limited features and are very basic.



to get more features you need to buy the "Pro" version"

Answer 6

Challenge, yes. Scholararly pursuit, yes. Something against Microsoft or other proprietary vendors. Public interest: already have enough $ to live on, and willing to give back (there ARE good folks out there, believe it or not!) Hobby. BWC.

Answer 7

Most companies that offer free programmes sell the advanced edition. So they do this for the word to spread and get the money from the other editions.

Open source freeware on the other hand is developed by a number of people who do this for their own purposes (use the source elsewhere or change a programme in order to fit their needs) or even for fun.