NetNewsWire freeware fallout
Developers Paul Kafasis of Rogue Amoeba and Rory Prior of ThinkMac have voiced their displeasure with the announcement that NetNewsWire is now freeware.
Kafasis fears it will lead to a devaluation of software as an increasing number of people clamour for more, or even all, software to be free. Large companies like NewsGator might be able to use this type of business model, but small independents would quickly go out of business.
Prior admits to being bitter, because the switch to freeware is going to make it all that much harder to sell his 12-euro RSS shareware NewsLife. He goes so far as to call the move anti-competitive.
For my part, I’ve always believed in supporting software developers if at all possible. For example, when freeware developers ask for a donation, even a couple of dollars can be a big boost for their morale. It’s more than just money — it’s a sign of appreciation.
But when it comes to RSS readers, specifically, we appear to be entering an era where they have become like web browsers and e-mail apps. There are plenty of good ones available for free. RSS feeds have become so ubiquitous that you can integrate them into Safari and Mail. Developers can charge, but they’d better have some pretty darn good features to entice us.
The other thing worth mentioning is that having a separate app for RSS feeds is not the way most people go. Statistics for thriftmac show that most people prefer Google’s web-based reader. I’ve seen similar stats for other websites.
Many people, myself included, prefer the experience of a separate app. I liked NetNewsWire enough that I was willing to pay for it. But for others, including a high percentage of thriftmac readers, the open source Vienna is just fine.
Prediction: RSS will become as free as the air.
Posted Thursday, January 10, 2008 in Opinion
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