I refuse to use any application that has ads in it. If it is released as free then it should be FREE. If you want money then make it a donate / paid application. I don't mind paying a small amount for a good app. I think donate is the better route. There are times that an app is $1 and I feel that it would be worth more to me. There are also many times an app is like $10+ and I don't feel it's worth that price compared to others that do the same thing.
Too many people don't donate and still use your application. Even if you manage to get hosting, a forum, and everything else for free somewhere, you've still spent time developing said app, and wanting a little return on your investment is not a bad thing.
At the same time, though, you're entitled to your opinion. I just think that advertising is sometimes the better way to go for a guaranteed income stream as opposed to trying to ask for donations (which can be like pulling teeth sometimes).
This is great idea for the free dev's to follow.
I don't mind adware,
IF I know in advance it's adware. Especially if there is a donate or paid version so I have an option. I love options.
I haven't updated Handcent yet b/c mine is still ad free, and I have no way to keep it ad free. On the other hand, I have been updating aCar, but keep forgetting to donate to make it adfree.
But I know I can, so it's not a big deal.
That, to me, is the key as well. If the app does everything I want it to do, then great, I'll use it with ads until I can afford to buy it.
@everyone saying "these programs are less than $X - so you should be able to afford it": Yeah, but when was the last time that you saw that I could pop in 3 Quarters into a Google account and pay for something?
You have to realize, the economy is in a major crunch, and thanks to the US Congress giving the credit card companies loopholes and an extension until February before locking rates, those companies have have been raising Interest rates left and right - to the tune of 50-100% increases.
I have an Amex card that was running at a cool 13.99 just over a year ago - now they are charging me 29.99% on any balance unpaid, and 26.99% on
paid balances. And this goes on Average daily balances, and no grace period is extended whatsoever if there is already an existing balance.
Now, being a college student, and working for the university through a Title II Grant, I get paid monthly - right at the end of the month. My bill, however, is due 10 days before that. Naturally, when I pay my tuition and books (One semester I paid over $1000 in books alone) I naturally have a balance left over for a month or two until I can get it all caught up with my paychecks. Now, on tuition that is close to $3000 per semester, and books varying between $500 - $1000 per semester, it's easy to see where I have a balance carrying over of well over $1500.
So, you telling me that most apps are less than a bottle of soda doesn't mean Jack, bub. I don't drink soda, but even if I could, I would at least be able to grab some of the change in my ashtray in my car and use it right on the spot - not having to worry about how long the charge I make for an app is gonna sit on my card, accruing interest, and keeping my interest rate on all my other purchases higher b/c it is a balance carrying over.
So, if you have the money, great - but making it seem like it is beans to
everyone to buy an app is
ludicrous at best. You have no idea what people's financial status is, so please don't say apps should be ad-free and devs should charge if they want money. Advertising is a better overall alternative for devs who really want / need the money than asking for donation - unless they happen to make that one killer app that everyone wants and is paying for.
Finally, @alostpacket - your app is already good, I'll be buying it in a week or so - I was gonna ask if you had included HTML output and what not but now that I have it installed, wow - that makes blogging about new apps that I try simply easy. And yes, as long as you let me know when you use advertising, I'll have no issues whatsoever if you decide to use them.
