[lux]

Those are good examples. I think there must be a difference in market for them than for what the author seems to want to sell. Basecamp, FogBugz and the like are business-oriented tools and businesses don't mind paying for something of value. They show that their audience is up for exactly what he wants.

Plus, with the cost of hosting a small service being so low, a service of this sort ought to be making a little money fairly quickly (maybe not to where you're making a decent living yet, but enough to work at it and get it there if it's something people want and will recommend).

Being a small software biz owner (and so someone who pays for software), I find the mindset of my friends, who can't fathom paying for anything, kind of strange.

Not that I pay for everything, but I would rather use a better tool for a fee than an inferior one that costs me time. And judging by the Basecamp numbers, I'm definitely not alone in that one.