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by jbob2000 3030 days ago
This applies to a very, very narrow segment of software. If I have to run a server, then yes, I do indeed have costs. And those costs go up the more popular my app gets.

And if the app gains any kind of serious pickup, I am going to need a client service team to handle all the bull crap people will be flinging my way. (Seriously, how many open source projects die because the maintainers get sick of managing the issue board?)
1 comments
xxpor 3030 days ago
If your costs are servers, your marginal costs are still $0 for the app itself. IMO, you're better off with a $0 app and a subscription model, than capturing the revenue once when someone purchases the app.
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jbob2000 3030 days ago
You are technically correct - yes, an app is not the server it is deployed on. But practically speaking, if I saw a spike in my traffic and got hit with a huge bill, I'm not going to say to myself, "gee, it wasn't the app's fault the server got really popular...".

I think you missed my point that this article applies to a very, very small category of software. As soon as you have a subscription model, or any sort of payment structure, now you need an accountant! Those guys don't work for free.

It's like, calculator apps and notepads that this philosophy applies to.

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