[tomflack]

In perpetuity? When a major OS upgrade breaks the app completely after being in use with no problems for 5 years?

Again we find that conflating real-world examples with technology issues is a bad way of understanding them. With a house you typically have a warranty period and afterwards are required to pay for fixes yourself.

There is a lot of grey here that paid updates help deal with. The users will vote with their wallets if they feel they're being thoroughly fleeced.

[cynix]

But why should the users be responsible for compensating the developer when it is Apple who changed something in the OS? Perhaps the developers should ask Apple to pay for their time.

[tomflack]

The way I see software (excluding SAAS and software that comes with an explicit service contract) is the moment you pay your money, and the software is "fit for the purpose" that you were sold it for, you might be stuck with that version forever.

If there is a massive OS upgrade on the horizon that might break it - don't spend the money on it. Don't expect anyone to pay for it but the end user.

Expecting developers to support the product until the heat death of the universe without ongoing compensation is ridiculous.

Now of course there are variations on this that developers can be nice and provide if they feel like it, but I never expect anything I buy to have any more support than was explicitly outlined to me when I laid down the money.