Registered: May 2000
Location: St. Paul, MN
Posts: 1429

I want to rant..

Palm has more then 10,000 applications. ALL of them are not free! Palm Applications all are small, and all have small GUI's, so WHY DO THEY CHARGE THE SAME AMOUNT FOR WINDOWS APPS! (not ms apps, I only buy windows things <30) They shouldn't cost $20, $30! They should cost $2-$10 AT MOST!

Palm has put a VERY nice security system in for anti-warez. Many apps require you to send in your palm sync name, and then they generate a key off that. Very nicely done, but EXPENSIVE! I want cheap apps. All my apps aren't going to work for me in like 2 weeks! (stupid 30 day trial).

Now this rant probably doesn't make to much sence, but the fact I want is, a Palm is not a Computer, Apps should be at the same percentage - same ratio. My Platinum is the Fastest Palm you can buy, that would equal a $2500 computer! Why must my apps outweigh the cost of the Visor?

-miradu2000
I must say to myself "Get a life!"

Registered: Oct 2000
Location: Aberdeen, SD
Posts: 2531

I agree whole-heartedly. But you can get quite a few free apps that replace more expensive counterparts (eg. BugMe! and DiddleBug, PhelgmHack and SwitchHack, PrefEd and Preference Manager, etc.). The free ones are usually even better written than the expensive ones. I take a long time before I send in registration to see if I can't find a free solution. So far I've only paid for WordSmith, PocketSynth, and HotTime, and my visor's memory is at the max.

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-Joshua
Abortion: Darwinism at its finest.

Registered: Jan 2000
Location: Twin Cities, MN
Posts: 1683

With all due respect, you guys are not thinking this through.

Do you think that because a Palm App is x% smaller in size and interface that is costs x% less to develop, test, bug fix, sell, advertise, and support that a desktop application?

Trust me, it isn't.

In fact it can cost considerably more to develop a Palm app than a desktop app in many cases. A 'small GUI' takes considerably more talent to design well than a desktop's GUI.

Software development is software development. The size of the app, nor the size of the device the software is running on have little, if anything to do with the need to charge for the product. Let's give these software developers some respect.

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We're all naked if you turn us inside out.
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Registered: Feb 2000
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Posts: 165

quote:

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Originally posted by miradu2000
the fact I want is, a Palm is not a Computer, Apps should be at the same percentage - same ratio

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<br>"Form follows function - that has been misunderstood. Form and function should be one, joined in a spiritual union" -Frank Lloyd Wright

Registered: Oct 2000
Location: Aberdeen, SD
Posts: 2531

It's not that I'm not thinking it through, it's merely that I didn't understand how a Palm app could be any more difficult to develop than a desktop app. I don't see nearly the high schoolers developing desktop software that I do developing some pretty advanced (to me, anyway) Palm software for free. I thought that professional programers were doing Palm apps "on the side." No need to crawl up my ass, Usonian. I got it. That and a new-found respect for programmers.

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-Joshua
Abortion: Darwinism at its finest.

Registered: May 2000
Location: St. Paul, MN
Posts: 1429

oh gosh.. boy did I start something .. Let's try to keep this WITHOUT flames to oneanother.

I mean, it's hard to say. I think Palm aps whould be smaller, and yes a good GUi is ALWAYS hard to make, especiallyas you get smaller. In some ways I belive that because there Smaller, You should be able to make more Palm apps than PC apps, in the same time. Though I did never really think of salery issues.. and your selling less products, I just wish they were more affordable. If you pay $299 for a device, you pay $150 for a springboard, shouldn't software be a bit cheaper? I'm a kid developer, and I guess when I wrote this I thought of everyone developing as a hobby I have to much fun... KEEP COMMENTING PLEASE

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-miradu

Registered: Feb 2001
Location:
Posts: 134

What is most important is function. I don't think anyone would disagree with that. I think it is up to each person to decide if the functionality of the app is worth the price tag. If it isn't, the market will reflect that and the price will go down. Most firms and programmers (I am not either, been doing biz dev for 10 years) want to recoup their investment and make a little money. So I don't think it is ridiculous for apps to cost any price if the solution they provide is equal to the value of the problem they solve.

I feel your pain though...I hate seeing apps like Alarm Clocks and the like costing $20. I also hate to pay for apps that should be a part of the OS. A lot of apps out there solve OS issues that I shouldn't have to pay for.

Anyway...I think we can all agree that it is up to each person to decide whether the value of the solution is worth the price tag, just like everything in life. If it isn't, don't but it...if they are crazy...in time they'll realize it and the price will come down. If it doesn't, someone else will program it and charge less...software Darwinism.

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I saw that everyone else had a signature and I felt left out, so here is mine.

Registered: Dec 1999
Location: Connecticut USA
Posts: 2682

This same line of thinking applies to handheld hardware as well. Is $99 for a Stowaway really necessary when I can buy a keyboard for my desktop fun $5? And we've all read the discussions about Springboards that are as expensive as the Visor itself!

Focusing on software, though, I think we, as PalmOS users, are somewhat spoiled by the fact that there is so much free software available (most of which is actually better than the commercial counterparts). My guess is that much of this free software is done by experienced programmers more as a hobby or in a can I really do this? scenario. There are other free titles by commercial developers that are simply hooks into their other products.

Now, I do agree with the thinking that software for a $250 device should be proportionally less than it's desktop counterparts. But I also understand the costs of developement and support (tech support can be really expensive).

My boss has a plaque in his office that really sums up developement costs:

Good... Fast... Cheap... Pick any 2

Think about it and it makes a lot of sense. Good and Fast is not Cheap, Fast and Cheap is not Good, and Good and Cheap is not Fast (usually, anyway... there are always exceptions ).

As others have pointed out, the consumer has choices. If you think something is over-priced, you won't buy it. If nobody buys it, the developer will be forced to do one of two things: lower the price or close up shop. At this point, though, thay have already spent their developement money. Remember, time IS money (even if you're hobbyist).

Think about a little kid selling lemonade. They buy the lemonade (or steal it from mom ), cups, etc. A few hand-painted signs and a folding table later, they're in business. But if nobody ever stops to buy a cup, they never make a dime. Then there's also the issue of market potential. A kid selling lemonade on a busy city corner will most likely do a whole lot better than if they were trying to sell at the end of a cul-de-sac in the suburbs!

Personally, I always look for a free solution to my handheld software needs. If I can't find a suitable one and really need the functionality, then I do some serious evaluation of competetive products. If I find just the right app at just the right price, I'll buy it (can you say WordSmith?). I've pretty much disciplined myself to never spend more than $40 for an app for my Visor.

Over time, as handhelds become more mainstream, software prices will drop and competition will increase. This will benefit everyone.

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God bless America, my home sweet home...

Registered: Dec 1999
Location: Chandler, AZ
Posts: 289

I think this has to do with scale more than anything.. there is a lot more potentital to sell more copies of a Windows general purpose app compared to a Palm general purpose app. Given this, a developer needs to charge more for the Palm app to cover their cost.

Beyond that, from a user perspective, I have only bought software for my Palm which I use frequently -- I have found that even though my Stowaway was $85 more than a PC keyboard and that Word Smith is $29 more than a comparable Windows wordprocessor, the simple fact that there are other benefits to the Palm platform (instant on, small physical form factor, long battery life, extremely quiet (no fans, etc..) makes the added price of software justified ...

Ultimately it is up to the enduser to determine where they want to spend their money. IF you can find the same software on a windows machine and its cheaper and there is no benefit to having it on your Palm unit, then why not go with the Windows version?

Joe

Registered: Nov 2000
Location:
Posts: 714

The only software I've purchased over $10 was WordSmith, and that was because I got in at the $20 beta pricing.

Palm software is not easily protected from WareZ, it is fairly easy to get around and then there are even some people who have developed a way to crack it and then sell devlopers a way to prevent it, can you say blackmail?

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Matt Nichols
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