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 | Why I don't make much of my software available
entry by Avatar-X
8/4/2010 2:47 AM
| Throughout my site, there's a ton of projects featuring custom software that I've written. Indeed, my home automation project comprises of at least 30 individual pieces of software that work together, and my Car PC is also a large and complicated software package.
So why don't I package up these programs and make them available? I get at least 5 requests a month from people who want to download them. But there's a few simple reasons why I don't do it.
Most of my software is hacked together and proprietary. Indeed, I usually throw together software when I need it quickly... coding it specifically for my needs and my hardware, with things like IP addresses, passwords, and port numbers hard-coded in the source code. As any good programmer will know, actually writing the software is maybe 10-20% of the work. The remaining 80% of the time is spent on adding configuration options, fixing bugs, ensuring compatibility with a wide variety of hardware and platforms, writing documentation, and dealing with support requests. Since my projects are really just a hobby for me, I don't have the time nor the inclination to spend that extra time making it work for everyone.
You should sell your software! That will pay for the time you spent making it work!
Selling a piece of software is a whole other ball game... now you have to REALLY make sure it works properly, provide support, produce new features, provide real and proper documentation, etc. Also most of my software serves a very niche market, so I doubt I'd have many sales.
If you're not gonna sell it, you should make it Open-Source!
Open-Source is a great idea and you will find that I have provided some of my software's source code (such as the LED Sign Control Software and my ALPHA sign communications library) for anyone to enjoy. However, I don't have the time to deal with the support requests and cries for help I'd get if I released my more complex software's source code, such as my Car PC software. I may one day choose to release it.
Then why is this site here?
I often get berated by people who believe that my showcasing of my accomplishments without providing a download is selfish. But really, these people are the ones who are being selfish and lazy -- they are expecting something for nothing.
My site exists as a showcase, a gallery, of my work. It is meant to inspire people, to have them take my ideas and expand on them, to make their own versions and make them better.
Most of the software I use, I wrote from scratch. I find it so much more rewarding to make something myself vs. grabbing a finished product from some website.
I hope you understand my motives a little bit better now. I am always willing to help out via email if you need to know how I did something or want to see a snippet of source code!
[last edit 8/4/2010 2:48 AM by Avatar-X - edited 1 times]
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