|
I was happy to list an app on this forum to provide information relating to an app that didn't exist until today (a call filtering app), and I felt that some of the forum members were less than respectful in their responses. This is an app that has been requested by plenty of people, so I know that somebody will appreciate the information that I provided. It is always beter to have more options than fewer options, in my point of view.
Look guys. I agree with the fact that most apps are free and that a lot of people donate their time and resources (servers for repository purposes, etc). But there will be a time when people will start asking to get paid. Maybe it will not happen with all of the apps, but it already has happened with Blackjack and other apps that were free but will not be free once the AppStore is up and running. And there are quite a few, including Labyrinth, Caterpillar, iSIM, CameraPro, VoiceDial, etc.
With respect to this particular app, there are definite alternatives. There is Pysl (and I have helped to beta test it) which is free, but which has not worked well for me. There is also P-Firewall which just appeared as well, and which seems to have been created by a Chinese company. Pysl does ask for donations, and I donated to the developer. There is no proof that P-Firewall will continue to be a free app - who knows. But I am sure that most of the quality apps will become for-pay apps once the AppStore is up and running. Now, there are some developers who develop apps as a hobby, and they choose not to charge for apps - and I am grateful to them as I am to x999x for making your repository available. But that does not mean that all developers do this as a hobby. Some charge for their time because they spend a vast amount of time in developing their apps. Some need that money to feed their families and to pay rent. That doesn't mean that we should chastise them or their apps. In the case of iBlacklist, it is NOT payware. It is functional for free. You are just limited to placing two numbers in the blacklist. Some people may only need two numbers - so it is free for them. For those who want to have more numbers, they can choose to make a donation in the amount of $8. They are not forced to do so, and they can choose to use Pysl or P-Firewall. But some people prefer one aspect of an app over another. I have not tried P-Firewall, as it only came out today, but before today, there has not been another call filtering app. Pysl only does SMS filtering right now.
And jwcrash - I asked you if YOU work for no salary. I am an attorney, and I know that I get paid for my time. And your response to my question did not make any sense - it lacked a logical conclusion. I asked if YOU get paid a salary, and your response is that most developers do not get paid. Just because that may be the case right now, that does not mean that it is right. Just like I do not believe that it would be right for you to work without getting paid a salary. Please don't be a hypocrite! I did not ask if most developers are not yet charging for apps. Most of them do not, but they do ask for donations. And most people use the apps and don't donate because they deem it to be their right to get the apps for free. They are NOT free. The developers DO ask for donations. Just because YOU may not have donated does not mean everybody follows what you do, thank God. I have donated to individuals because, if you stop donating, at some point you will get only crappy apps or apps that are only half-finished or apps that take six months to complete. There will not be any updates, and you will be crying asking why there are no third-party apps that work with the next firmware version.
I don't want to go on about this, but I want to make it clear that THIS particular app is free to try and use. There is no fee required to be paid to use it. The only time you are asked to donate $8 is if you want the full version that allows you to have an unlimited amount of blacklist numbers.
The funny thing about people who are unwilling to pay $8 is that they probably buy coffee at Starbucks for $4 apiece or $8 shots at a local bar. These developers deserve to be compensated and not abused just because they are asking for a donation instead of requiring a fee to be paid before you get to see the application at all. Stop ripping off the developers!
I thank you for your input, but I respectfully disagree with your arguments and your logic. And I am confident that there are plenty of others on this forum who agree with me.
|
04-05-2008, 10:04 AM
