How much would you pay for FREE Software?

Question:

I know a Software Developer that is going to put out all of his software FREE for one year. The only obligation is to use the software and post problems you may have. Then, you will be guaranteed to get the full versions of the software (Games, utilities, etc.). His problem is that he only wants serious people to apply, so I told him that many times companies charge for testing software. How much do you think a membership would be worth to get free software for a year?

Answer:
i fully agree with answer no.1

Charging people for testing your apps is stupid. Don't do it.
How does this sound: "you give me money for my app that might crash your system". Does this sound normal to you ?

Tell your friend to post his apps, and make it clear that they are in testing phase, (serious) bugs my be encountered but if they report the bugs and all the steps needed to reproduce them then after all the bugs are fixed they'll get the full version.

Charging your mistakes won't help.

Your friend should thoroughly test the program on his own computer first, Then he can release it for trial. This is what big companies like Micrsoft and Yahoo do when they release beta versions. But you must explain the risks, and you can't charge anything. No-one is going to pay money to risk his computer being destroyed. And you can't necesarily set a time limit on it .It could take six months or six years to clear all the bugs.

good promotion technique...but could hurt 1st years profits.

How much would you pay for FREE Software?

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