Activity overview
Latest activity by tlhintoq
AvonWyss wrote:
The thing is that V6 will stop working on Mai 30, 2011, at least that's what they announced. So you cannot even continue using the old version. tlhintoq, if I had to pay even just 35$ for each of all the great tools I use as hobbyist (starting withj the .NET Fromework itself, ASP.NET MVC, Subversion, Mercurial, Git, VS Express versions, SQL Server express versions, Mono etc.), then I'd have to look for another hobby. Period.
I'm sorry to hear that. Its a rather extensive set of tools for a hobbyist I'll admit. But that is the nature of a hobby. It's not a constitutional right. I'm a hobbyist photographer. I don't expect all of my tools to be free. I had to pay (dearly) for my 1000mm supertelephoto lens, and my Canon 7D DSLR. I just have to decide what is important to my hobby. Every couple of years it means selling one camera body if I am to buy a newer one.
Hobbyist comic collectors, and hobbyist audiophiles don't expect their hobbies to be free. I lack an understanding of why people think that hobby coding should include free professional-level tools.
MS offers Express version of their tools. As stated earlier if RedGate offered an Express version of Reflector that would fit the rest of the model. A pro version of VS costs money, as should a pro version of Reflector. It seems pretty common sense to me. / comments
AvonWyss wrote:
The thing is that V6 will stop working on Mai 30, 2011, at least that's what they announced. So you cannot even continue using the old version.tlhintoq, if I had to pay even just...
I know I'd happily pay for Reflector at $35 if I needed to but I know that's not viable for many developers I know, notably in other countries.
I too feel US$35 is a reasonable price for this tool. I have this really odd notion that companies should make a profit for their efforts. I want to make a profit for my efforts.
I disagree however about this being outside affordability for *developers*. I think any true developer (or even hobbyist) who bought (not pirated) Visual Studio can certainly come up with the cost of McDonalds for four, for a tool they will use.
As bad as this is going to sound, I'm okay if the $5/day outsource labor in third-world regions can't afford tools they use to reverse-engineer programs created by the original developer. Spending $35 is insignificant against the cost of armor-plating software against the onslaught of hackers.
Others have pointed out some good options such as
keeping v6 free per the original acquisition agreement,
putting v6 source code back in the hands of the open source community,
having a v7 Express version that is limited or carries ads,
and a v7 Pro version for $35.
Of course if the $35 cost is to cover continued development then I would hope and expect there to be actual development of new capabilities. I would also hope that having the v6 code out there would generate some competition. / comments
I know I'd happily pay for Reflector at $35 if I needed to but I know that's not viable for many developers I know, notably in other countries.
I too feel US$35 is a reasonable price for this t...