How Is That

[MJP]

Why?

filehippo, softlist.net etc . . . . tons of useful free software. Who writes this and why is it free?

[NHJ]

why do the tourist police works for free, why people are going to africa to help people for free?

i think this will answer your question.

[MJP]

why do the tourist police works for free, why people are going to africa to help people for free?

i think this will answer your question.

So it's just for fun . . . for . . . ????

Jolly good of them I must say and dam_n clever people. But how do they make a living. (I say this because 3 lines of code would probably be a life's work for me)

[CobraSnakeNecktie]

its like planting a seed. The seed might grow into something valuable.

A customer might want to pay the developer to customize the application for them. If the application becomes popular then a company might want to acquire the rights or buy the developers company.

MicroSoft gave away its Windows OS for years and didn't discourage its being copied. When they were able to force out their competition they were left with a lucrative market for complimentary products and now they charge for the OS.

[MJP]

its like planting a seed. The seed might grow into something valuable.

A customer might want to pay the developer to customize the application for them. If the application becomes popular then a company might want to acquire the rights or buy the developers company.

MicroSoft gave away its Windows OS for years and didn't discourage its being copied. When they were able to force out their competition they were left with a lucrative market for complimentary products and now they charge for the OS.

Ahhh!

Actually, makes sense now. I got Advanced System Care free and upgraded to the Pro.

[loong]

I suppose you could call it the opposite question to "Why do obviously talented people create and spread computer viruses?"

Thank God that most people want to do some good with their genius.

[OxfordWill]

Its far from selfless, unless we're talking open source, and even then not always. Its one of the cheapest ways to create brand awareness and upsell your other products. Its basically the most affordable and quick way to get known and gain leads- make something useful and give it away for free.