Software can be defined in a lot of ways. There’s Free (Libre) Software, which is software that is defined by its openness to distribute, modify and copy its source code. Famous examples are GNU/Linux, LibreOffice and Blender.
There’s Proprietary software that’s, in many ways, restrictive, but it depends on the software itself. Examples include various technologies like codecs and formats, programs like Photoshop that are paid, or simply programs without any way to inspect its source. That doesn’t constitute that it’s bad, just that it’s restrictive on what kind of access you have.
There’s Source-Available software which has some shaky licensing and permissions, e.g. contributions being locked to approved users like employees of a company managing the open source code, or software whose licenses feature clauses that, in many ways, disrupt certain use of source code, for example forking, contributing. This arguably exists due to security audits that people want to perform on software which has proprietary technology, like a custom communication protocol or its own interfacing library.
The truth is, some of the software that falls into all of these groups are, well, garbage. Utter garbage and sacrifice to your sanity. There’s a lot of reasons as to why the UX in SEVERAL Libre software is absolutely terrible, but it all boils down to reduced incentives, bare minimum feature implementations and 0 ways to reach enterprise feedback, which is why software is left to rot and only be used by those that have genuinely no other option (see Kdenlive)
It’s truly damaging to see that the only option some people have is software that hates them and their wallets. But some software doesn’t have to be that way.
Introducing: Fair Software
Fair Software is software that doesn’t prey on you. Software that, even though it’s paid, will be friendly to you. I will name examples later, but for now I’ll stick to the general point
Fair Software has to fall under some very sacrificial rules, that may minimize profit but be worth it to your own users. For your software to be considered Fair you must ensure:
- Easy cancellation with no fees if your software is based on a subscription model and no nags to resubscribe. Furthermore, if a program is rented out, it must be a Rent-to-Own model where the full amount will be paid during the installment payout, and if the program is subscription-only it must provide more content (incentive) you would otherwise get by paying full price;
- That users can get your software with a one-time payment if the software doesn’t rely on external services to function. If your software exists on platforms where the UX is different, ensure that users get either a discounted price or that the program comes with an option to unlock it with the license you paid for on a different platform for that same platform mentioned;
- That your users aren’t forced to pay to use your product. Companies that incentivise their customers to use legitimate versions of the product over pirated versions make their software Fair, compared to companies whose products cost a gargantuan amount while cracking down on piracy efforts and striking down pages featuring free downloads for their otherwise paid software;
- That your users get free upgrades for minor versions, and discounted paid upgrades to major versions. Note that this rule can only be broken if your perpetual license is always free for all upgrades, but any other discrepancy, like making users pay for every little upgrade is an automatic disqualification;
- Every single advertised feature for the software. This doesn’t apply to content which can be covered by the subscriptions in the first rule, but rather features and paywalled additions to the software.
Now let’s get into the business of examples of software that I consider Fair:
- Bitwig Studio over Splice’s Rent-to-Own
- For 16$/mo, I get the full software. No restrictions, limitations or missing features. Rent-to-Own means you’re renting the money, but slowly feeding a bar of a full price. You get perpetual updates for the remainder of your subscription, but after that you get a year’s worth of upgrades on your license, as per Bitwig’s own rules. Your license is still perpetual.
- Affinity by Serif
- Affinity was one of the few software I purchased on my iPad. You get the full bundle for a low price, you get the option to use the software fully scott-free, and they don’t crack down on piracy as much as you’d think they’d want to do.
- Reason+ by Reason Studios
- Reason+ is a subscription that offers the Reason DAW, Reason Rack and several Rack extensions as a subscription bonus. It provides easy cancellation, and lets you pay when you need.
Fair Software is software that principally doesn’t want you to hate using it, provides nice levels of support, and provides you with the value you’re paying for.
I want more fair software to exist. But some programs are, indeed, unfair and aren’t worth your money. To name a few: FL Studio, Adobe Creative Cloud, Spotify…
What do you think about this? Should I start a movement? A cult maybe? Nah, I’ll just keep this to myself and wonder what’s up with software these days wanting to rip you off to shreds.