PC Magazine Charging for "Freeware"

Well, I just tried to download the "freeware" program "ScreenSeize" from the PC Magazine download site. I was informed that I may only download this FREEWARE program if I pay a FEE!!! So it appears that PC Magazine wants to trash the concept of "freeware."

What's worse is that they've apparently tricked their "freeware" suppliers into an "agreement" that bears all the characteristics of a "deal with Saddam Hussein" at his worst. Here's what the author of the "freeware" program I tried to download has to say:

"PC Magazine is now charging a fee to download these utilities. I am afraid there is nothing I can do about it. I do not receive royalties from the fees that PC Magazine is now charging, and I am contractually prohibited from distributing these programs myself."

Ok, so I found and downloaded several other TRULY FREE screensavers, so maybe it's not that big a deal. But still I am disturbed that PC Magazine has taken this anti-freeware approach.

My response will be to simply let my long-time (since the early 90's) subscription expire. Given their anti-consumer attitude on this issue, I have no doubt that I would encounter endless red tape and frustration should I attempt to cancel my current subscription and request a refund.

Although I see absolutely ZERO justification for PC Magazine to require a PAYMENT for FREEWARE, I'd be interested to hear other opinons on this. Maybe I'm missing something?

 

i see your point and agree with you. it's pretty crappy for a company who didn't even make the program to charge to download it, and to not let even the author distribute his/her own program. however, freeware is free to use...not free to download (which i'm sure you know that already).

 

Freeware

You wrote: "freeware is free to use...not free to download (which i'm sure you know that already)."

Well, actually I'm not sure that I know that at all. While I can't say that in 100% of the cases where I've tried to download freeware I've successfully avoided any "surprise charges," I would have to say that in the vast majority of cases the downloads have been truly free in every respect.

But in the case of "ScreenSeize," I was just stunned by PC Magazine's requirement for payment for a program that the author obviously (and publicly) intended to be freely distributed at no charge to anyone who wanted it.

How in the world they (PC Magazine) managed to trick poor Mr. Petzold into such a one-sided, totally outrageous agreement regarding his software is completely beyond my comprehension.

Still wondering (without much hope for a real answer) whether someone might be able to shed some light on why PCMagazine has a policy of charging money for "freeware" & why they prohibit the same authors from making their software available on said authors' web sites.

 

it's pretty simple really.

They are hosting the file. That takes up space on a hard drive. hard drive space costs money. They have to find some way to make up for it = charge to download it but still free to use.

They are hosting the file in which many hundreds of people will possibly download. Bandwidth costs money. They have to find some way to make up for it = charge to download it but still free to use.

Essentially they are charging you for the cost of doing business.
It can be a way to charge for someone elses 'ware in the disguise of payment for services not the product itself. I find this stance by PC-Mag to be in bad taste. You paid for the subscription already.

 

Have to agree with Kodo.....
now, is the agreement the author signed very fair? Probably not, but maybe the freeware authors (and anyone else) should REALLY READ contracts that we sign..

Light fun reading? Nope....
Could prevent this bizarre situation? You bet

 

Charging for "Freeware"

Good answer, and I understand that--as far as it goes. What I have a problem with is PCMagazine prohibiting its freeware authors from offering their wares on their own sites!

What I suspect is that PC Magazine is offering these freeware authors some sort of "blanket" compensation to put these folks' software online in return for some sort of a "no whimper" clause.

The telling clue that PC Magazine is unjustly taking advantage of these freeware authors is found at the website of the freeware author whom I quoted in my previous post.

Bottom line for me is that PC Magazine is no longer a player in my online experience--too many other options open out there. Funny that they failed to forsee the unintended consequences of their foolish actions.

 

sometimes there's a 'price' to pay for getting your programs online and out to the public. For small companies or single people it may have been one of those deals.. "hey, we'll put your software up if we have exclusivity on the download".. it's a win / semi-win situation where PCmag gets to make money off a download and the developer gets their (new or relatively unknown) name and software online. I just thank the cyber-god for places like Major Geeks where there are no gimicks; it's click and go. There's something to be said for simplicity.

 

HI, PC mag is not the only one. CFS charges a fee now even though CFS stands for Completely Free Software and NoNags is has both a free and charge section.

I always understood that PC mags programs were developed by correspondents or contributors to the mag. Peace Mal

 

I have been wondering lately what the state of freeware and shareware will be in 25 years. There are so many greedy giants out there who surely know that good quality, free, and inexpensive software will become more and more threatening with each year that passes. Do you think they will let this go on without a fight? I don't. They will either try to undercut it from the inside, like the PC mag situation, or they will try to crush the freeware culture with legislation. JMO.

 

Major Attitude and Robo, you are correct that majorgeeks.com is one of the best websites around. How would one support this website? I have looked and can't actually find any appeals for donations, like I have seen on others tech support sites of this kind. Do you support your operation by sales of merchandise? Let me know and I will cheerfully support you, because I think this place is worth its weight in gold.

And I don't really have a problem with the idea of supporting the authors of freeware, if I find a program that is useful and I end up keeping. But usually I don't keep programs that I download because they don't always fit my needs as I thought they would. One recently downloaded program that I have decided to keep is Click Tray Calendar. I love it, and will gladly pay the author for that one. Completely cool, easy to learn, easy to use, pleasant to look at, and most of all it is FUN! There is another shareware program on the market called Sentry. The author only charged me $15.00 for THE most useful program on my computer. And he gave me his home phone number with the invitation to call him if I ever need help. But ya know what? I have never had to call him because his program is so self explainitory and easy to operate.

But what bothers me about the PC mag situation is not so much that they are charging a fee, but the way they seem to be going about it. It is one thing to sell software, but the author in this case is saying that they essentially stole a program from him that he intended to be freeware and are selling it without compensating him. Plus, they have reserved for themselves exclusive rights to that software and will not even let him distribute it himself. That does not sit right with me, especially when PC mag is a big business with the experience, lawers and money to take advantage of small, one-guy operations.

Furthermore, I have little respect for the big software companies, because they sell huge, expensive, bloated programs with far more bells and whistles than someone in my position can use in three lifetimes. Their instructions are complicated and sometimes even contradictory and their customer support is atrocious. To even get a manual, you have to pay an extra $20.00 or more if it is even available at all, and tech support is for sale by the minute!

Recently, I paid $50.00 for a single phone call to Quicken and the tech support guy didn't even solve my problem. A company like that would laugh in my face if I suggested that they refund the money I paid for their product when I realized that it not only had damaged my computer, but really doesn't even fit my needs exactly. At least if it were freeware, I could have uninstalled the program and never had to pay for it. And Quicken wasn't cheap. To make matters worse, they upgrade their software every year or so and do not offer tech support for the older versions, nor do they offer free upgrades or even discounted upgrades for current users. Not only is the consumer forced to continually buy their software over and over again, but poor ordinary ignorant people like me have to learn the new programs regularly so that in the end we spend more time on our banking than we used to when we did it all by hand. And this situation is repeated with EVERY program on my computer, from MS Works to my fax modem software. This is ESPECIALLY true of cyber demons like Macafee and Norton that have been more of a pain in the butt than a computer virus.

Personally, I think some of the big software companies run on pure greed. It is inevitable that they will eventually be threatened by competition from small guys who love what they do, write useful, quality software, care about the people who buy it, and have the integrity not to charge folks when their product doesn't perform to expectations. Sooner or later they will be forced to use their financial and political weight to put a stop to it. That is why I worry about the future of freeware. I would be interested in your thoughts along this line.

 

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OOOOHHHH!!! Now I get It! Here I go to do my clicking now!