Database Develop

Pay or Freeload software?

Wadda you prefer? To pay for software or To not pay for software?

if I see that work has been done, and whoever released it is going to loose money, then no, I buy it (ie, some dude(s) that wrote whatever like Maimichs (?) little button app). If I feel that they are evil and ripping people off anyway, then damn right I dl it and distribute it! Billy is evil. You can't tell me that his company actually deserved that much money???? 400$ for1 copoy of XP Pro? I don't think so. We all know those pragrammers are making $40 k a year, and billy made $400 mil off thier work. Not to mention that MS will see something they like, steal it, and if being sued is a real threat, buy the company out anyway.
Whatever.....

i like my software like i like my beers free and frosty
but support and such will always be better with software you pay for i guess

pay or not
:roll:
Honest..... no I'd rather not pay, I seach high and low for free software.
I only pay when I have no choice or if someone else has bought some I'll give them something so I can use thiers.
Thank god for people who like to dabble and program themselves, the joy of free spirited software and the free mind.

ah those were the days two bloody years ago :-( when this site was just a few of us!! look at it now my have u grown!!!

That's a real tough question! :shock:
Of course I would prefer no to pay for software, I mean who doesn't like free stuff. And if it's the OS, without which your expansive computer with all the latest twists is nothing more than a box with a blinking light then ever more so.
Yes I know there is Linux, but once you get hooked on M$ crap it's hard to quit.
On the other hand I am a programmer working for a small company so my livelihood depends on people buying our stuff.
So I prefer to go fined something freeware, do without or if push comes to shove to pay.
Oh, and don't think that just because I am a programmer I can write whatever I want for my self. It takes time and effort to code anything descent (strange it takes this long to get a windows version out ) and no one has the time to reinvent the wheel.

If there is an open source program equivalent, I will normally use that. But in the case of multi thousand dollar program suites like autodesk and maya, eh, no sir.

Exchange 2007 pushmail accounts

Hello all, I really debated on where to post this..I havent been too active for awhile on the forums, been busy, but I imagine I'll be snagging a Kaiser sometime coming up, so I suppose I'll stick it here.
I am offering Exchange 2007 pushmail accounts, with Outlook Web Access, and alias's, you can find more details, and pricing at http://gfyinc.org
My value plan monthly price is $4.00, or $44.00 for a year, but if you have donated to XDA Developers(as in star by your name) I will provide you with details to sign up for $3.00 a month, or $32.00 a year, or a $1.00 off any of the larger plans listed.
I am in no way trying to affiliate myself with XDA by offering the discount, and Im not setting a very good example by not having donated yet, I just know I or a lot of us wouldnt be here without this place, and want to encourage donations, I would rather you donate here, and receive the dollar a month discount.
Less than you pay for a cheeseburger and fires, and you get a whole month of instant html email sweetness.
P.M. me for details. sorry to kinda spam you, and thank you.

what kind of gaurantees do we have of this service

If you're after a completely free exchange account try here: http://live.mail2web.com/
I've used them for push mail for years and I've had no problems at all.

ChInEsE ChIcKeN said:
what kind of gaurantees do we have of this service
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Like its says in my FAQ, if youre less that 15 days into the 30 day billing period, and unsatisfied, I will return your payment.
I do still have a couple upgrades I would like to put in place within the next month, but I really hate to spend too much more, when Im not really seeing that much interest from the get go, but if you want a month for free to check it out, let me know, I would appreciate any business.
Rabangus said:
If you're after a completely free exchange account try here: http://live.mail2web.com/
I've used them for push mail for years and I've had no problems at all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your input, after dumping a few grand into building redundant servers, and taking the time to set it all up, not to mention the stress, I really like to have some really nice person chime in and tell me and others its free elsewhere, its hard enough being the small guy and trying to compete in a world of giants.

ChaoticDruid said:
Thanks for your input, after dumping a few grand into building redundant servers, and taking the time to set it all up, not to mention the stress, I really like to have some really nice person chime in and tell me and others its free elsewhere, its hard enough being the small guy and trying to compete in a world of giants.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Rather than complaining surely the best response would of been why your service is better than mail2web's? For example...
$4 a month gets you a mail alias. At M2W it's $4.95 a month.
Does your service included access using Outlook on a PC?
What about Spam filtering?
What about Anti Virus?

Mortgage Payment Calculator needed for Pocket PC

I'm a loan officer, looking for a basic Mortgage Payment Calculator for my Tilt. I saw several software programs available after doing a google browse. Just wanted to get some input from other pocket pc users. I don't need anything fancy just some thing basic to calculate Rate/Term & Interest Only payments while away from my office. I don't mind paying for the software but of course would prefer a trial version first.
Any suggestions?
I know I'm not the only mortgage guy with a Kaiser/Tilt that's still afloat in this ugly market ; )

Its you're lucky day..
roadmenace49 said:
I'm a loan officer, looking for a basic Mortgage Payment Calculator for my Tilt. I saw several software programs available after doing a google browse. Just wanted to get some input from other pocket pc users. I don't need anything fancy just some thing basic to calculate Rate/Term & Interest Only payments while away from my office. I don't mind paying for the software but of course would prefer a trial version first.
Any suggestions?
I know I'm not the only mortgage guy with a Kaiser/Tilt that's still afloat in this ugly market ; )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey Roadmenace...
I'm a loan officer cum realtor and have been using the best one that was ever created for pocket pc. How I know this is because I've tried pretty much each and every title thats available on handango/pocketgear.com over the past 4 or so years.. yup! that means from the days of WM2003. And its pretty ironic that having tried some costing as much as $50, the best one was and is totally free.
It was written by one Greg Fischer from Australia, a mortgage rep himself based down under. Its called mortgage calc and I believe it had over a million or so downloads to its name on the above sites back in the days.
However, the person stopped updating it beyond its 3.4 build for over a year and that too for just WM2003se. After a hiatus of over a year and my persistent googling I found his amateur site again and he had actually re-written the whole thing for WM5/6 and its now version 3.5
Sorry for the lesson in history.. I had to cuz if you'd known about it, the software was literally a "living legend" in its category.
Some of the fancy calculators built in it are no longer there for the WM5/6 versions but its still hands down the best you're gonna find hands down.
Here's the link to the website:
http://members.optusnet.com.au/~gm_fisher/Main.htm
and I'm attaching the .cab as well.

A great free option is Microsoft Excel. You can set it up to calculate any of the variables that you mention - rate, # of payments, necessary downpayment, etc. You can also use it for irregular mortgage terms as well. If you are not proficient in Excel, you can download templates directly from Microsoft or from www.vertex42.com (or just do a google search).
This is a great, free option (I think that Excel is the best software ever created, so I am a little bias) IMHO.

Excel is VERY useful. I don't know if it's the best though... I pick notepad.

I am wondering with the difference between a mortgage
Hi, I am wondering with the difference between a mortgage APR and Interest Rate? My mortgage interest rate is 6.875% and the APR is 7.504% does the APR of 7.504% sound right if the interest rate is 6.875%? My mom said that the 2 numbers should be closer together than that. Also, my mortgage banker never mentioned an APR, and since we are 1st time home buyer's, we were unaware of it. We only knew about the Interest rate. Can you please help me?

Should apps be only PAID in WP?

Was reminiscing my HD7 days again...
When I had my HD7, most of the apps were, I will be honest, paid. Now before you pull the trigger on me, let me explain something.
A. I am not against paying for an app.
B. But is it necessary that a good app SHOULD b paid? (WhatsApp, Flipboard)
C. Many people do consider this as a deal-breaker before buying a phone. (My boss is one of them, to an extent I'm too.)
D. By good app, I don't mean mind-blowing 3D games. But basic apps like the ones mentioned above.
Shouldn't MS, being MS make deals with other brands and give the buyer some relief?
Opinions, view points, perspectives now welcome. :Z
Sent from my RaZr Nexus.

Apps are created to make money - or at least most of them are.
That being said there are different ways an App can make money:
1.) It connects to a service and by it's existence promotes that service or makes it easier to use that service. In those cases the service behind the App pays for the App. (Twitter, Facebook, etc. are prime examples)
2.) Advertisments - this is the route most free Apps to my knowledge take on the Play Store. Pretty obvious how this works but I actually would rather pay 99 Cent instead of having an advertisment in my face all the time.
3.) In App Purchases - those will come with WP8 but in my experience are most often used in a way that you get a basic App with severly limited functionality which is then made functional through those expensive purchases. I personally prefer to have a price upfront so I can decide if the App is worth it.
All in all and working in software development myself I believe that good apps should be payed and I do believe that they actually should cost more than they do today. People whining over a price tag of 99 Cents for something they are going to use every day. Buy a coke at McDonalds and you pay pretty much the same for it without much whining that it should be free. Most developers don't make much money on Apps (WP or otherwise) with prices being what they are. This is by the way one of the reasons why many developers go iOS first - iPhone users are far more likely to pay for an App than Android users (looking at the statistics).
Prices being what they are Microsoft and Nokia in certain regions added a gift card to phone purchases worth 20$/€. This might be an interesting strategy for the future as well.

No, the phone itself was probably expensive enough.
The monthly bill is probably more than you are getting out of it.
Where does it stop ?
Television was once free in many places, now I believe everybody pays for it.
If you want "premiuim" channels you pay more again.
We pay for internet connections.
If the developer of an application wants to charge for it so be it, if he wants it to be free so be it.
Freedom of choice.
LL13-

When TV is free it is paid for by the country that operates it. Somewhere someone has to pay for it. If it is payed through taxes you also pay for it although you might not notice. Pay-TV-channels are new - which means: they would not exist were they not payed. It is the same for many of those Apps. If Microsoft were to intervene to get certain Apps for free on the platform they would have to regain that cost somewhere which perhaps would drive up the per-unit-pricing of the phones.
I'm not trying to force people to make their App payed, of course it's the developers choice. But all this whining about 99 Cents for a good App you use frequently just has to stop. Effort goes into making those Apps, people spend time implementing and polishing them. They should receive something for that.

Soo, here i am thinking about the newest (and first) WP8 phone ever announced, the Samsung (insert weird name here).
Now on android i am having 90~ apps that i use daily.. now i am pretty sure i'll find them once the OS get's released but if everything will be paid that's a dealbreaker for me.. i don't want to pay too much for a phone and (0.99$ per app) 90~ $ more.
So nope, for me they should be free, actually app developers should decide.

Most of the apps on my last 3 wp7s were paid and most of them were awful. I do not mind paying for apps at all.
Sent from my Nexus S using Tapatalk 2

lamplighter13 said:
Television was once free in many places, now I believe everybody pays for it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If your in the US, TV is free if you can live with the programming you will get. FCC mandates that all HDTV channels (non premium channels)are broadcasted over the air.
Depending on where you live you can get some but, you might only get a few (I get 4 and not the major networks but, it is free)
Not everyone pays for it...but, most people pay because they want more than 5-7 channels.
As for the topic on hand. I think there should be free apps, some apps I will never use if I can't try them.

It amazes me how cheap some people are! Devs work there nuts off to bring you apps and you don't think they should get paid for that hard work?
MS will NEVER demand that all apps be paid apps that's crazy1 They limit the daily submissions to stop crapware like soundboards that plague the play store. Its a choice the dev makes and most offer you the choice with free versions supported by adds or paid versions (supertube for instance). The WP market place even has a section for free apps and games etc and some rock (archery for one).
All in all i think MS has done a great job keeping app standards high. They could of gone the Android route and let anything pass just to get the numbers up but they didnt! Also not MS offer trials when android and ios normally have lite versions though i see more slipping into the market.

Google Play / Google Wallet Tax Information for UK users

im extremely confused about all of this, i kind of stumbled into this google play malarky by mistake
So..
Im in the Uk
I got some apps on google play.
ive made £4 in a couple of months.(i made a couple of apps 50p just to see what happens/stop all those promo sites integrating my wares as their own.)
now i get this:
Tax information required
Tax regulations in the US require that Google have complete and accurate tax information for our customers. Such forms are required in the event that a payee is located in the US or whose content is sold in the US. Please update your tax information in order to get paid.
Do i need to do this? Will i burn in hell for it?
And do i need to be a "business"?
im an idiot.
i hear that this is where people who actually know what they are talking about lurk.
help.
what is everyone's thoughts on this? any UK users had to do this?

I'm also interested how to deal with it

Hi,
Sorry for the late reply..
But YES, you need to fill these forms out. No you won't burn in hell so long as you are no a US citizen, do not carry out business in the US, etc.. (read what it says on the form). For 95% of developers this will be the case.
You will need to declare your earnings to HMRC.. I would check out if there is a lower limit below which it can be considered a "hobby", otherwise you should become a sole trader or a Ltd company. This will require year-end accounts to be filed, which could cost you about £500-£800 for an accountant.
Send me a PM if you would like some help. Also, I have bought developer's accounts in the past so might be interested in yours.