Payware or free

[Luse]

Hmm which one  :P

[born_2_fly]

This is a bit of a strange question.

It all depends on the quality of the model. Some payware is fantastic, and well beyond anything that is available freeware because the designers are getting paid for their work and so can invest more time in it. Payware is better if you know what your buying, as there are some pretty amazing products out there that would never be available through freeware.

I've voted payware but still, I think its a stupid poll as no-one would go "I don't use any freeware because I don't like it"

It's such a vast range of things you can't say if you like it or not, some payware is cr*p, some is awesome, the same goes for freeware.

[Crussell]

Sometimes I get annoyed by Freeware, espicially those that don't include a read me.

[simonmd]

Eh? It's like asking "free or not free"?

Some payware is shockingly bad, even by freeware standards, Abacus for example. However, you can't get better than a good payware scenery or aircraft. Look at PMDG aircraft or Tampa scenerys for example.

I'd rather it was all free but 'you pays your money and makes your choice'.

[matt2190]

Eh? It's like asking "free or not free"?

Some payware is shockingly bad, even by freeware standards, Abacus for example. However, you can't get better than a good payware scenery or aircraft. Look at PMDG aircraft or Tampa scenerys for example.

I'd rather it was all free but 'you pays your money and makes your choice'.

I agree with that.

A lot of payware is much better than freeware, but at the same time a lot of freeware is better than payware. It just depends on who is making the product and how much time was spent designing it.

[Kaworu]

You should use freeware unless ABSOLUTELY necessary.

A: It's free!  ;D
B: People put time and work in it just to bring YOU some bit of happiness.
C: There are freeware aircraft that can run on ANY PC!
D: You already bought the sim, you don't need to pay for what MS didn't.

There is my two cents.  ;)

[cpthammond]

Freeware rocks and so does Payware and its a dissapointing fact that you can get most payware for free now :-/

[an-225]

B: People put time and work in it just to bring YOU some bit of happiness.

That doesn't mean I have to use freeware. Worded like this, its like saying...I should download it and use it even though I don't want to. And if I don't, I should feel guilty about it.

[spitfire boy]

B: People put time and work in it just to bring YOU some bit of happiness.

That doesn't mean I have to use freeware. Worded like this, its like saying...I should download it and use it even though I don't want to. And if I don't, I should feel guilty about it.

I think what he's saying is that freeware is more honest than payware - freeware modellers and designers have created this product so that you can enjoy it - wheras payware designers and modellers (and the companies that employ them) simply want your money (not sure this is true 100% of the time) so if you want a particular aircraft and there are two reasonably comparable products out there, one freeware one payware, go freeware.

Apologies if I've got the wrong idea entirely...

[born_2_fly]

B: People put time and work in it just to bring YOU some bit of happiness.

That doesn't mean I have to use freeware. Worded like this, its like saying...I should download it and use it even though I don't want to. And if I don't, I should feel guilty about it.

I think what he's saying is that freeware is more honest than payware - freeware modellers and designers have created this product so that you can enjoy it - wheras payware designers and modellers (and the companies that employ them) simply want your money (not sure this is true 100% of the time) so if you want a particular aircraft and there are two reasonably comparable products out there, one freeware one payware, go freeware.

Apologies if I've got the wrong idea entirely... ;D

You have got the wrong idea entirely and I accept your apology.

Some things you cannot get without money, look at the PMDG 747-400, that took hours of research and programming, if someone was to do it simply in their spare time it would take years and years to complete, obviously they dedicated their time fully to the project, and I'm sorry but there is nothing out there that you don't pay for that comes close to it.

More honest? Sorry, but quite frankly you can jog on, I appreciate all freeware designers and the work they produce, yes some payware is shocking, but on the whole, it is above and beyond most freeware, paying for something, or making money from something is not inherently dishonest.  >:(

Sometimes I hate the way people attach this stigma to payware products. Try it before you make your own judgment.

[simonmd]

Very well said Alex. The PMDG 747 is a very good example. If there was no payware, it wouldn't exist, simple.

I'm also of the opinion that Payware products 'raise the game' for all. Even if you've never bought ANY Payware, you have benifited from the fact that the standard of a lot of Freeware will have increased because the 'proffesional' Payware boys have shown us what is possible. Also, don't forget, a lot of Payware products eventualy find their way down to freeware status. Look at the recent releases from Alphasim, Iris and the wonderful Ready For Pushback 747-200 that are all free now.