Freeware or Commercial Software?

[aimeeandbeatles]

Which do you use?

 

[Padma]

The phrasing of the question/poll is a bit off.

I use the best software for the purpose, which usually costs nothing, or next to nothing, and is almost always free (as in freedom), whether it costs money, or not.

 

[mdwh]

Only freeware - this isn't some ideological choice, but I can't remember the last time I bought an application.

Note that the boundaries between freeware and commercial is rather blurred - I'd still call things like Opera and Microsoft's Visual Studio Express "commercial", even though they are free to download - but I counted them as free for the purposes of this poll. Also I have things which are not free to distribute (such as the DVD burning software that came with my drive), but I didn't have to pay extra for.

I also presumed this poll was just for applications - I do have some commercial games that I bought.

 

[aimeeandbeatles]

Commercial software is software you pay for. Includes shareware

Freeware is free, although I'll include 'lite' versions of other programs.

 

[Shadylookin]

I use mostly open source software. While in theory it can be sold in practice it's typically always free in price so i vote use mostly freeware

 

[echinococcus]

Only freewarez.

 

[Zelig]

Whatever is best for the task at hand.

There happens to be a lot of good freeware, so the list of payware I have is relatively short: Windows, Perfectdisk, Admuncher, Nero, Hypersnap, Everest Ultimate, AnyDVD, Maple, SPSS, MS Office.

My list of freeware I use is significantly longer than that.

 

[Cutlass]

Whenever possible commercial software that I got for free

 

[kuukkeli]

Unless there's a significant advantage to have a commercial software I always pick freewares. Besides games the only commercial programs I'm using at the moment are Windows, Alcohol 120% and Poker Tracker(s).

 

[GenMarshall]

Mostly Commercial (Games), but some freeware.

 

[Ankka]

Open source

 

[taper]

Windows license on half my systems, although even those are dual-boot. Pay for games, usually off ebay for games a year or so old, so cheap. Everything else FOSS.

 

[azzaman333]

Freeware unless the product I'm paying for is significantly better.

 

[mdwh]

I admit I forgot Windows - hmm, the problem is that including that means no one other than those who only use things like Linux will tick the first option. Although I have Windows which already came on the machine I bought, I've never (well, not in years) gone out and bought application software, so it's not really true either to say that I use the "occasional" commercial software.

 

[Aramazd]

Mostly Commercial (games), however most of my other programs are freeware.

 

[Genocidicbunny]

I try to find freeware alternatives to commercial programs, and usually I can. As for games, most of my games are commercial. The only one that I can think of off the top of my head that isnt is OTTD

 

[echinococcus]

Between you, me, and the world, the only thing that convinces me to buy games is good multiplayer fun, in which case i need a genuine serial

 

[GrandAdmiral]

I don't care about the license or the availability of the source code. Just whatever app I like better and that goes either way.

 

[Pentium]

Only freeware. I use Linux almost exclusively, and even on Windows I only use free (as in beer) apps.

 

[lutzj]

I use a mix. Why do you have two (2) joke options?