Looking Forward to Window Clippings 2.0: Cost
Update: Version 2.0 is now available! Download it now from http://www.windowclippings.com/.
Recently Jeff Atwood left this comment on my blog:
Kenny, 2.0 is looking flippin' sweet.
You have to set up some kind of PayPal donate button so we can contribute some bucks toward the development of this great utility you're giving us for free. I have $10 with your name on it.
I’m flattered that Jeff is excited about the upcoming release of Window Clippings and so willing to support my development of the product. I also think this is a good time to talk about money. I’ve been struggling to figure out how to bring this up and I believe full disclosure is the best option and as usual I welcome your feedback.
I have wanted to go out on my own as a software developer for quite some time and with the popularity of Window Clippings I have decided to make it my first commercial product under my own name. I love developing software but have realized that I really ought to be working for myself and developing products that I myself own instead of endlessly developing products for others. So I’m not looking to get rich off the success of Window Clippings but am simply hoping to start something that will one day put food on the table for my family. I’m a firm believer in doing what you love but up till now Window Clippings and the many other free tools and technical articles I offer on this blog have not made a dime. Turning Window Clippings as well as a few other neat product ideas I have into a business of my own is something that I am very excited about.
As such, Window Clippings 2.0 will offer the option of registration. Window Clippings 2.0 will remain free to use but newer features introduced in Window Clippings 2.0 will only be available to registered users. So if you choose not to register you will still be able to continue using Window Clippings without losing any of the functionality you know and love from the 1.5 release. Unregistered users will benefit from many of the improvements that I have made to the existing features as well as bug fixes, performance improvements, increased installation and configuration flexibility, and so on.
I also don’t want to burden users with complex licensing schemes and restrictive activation roadblocks so I am making it quite simple. You can purchase a license of Window Clippings that is associated with your email address (used only as a licensing identifier) and for that you receive a license key that you can use to unlock the new features in Window Clippings 2.0. You can register Window Clippings on as many computers as you wish provided they are primarily for your own use or that of your family. I am also not going to spend much energy making it hacker-proof at this point. I know enough about Windows security to put some major roadblocks in the way of those hackers but I’d rather not penalize my honest and faithful users with unnecessary restrictions and complexity.
What will it cost already?!
Well Jeff hit it on the head! I am pricing Window Clippings 2.0 at $10 for a single user license. I believe Window Clippings provides great value and is a huge time-saver and as such is worth more but I would like to encourage as many people as possible to use the full product so I don’t want to turn people away with a seemingly high cost.
I know a lot of you are wondering when you will be able to get your hands on it. I’m hoping to release Window Clippings 2.0 around the end of May, but as its not currently making any money I have to obviously keep up my day job so the schedule may be pushed back a little.
An alternative strategy is for me to find a sponsor for Window Clippings, perhaps a large software vendor would like to offer Window Clippings as part of Windows :) (sorry but the Snipping Tool doesn’t cut it).
Stay tuned for more highlights from the upcoming Window Clippings 2.0!
Version 1.5 is the current release and you can download it here.
© 2007 Kenny Kerr