The “keep products indie by paying for them” theory took a hit yesterday
Well, there goes the theory that if you pay for an app like @sparrow you’re the customer, not the product.Please @Pinboard, stay strong.
— Rian van der Merwe (@RianVDM) July 20, 2012
A very interesting response to the purchase of Sparrow by Google. I’ve never bought the “you are the product” argument—it’s a pretty ridiculous jump to imply that if you use a free software, you become what’s bought and sold as though you have no choice—but I like the response to it: pay for the products you like to support them rather than assuming that all software will come to you for free. This tweet (and this post) show the understandable disappointment of those that believed this theory. And while I don’t share their belief in free software, I do share their disappointment.
