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| The evolution of Macintosh software - Aug 13, 2003 12:01am - opinion |  |
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In case you haven't noticed, the Mac software market has changed. The major changes are that there is a lot more software included with the Mac OS, and a lot of excellent freeware available, and the amount of pay-if-you-like-it-after-30-days shareware seems to have gone down. It seems to be tied to Mac OS X. With the powerful simplicity of Cocoa, many hobbyist developers seem to have realized, "Hey, I like getting this other software for free, maybe I could do the same thing!" and then release great little applications for the Mac world to enjoy. And they aren't all little, either. A group of students from Germany released the free Hydra, an innovative and powerful text editor that allows collaborative editing. My favorite AIM client is Adium, also free. The shareware market has changed considerably. An old mainstay from the Mac OS 9 days, software publisher Casady & Greene closed its doors. Arlo Rose decided to create an entirely new product, the $25 Konfabulator. Of Panic's 4 shareware apps, all run really nice and pretty on Mac OS X, including the company's great FTP client Transmit (expect to see a full write-up on Transmit on MacMilitia in the future). Apple, of course, has bundled applications such as iMovie, iTunes, iPhoto, iCal, and Safari with the OS. They are all free, and this is a problem for some Mac developers. In giving software away, Apple has basically made it very tough for small-time developers to make profitable shareware applications. However, I think I have to side with Apple here. The iApps Apple makes available -- an MP3 player, a web browser, a simple movie editor, digital photo album software, etc. -- are all considered basic necessities by consumers. If Joe the DJ needs something more powerful, he can buy one of the professional mixing apps available for the Mac. Joe may have bought his Mac for the ease of use, but then realized he could do so much more than what was just built in. The Mac has a more vibrant software community than any other platform. The field has changed, and is changing, and will change in the future. Those that wish to make a living out of Mac shareware will have to see the changes and adapt sufficiently, if not creatively and uniquely. |
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