Why people won't buy software
Is a false question. People will buy software. People have been, and continue to. Because I haven't been spending enough myself to keep the entire economy from crashing.
I read Dave Winer's articles ("Who will pay for software?", "Who will pay, part 2") with interest, and pondered the whys of it (why he would think people wouldn't buy sw). This article from Ed Foster's GRIPE LINE WEBLOG answers it. See the last paragraph.
People won't buy software when that software does not meet their needs.
I buy software. I buy it when it meets my needs (see my Hall of Fame for what I like). And as for open-source or freeware, I will buy an equivalent shareware or commercial product if it meets my needs better (as I might if the developers canna fix SnackAmp) than its open-source/freeware equivalent.
I'll say it again because it is important.
People won't buy software when that software does not meet their needs .