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Freeware: Is it really worth it?

The hidden cost of freeware often lies in the setup frustrations

By Anil Hemrajani, JavaWorld.com, 11/03/00

Page 2 of 2

For the most part, the product works beautifully. I was even able to try out an ISAPI redirector for Microsoft's IIS server. However, there are still some tags in the configuration files for which I can't find documentation. Also, I'm unable to correctly configure some SecurityManager policy elements with Tomcat, again due to lack of documentation. I have to keep reminding myself that this is a free product.

A simple request

I have worked with several flavors of Unix and Linux systems, so I'm used to poor install programs. But I guess I've gotten spoiled over the past few years by easy install programs on Windows; and, quite frankly, I would never go back to the old-fashioned way of fussing with install programs because I just don't have the time. My time should be spent developing applications.

You must be thinking: "It's a free product, so quit your whining." And I agree with you. But I suppose my thinking is this: if people can spend so much time building products as robust as Tomcat, Apache, or mySQL, then why can't they take the time to add a nice install program and some good documentation? (Yes, I realize developers hate to document -- trust me, I know. I'm one of them.)

Freeware is just what the name implies -- it's free -- so you take what you can get and live with it. However, there are more complete packages being introduced, such as Enhydra's InstantDB, Jive from CoolServlets, and others. These products are relatively easy to install and come with ample documentation. Also, you might consider Microsoft to be the Evil Empire, but the company does an admirable job with its free products. It might not hurt to take a few notes.

I hope that other groups developing freeware will realize the value of documentation. With the thousands of people using free products these days, documentation is well worth the effort. Meanwhile, check out some of the free Java products mentioned in the Resources section below.

About the author

Anil Hemrajani has more than 14 years of information systems experience working with several Fortune 1000 and other leading companies as a senior software engineer and consultant. He is the founder and CTO of iSavvix, an all-end services firm specializing in emerging Java technology. He has published several articles, presented at various conferences, taught Java/Web development, and is the cofounder of FreeBack.com, a Java-based file storage site serving more than 20,000 members. He welcomes your comments and questions about this column. Write to him or visit the iSavvix Soapbox forum.

 

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