Payment for Products

Why do you charge for your software?

Software development is expensive. There are bills to be paid such as rent, electricity, heating, cooling, internet access, web hosting etc. There is computer equipment to be bought and maintained. Programmers do not work for nothing, they need to be paid, they need money to buy food and accomodation! Thus Haxial must charge for its software in order to be able to afford to pay its expenses. Note that charging for software is normal, most companies that produce software do charge for it. Haxial is not being greedy, rather it is a matter of survival. The expenses of a software company include:

• A wage for programmers (everyone needs to earn a living, including programmers!).
• Computer hardware such as computers, monitors, printers, networking equipment, UPS's, surge protectors, backup disks, etc.
• Software to help run the business and make software etc.
• Internet access.
• Web hosting.
• Programming books and reference manuals.
• Electricity for computers, lights, heating/cooling, etc.
• Telephone.
• Office rent.
• General office equipment and furniture including desks, chairs, lights, stationery, etc.
• Providing technical support to customers.
• Advertising/marketing.
• Legal expenses (accountants, lawyers, government fees, etc);
• Government taxation.
• Credit card processing fees.
• Bank fees.
• And more.

Serial numbers, reminders etc are annoying, why can't you rely on people's honesty to pay?

Haxial has tried an honesty system. There were no serial numbers or certificates, you simply clicked an "I Paid" button and the program was all yours to use. Unfortunately, of the people that used the software, approximately only 1-2% paid for it. This was not enough to keep Haxial in business, so a digital certificate scheme was implemented instead.

I believe in the "Free Software" movement, it's wrong for you to charge money for your software.

That is a misinterpretation of the Free Software movement. Here is a quote from the Free Software Foundation:

"Free software" is a matter of liberty, not price. To understand the concept, you should think of "free" as in "free speech," not as in "free beer."
   (http://www.fsf.org/philosophy/free-sw.html)

No, wait! What I really meant to say was, it's wrong for you to refuse to give me all your source code for free.

Yeah, but we're evil incarnate, so we don't really care.

Why don't you make KDX Client free and only charge for KDX Server?

Because Haxial would go bankrupt. The income that KDX Server generates by itself is insufficient to cover the development costs of KDX, even if we raised the price of KDX Server. We have no choice, we MUST charge for KDX Client in order to remain in business, it is the only way to cover the development costs.

I still think Haxial products should be free!

Haxial can either charge for its products, or go out of business. It is as simple as that. Haxial will be unable to pay its bills if it does not charge for its products, and will face bankruptcy.

Maybe you will understand this when you eventually leave your parents home, and Mommy and Daddy stop paying for your food, clothes, electricity, accommodation, and all the other expenses. I know it comes as a big shock to discover this, but Mommy and Daddy cannot just take food from the supermarket -- they must pay for the food they take. Big scary men will lock Mommy and Daddy away if they try to take the food without paying. Also, the money in Mommy's and Daddy's wallets isn't placed there by magical Money Fairies during the night -- they must earn it.

Unfortunately, Haxial is a company and thus does not have a Mommy and Daddy to pay for everything, unlike yourself. When you grow up and start paying for all your expenses by yourself, you will understand why Haxial must earn money.

If you are still unhappy about the fact that companies are unwilling to give you their products for free, and that programmers require payment for their hard work in order to earn a living and pay for food, then you can vote out your current government and replace it with one that will abolish money and declare everything to be free. Don't forget that you will also need to outlaw trade because otherwise Haxial could ask for a sack of apples in exchange for its products, and thus it still wouldn't be free. If you are not yet old enough to legally vote, we suggest that you could try holding your breath or throwing a tantrum until the adults agree to abolish commerce.

Wow, you're so good at explaining the facts of life. Can you explain the Birds and the Bees to me as well?

When Mommy and Daddy love each other very much.....