What "free" stuff do you pay for?

The Rocketry Forum

Help Support The Rocketry Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Marc_G

Well-Known Member
TRF Supporter
Joined
Jun 5, 2010
Messages
8,777
Reaction score
2,911
Location
Indianapolis Metro Area
Hi folks,

In recent months there's been some angst over the ads here on TRF, followed this week by the introduction of a paid model to remove the ads. Some of the concerns people have had have related to reluctance to pay for something that was free in the past, others rebelled against the ads being introduced apparently to support the introduction of an "ads removed by subscription" model. It doesn't really matter, as the days of TRF being a labor of love are gone and the new model is that it's part of a business. Time will tell how good it is for us as users and for Austin as proprietor. I lean toward the opinion of a viable business model being more sustainable than hobbies or labors of love.

Anyway, I paid for a subscription, less because I care about removing ads (adblock did it for me, and the current generation of ads on the mobile app aren't enough to get me up in arms), than I believe in supporting things I care about, and this community is one of them. I don't mind giving Austin some profit if he does a good job keeping up the site. I'll re-evaluate in a year.

This gets me thinking about other things that I pay for, because I feel like I get value out of them, rather than being required to pay for them to get the benefits. I'm interested to hear what all of you value enough to pay for it when you could have it for free. Here's my list:

1. NPR. A tiny bit of my tax money supports it, but I'm a $10/month sustaining member because I enjoy the programming on radio and TV, and want to support the less-commercial format it offers. I can hardly listen to commercial radio these days... my radio dial rarely strays from WFYI. I record Nova and watch other public TV programs, and while nobody would know if I didn't contribute, I do contribute because I want to do my part to make it continue.

2. MediaBrowser3. I use this as the platform for my home theater PC (HTPC). In my view it's the best HTPC software out there, and it has an ecosystem of free and paid software to go around it. The basic software (Server and PC client) are free for the downloading, as is use of the community forum. I contribute $20/year and get a supporter badge (which I don't care much about) and a few free software features (that I don't generally use), but I like the idea that I'm contributing to the existence and expansion of a piece of software I care about.

3. Other software with a freeware/contribute model: I've got about 10 programs that I could have used the functions I need for free, but I've paid one-time payments to contribute toward further development out of appreciation for the work already done, and hopes for continued refinement. These programs mostly avoid the "crapware installer" mess at time of installation. Much of it is stuff hosted on SourceForge, like Media Player Classic Home Cinema (the media player I use, which integrates well with Media Browser)

I've got to run to a family commitment, but these are some highlights of things I value enough to pay because I get value out of them, even if I don't have to pay to get the benefits.

So I turn it to you all. What do you value enough to pay for, when you don't have to?

Marc
 
My Fire Department. I value me and the Misses lives. Oh,and of course me pal.."Kodiac"
At the least,we buy our xmass tree off them each year. Donate here and there. Most FDs up here are all volunteer.
 
Last edited:
TANSTAAFL - There ain't no such thing as a free lunch.
Someone always pays. I'll happily pay to support something I like.
 
Books, even if I can find free info on the web I still prefer have a book on hand.

+1. Gotta be hardcover too (when I can afford it, and it's not some crazy 26 book trilogy).
I pay for cable TV (which pains me to no end, but it's much better usually).
I also pay for radio (which also pains me to no end, but when I drive to work, I'm in the between zone for most stations. It's nice not to be constantly changing stations).

Adrian
 
Last edited:
+1. Gotta be hardcover too (when I can afford it, and it's not some crazy 26 book trilogy).
I pay for cable TV (which pains me to no end, but it's much better usually).
I also pay for radio (which also pains me to no end, but when I drive to work, I'm in the between zone for most stations. It's nice not to be constantly changing stations).

Adrian

Thanks Adrian!

Actually though, I wonder if there's anything you pay for that you get even if you don't pay for it. Satellite radio and cable TV, you don't get unless you pay for them. Unless you're some sort of pirate... I'm talking about things that you voluntarily fork over some amount of money for, even though you don't get much tangible benefit for doing so, other than satisfaction of supporting something you care about. Got anything like that? :grin:
 
OK, well... Uh, I guess I was thinking free broadcast TV/Radio vs. Satellite. OK, so now ya gots me thinkin that my answer would be no...
I'll just sit on the sideline now and learn...

Adrian
 
+2 on the books, especially hardcover. So, yes even if I can get it for free off the net, I would rather pay. I like to donate money to the club's porta potty fund, I donate a percentage to my church, a little to friends of scouting, salvation army at Christmas time. Crap, I completely got off track of the thread. I guess not much I could get for free do I give compensation for, and I don't get too much for free.
-Ken
 
Well, I get a bunch of free farm magazines, and they usually hit you up for a subscription about once a year or so... Not that I would... Not enough value in it for me IMHO... There is only one farm magazine I will pay for... Farm Show magazine...

Thing is, its mostly written by readers... Their ideas and innovations or improvements to existing equipment... The staff finds out ideas from tips and then follows up doing research and stories... Its printed on newspaper rag sheets and part of it is in black n white... Low production value, but the *content* is pure gold...

All those free farm mags... Most are printed on photo quality glossy paper, slick production formats, and all that... But I wouldn't line a birdcage with it... The content is all yellow dog journalism at its finest... All stacked to present the best interests of its big agribiz owners and advertisers, not the farmers it supposedly serves... I asked my seed and chemical dealer one time why I got all those free mags that I didn't really care about and never even asked for... He told me the companies sold them their customer lists... Course I got SO sick of the patently slanted thinly veiled advertising passed off as 'stories' I finally wrote them and told them to quit sending me 'Cotton Grower' mag... I just got frustrated and angry reading it...

Well, if everything valuable should have a price attached to it... I guess I should start charging range fees to launch off my farms... After all flying fields don't grow on trees... Guess if it has value, it should be paid for in cash money....

How much should I charge?

Later! o
OL JR
 
Well, if everything valuable should have a price attached to it... I guess I should start charging range fees to launch off my farms... After all flying fields don't grow on trees... Guess if it has value, it should be paid for in cash money....

How much should I charge?

Later! o
OL JR

$5 per adult per launch day. We use an ultralight field and that's what he charges. Seems pretty darn reasonable.

FC
 
I will tend to pay for my time.

Specifically, there are things that I will pay for that I could do myself, but I don't have the interest to invest the time to do so.

Some computer games I have paid for even if I already own them, because someone has usually updated them to work on modern systems. GOG.com is an example. No patching, fiddling with registry entries, workarounds, etc.

Auto work. I can do just about any mechanical work on an automobile...bent plenty of wrenches back in the day. Now, I pay someone else to do most of my auto work.

House work/repair is the same way...I can dick around on a multi day project. Or just pay someone else to do it while I spend time with the family.

"No one gets to the end of their life wishing they spent more time at the office."

YMMV of course.

FC
 
Not really *free* but, i do like to chip in a few extra dollars when the Girl Scouts set up camp in front of the local W*lm*rt selling their cookies every year... We have a great group that shows up every year and, the little sweeties are so happy to make a sale.:D
Plus if it has Chocolate OR Peanut Butter in it...ITS MINE!:mad:

I live in a rural area and, also like to donate to my local Fire Departments when "Boot in hand" runs out onto the highway in front of me. I figure if you will run into a burning house, barn or jump in front of me and, 7500#'s of Pickup Truck...You COULD use a few dollars... You have my respect.

Last but, not least...When the American Legion gives away Poppy's every year...I dig deep. So what, to some people its a piece of crepe paper and, a white ribbon. To me it means so much more and, i will only take one. I spent eight years of my life in the USAF (nothing more than just a *Missile Mechanic* ) and, if you served your country...than you are a brother or sister to me NO MATTER what branch you joined or were drafted into. I find it rather unsettling when the rare occasion comes that someone wants to thank me or shake my hand for serving..

Please, save that for those who can no longer speak.:sigh:

I feel honored to have donated a few years of my life to my country in my own way and, good OR bad, there's NO other place i would rather live.
 
There have been a number of apps on Android that have a free version that is just as functional as the "ad free" version. I don't even notice the ads in them, but if an app is good, I will buy the paid version to support the developer.
 
I drop a ten in the donation jar at the local launches. That is very worthwhile to me.
 
Back
Top