Hey @Simeon and @John, just a question out of curiosity, how many total downloads does Codea have right now?
ONE MILLION
:DDD
Codea needs more love!!! People please download!
@Simeon Please Release a PAID update, so we (me) can support you guys for all the hard work!!!
@Simeon Wow! That’s a crazy lot amount of downloads, I would never be able to get that many in a million years. Except I don’t think it’s enough for all the benefits Codea has given others. Although it’s better for me, you need stop being naive and start making us pay!
@se24vad I see paid updates as a slippery slope. Do you make the users that have supported you so far pay for an update. Then do you increase the price for new users to cover the cost of the original price plus the update. Then do you keep doing that until the cost is so high that no one buys your app anymore. I’ve seen some apps where the developers set up an option to collect donations just so they don’t run into that situation. But then I don’t create any apps to sell, so that’s just my thoughts.
@dave1707 Seeing the sales data and its trend I understand that it’s very important to attract new users and as you said high prices would have a negative effect on that. True.
But I do believe that especially the long time users of Codea, who came to realize how useful Codea really is, should be those who are giving a little more love back than newcomers. Why would they stick to Codea such long time if Codea wasn’t good for them? But it is and so they stick to it. So they maybe should support the development process as well? At least it’s in their interest to have the devs continue to work on Codea and release new updates. Isn’t it?
I personally have been long enough around here and saw Simeon’s and John’s passion and devotion over all that time. They put an enormous amount of energy into this while receiving almost nothing back. People are putting pressure on them, asking for updates, features and help. So its only right that we give something back to them.
We are the community after all. I think its a very welcome and friendly and helpful group of people here. So why not truly join and shape the future of Codea together?
I do understand that not everyone can donate due to their personal life situation. But if there was a paid update from time to time or an optional IAP or a patreon page I would be willing to support!
Disclaimer: I don’t try to offend anybody, this are just my thoughts.
@se24vad You said They put an enormous amount of energy into this while receiving almost nothing back. How much money do you have/make that you think $710,684.93 profit is considered almost nothing. That’s $710,684.93 over a six year period. I know people who work their whole lives and don’t make that much money. I don’t know how many people feel the way you do, but if the devs never put out another update, it wouldnt bother me what so ever. Sure, Codea is the best app I have and one I use a lot, but it isn’t something I can’t do without. Do I need constant updates, no. I’m not trying to write games or anything to put on the App Store and try to make a few bucks. It’s something I use for fun (except when I’m helping other users) and I’m sure that’s all it is to a lot of other users. If you or other users who feel like you do want to donate to the devs, I’m sure they’ll give you their PayPal info. But as you said, not everyone can donate due to their personal life situations. A paid update is not a donation and those who can’t keep paying for updates will fall behind. Apple is doing just that. They keep updating their devices (and trying to convince everyone they need the updates) but not allowing the older devices to update. That forcing people to keep buying newer models just to keep up, which makes Apple richer and richer.
@dave1707 There are valid points in your response and I do share some points with you. You have your opinion and I have mine. Life was and will always be unfair to many people and people have to decide for themselfs wether they fallow any rules/restrictions put on them or if they just break out. Me concerned: as long as I have money to spend I credit the people who make my life easier and more enjoyable, (although I’m not rich in terms of money). Hard work should be rewarded, that’s what I think. If they did so much money then they deserve it…
But please, don’t feel attacked by my posts. I just said. And I’m pretty sure they will not do paid updates though - I recall reading it somewhere on the forums…
Just to put things in perspective. Codea made the bulk of its money within the first 3 years (60% or so) and at the time we had 3 active developers so split those earnings into thirds. At least 30-40% of the that remainder goes to tax and another 10-20% into operating costs such as equipment, hosting, company fees, accounting etc. It’s also all in AUD which is significantly less in USD
Looking at the 6 years of earnings as a lump sum is tempting but not a realistic view of our take home pay which isn’t enough to pay a mortgage or support a family as we both work 4 days a week on top of Codea development.
Oh and also I got robbed tonight and they took my development MacBook Pro, my girlfriends MacBook Pro, both our wallets and the car keys. I had to chase them out of the house while yelling at them. Currently trying to track them using Find My MacBook. 2 days of Craft development down the toilet that I hadn’t pushed yet :neutral:
@se24vad I don’t feel attacked by your response. I just wanted to point out that there’s a difference between someone who wants to make donations, and someone who wants paid updates instead of donations. I agree with you that the devs deserve everything they can get for their work. But what the devs charge for Codea or updates is a very critical balancing act. Depending on what you do, you can make more money by charging less than you can by charging more.
@John Man, I’m sorry for you! ;(
@dave1707 Simeon and John will figure it out and find a good balance. They never disappointed their members.
@Topic That’s what I was trying to point out… on the endpoint there isn’t much outcome.
PS: The majority of european/german workers (just regular guys) earn around 25-30k EUR per year which is almost comparable with this chart. While considered mid-range salary it isn’t really that much. Many struggle living like this (me including)…
@se24vad @John @Simeon
I’m still in high school, and I gotta be honest, you guys are sort of discouraging me from wanting to become a programmer
@dave1707 I like your view here. I think an optional paid update would be an interesting thing to try.
Something that pops up after a major update and lets you choose some amount from $0 to $10 to pay for the update.
@Simeon When airlines started charging for meals or checked luggage, which had been free, it annoyed a lot of people. But, unlike airlines, you have a friendly group of users and could ask for an optional donation without annoying them. I think it would work, but if it doesn’t, a small fee is still an option.
@CamelCoder I’ve been a professional programmer for many years and have always been happy I went that route
I ran a little query on the Codea Talk users and came up with these numbers. I didn’t verify these numbers but I assume they’re right.
Total members 5153
Banned members 376
Joined this year 316
Logged in more than once this year 233
Logged in more than once this month 91
three quarters of a mil! thats no joke! good work guys!!!
good god I wonder how much apple makes in app sales a day…