@bender@twtxt.net Mind to share a few vanilla apps you are using ?

On the topic, I have mixed feelings. With Apps/Software/Services that are continuously improving, it could be acceptable IMO. My main issue is when you keep paying for a “finished product”. It’s more complicated if it has ads, it’s freemium, uses servers, and so on.
On the production side, well, they do it because they can (although we don’t like that they can, it seems). Development costs are continuously increasing, so it’s an endless rush to spend more to compete, subsidize costs somehow, then earn more, rinse and repeat.
I’ve seen successes of 5-10% on indie developers, but I’d like to know the numbers for huge companies. I’d expect to have big pressure from investors to sustain growth and fail way less.

I think development costs can be attributed to a number of things:

• increase in inflation
  
• and subsequently increase in wages
  
• increase in complexity of software development
  
• and subsequently stifling of innovation

@prologic@twtxt.net agreed. Those reasons sounds reasonable to me, although I think there are many, many kinds of software that not all fit on every case. How could we compare current software to that made under different conditions?
That said, I name an interesting case. Videogames and movies. The price is almost the same, 40-60 USD for a AAA game, or 10 USD for a Hollywood ticket. And I think it hasn’t raised due to inflation, but budgets are increasing, technical features and quality is debatable improving. Gone with the wind” is in the top 1 taking inflation into consideration, but it’s an outlier.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_highest-grossing_films#Highest-grossing_films_adjusted_for_inflation

That’s why I like thinks live the Big Mac index (and many others), to understand the current difficulty to make a product under the current purchasing power.

disclaimer, I don’t know what I’m talking about

@eaplmx@twtxt.net You raise good points 👌 It’s complicated that’s for sure, but none of this excuses the questionable business practices of charging money for subscription services that either provide no value or a product you already own / purchased outright.

@prologic@twtxt.net agreed 100%, in the case of cars, it’s just insane