OOOOO I get it, like chicklets, oh you crafty software engineers!

sisedi

NO,
FREAKING,
WAY!

Id rather pay ten dollars one time than see freaking ads.

Joseph

Ughh.

frigg

I hate adware.

The thing is, you only get what - 1c per click anyway? I'd rather pay $5 for a program (and give the developer a guaranteed $5) than download an ad-infested program.

As to "stealth" adware (software that installs ad-engines without telling you its going to do so), there are lots of people who will never again use software from that publisher if the publisher doesn't warn the user first. Even a "This program is ad supported" in the description is good enough.

Honestly, it's not that I'm against advertising in software (my favorite game has embedded ads running through it), but it's the WAY most apps go about it: installing special programs to monitor and update the advertising, tracking your use of the program, and often making the ads gaudy and distracting. Then there are the audio ads (I pulled AIM off my PC because of that) and the pr0n & mating service ads (like I really need my 4 year old seeing that every time I pull up some program.)

I realize that advertising is a viable way for some devs to make some money off of otherwise free apps, but I think the whole advertising in software industry really needs to be cleaned up and some standards need to be applied.

TomXP411

Well, this allows basic users to try to start in this business but I'm sure a lot of people - like Joseph - would rather pay for an ad-free app.

According to this article [www.internetevolution.com] mobile marketing revenues will increase from 1.8b in 2007 to more than 24b in 2013 so get ready to see a lot of ads!

G2GdoB2B

Believe it or not - not all ads are an awful experience.

Take a look at this site - ad supported.

Take a look at an app like Twitterific - ad supported.

And the experience isn't degraded as a result of the ads being there. Sure, it can be difficult to integrate an ad-supported revenue model with the user experience, but when its done correctly (and ground-up guidelines emerge).

Ok - its disclosure time - I work for Medialets.

That said, using Twitterific changed how I thought of ad supported desktop applications. The ads are served by The Deck a boutique ad network for creative types, that are elegant and never try to steal the spotlight. Ads are displayed without disrupting the user experience, and surface ads that I regularly click through to.

And a positive experience for me means revenue to the developers and bloggers who's apps and writing I use and read every day. They profit and I get to enjoy their work, while being able to share the same experience with any of my friends because the content is ad supported.

What we're looking to do is make sure these kind of experiences happen more often.

Magic Schoolbus

@Magic Schoolbus: Sorry, but with enough windows (not that many) of this site open on a fairly capable computer, the harddrive starts churning. I think that the adds burdening giz play a relatively significant role. This site is not an aweful experience, but its a resource whore.

capitalass