Woot is the popular website for snagging great products at a steeply discounted rate. Each day, Woot will have a different product and the deal will only be available for that day (see: What is Woot?). If you miss a day or the product sells out before you get to it, then too bad; you’ll need to wait until the next day. That’s part of Woot’s addictive charm. (I’ve personally snagged two Roomba iRobot vacuums, a couple MP3 players, and some other electronics for more than 50% less than I would have paid retail.)
Now software lovers have something to look forward to - Giveaway of the Day (GotD). Each day a new commercial software package is offered up for free download (legally). Don’t expect to find any Adobe (or Macrodobe) products in the lot, however, browsing through the archives shows there have been a few gems in the bunch. If you miss a day, well, no problem. You can always try browsing through the freeware section to see if there’s something that will suit your needs.
From what I gather, it appears that the GotD crew contacts a developer (or vice versa), purchases the software they plan to offer for download, and do a nice little write up for the software developer (see: For Developers).
Though, there are a couple things that are not entirely clear. On the developer’s page, GotD states that “the registration data will expire once this agreed period is over” then later states that “users will be able to receive an extended trial run”, which makes me question whether the software is simply a limited trial version, or a full working copy, because, on the about page, it explicitly states “not a trial, not a limited version - but a registered and legal version of the software will be free for our visitors”.
It’s also unclear whether the software needs to be download and installed on the same day, because users will need to “[download] a special verification program” and “the license key will be provided by the custom-built program that will verify that the giveaway offer is still available on our web-site, and check if the downloadable file is authentic.” If this is the case, wouldn’t the license key expire as soon as the GotD was over? (The question was answered after a quick browse through the forum - it must be downloaded and installed the day of the giveaway, though there are quite a few good workarounds.)
That aside, their monetization model seems one-sided in favor of the software developers. The need to garner more developers is understandable, but if the money for software licenses keeps going out while money isn’t coming in, a site can only last so long. I’ve noted a few AdSense adverts sprinkled throughout the pages, but certainly nothing that will butter the bread. The only other speculation is the selling of previous GotD software packages through an affiliate link (doesn’t appear that way, though) and possibly selling ad space or affiliate products in their newsletter.
GotD appears to be a new service (with the first software release appearing Oct. ‘06), so the quirks may be ironed out as the website grows. For now, if you’re quick enough, you may snag a useful piece of software.
On a side note: I’m glad to see the entire site is powered by WordPress and the forums are powered by bbPress.
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