Topic: JBidwatcher Tips and Tricks / Open Source Development (The SnipeIt Issue)

I am an XP Pro user (no plans to switch to Vista any time soon) and happen to like my open source applications. I have OpenOffice, Firefox, and Thunderbird. I have no expectation, however, that a particular app ought to be free. I am a heavy ebay user and my spouse’s business is dependent on it. I use apps them because they work, not because they are free.

Free software works only when 1) there isn’t a huge incentive to pirate it to make money, or 2) there is a large developer community (linux) or corporate backer (open office) that is willing to go after the cheats.

People have lives and have to make a living. It’s not reasonable to expect Morgan to do this for free unless a whole lot of volunteers are willing to get behind a development project and help code and police it. But I suspect MOST jbidwatcher users are like me—rabid ebayers without any software development skills whatsoever.

If Morgan chooses to keep this open source I am willing to volunteer on the enforcement side within ebay if it gets registered in the VERO program. Hunting down and reporting thieves with carefully crafted searches is not really that difficult. But I would also be perfectly happy paying a reasonable license fee. In the six months I’ve been using it I’ve saved a bucketload of money.
For sure Jbidwatcher needs a few things (like better documentation for the clueless newbies). But it would frankly blow most of the competitors straight off the map with a bit more development.

Topic: JBidwatcher Tips and Tricks / jbidwatcher thief needs to be stopped

Is registering with ebay’s VERO program an option? I looked at their software list and saw other GPL folks like openoffice.org. Seems like that would make it easier for users to troll listings for ripoffs.

I’d hate to see this go. I’ve been using jbidwatcher for about 4 months now and I am hooked.