Is it common for an author to allow their product to be featured and released as a freebie, but they release a crippled version that can’t be updated?
I just had that happen, and I’m way pissed off over it. If its a theme, its essentially a trap as you have no choice but to buy it to get it to update and work properly. Seems to be against the point of offering something as a freebie.
They’re not crippled, you get a full version of the normal item, you just don’t get updates or support… which is fair enough seeing that it’s free.
And it does say right below the download for free button that updates and support are not included… so if you feel it’s a trap (even though you’re informed that you don’t get updates, and you know you’re going to need updates), sorry, but it’s pretty much a trap of your own making.
Support I understand, and that’s more than fair.
But a theme for example could be crippled and not function properly. I would think that considering the security risks alone on something like that, removing the ability to update is a pretty bad idea no? Then you’re forced into buying it in order to either maintain functionality and/or security…
In most cases, updates will be made by the author as and when required… and the download provided through Elements will be updated accordingly, so the latest version is always available. But you do need to be subscribed to download that latest version, or you can buy it via Themeforest.
I think it’s fair, as depending on how many items the subscriber downloads in a month, the author of the theme might get less than a dollar for the download (sometimes considerably less), and if the use of the theme is important enough for updates and support to be critical, then it’s probably a good idea to purchase the full item. To be on the safe side.