In-app ads: the new shareware?

Just a brief missive as I sit here waking up, noticing that a Solitaire app now has ads…

The battle for monetization is on; first software developers tried to sell licenses, then they tried ShareWare / DonationWare, and now it’s in-app ads.

The cool thing about desktop platforms offering in-app ads is that developers get paid based on usage rather than [strictly] license sales.  Users pay nothing.  Everyone benefits.

This concept was found tried-and-true on mobile devices, and now desktop platforms / IDE environments are offering monetization for developers, with a for-pay option to remove ads or rewarding users for viewing ads by offering in-game perks.

Look at how AdMob interacts with Android Studio, then look at Microsoft Store and Visual Studio.  Even gaming platforms are hopping onto this bandwagon, with developers publicly proclaiming that – with ads and sales of game licenses – they no longer have to worry about things as mundane as bills. [see the promotion content for Roblox Studio and look at some of the testimonials]

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