# Why themers charge for themes?



## nativi (Jul 23, 2011)

Well this has been eating at me for a while now but I keep seeing more and more themers charging for theme chooser themes. I mean they are making themes for a Rom that was made free, so why charge for it? The developer is not charging for the Rom you are using but a themer wants to charge you for a theme. I know that developers do get a good bit of donations. And I as a themer never really have gotten a donation for anything I've done. Is been a while since I've done a theme but they are still being downloaded. So my question is why charge when a developer doesn't?

p.s. feels good to get that off my chest.


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## Droidx316 (Jun 21, 2011)

They need to make a living to. also devs without asking for money in the rom description usually have a donation link. so they are getting money to.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2


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## nativi (Jul 23, 2011)

Droidx316 said:


> They need to make a living to. also devs without asking for money in the rom description usually have a donation link. so they are getting money to.
> 
> Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2


So do themers.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2


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## akellar (Jun 11, 2011)

Ultimately because they want to and can. If you don't like it, don't buy it.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using RootzWiki


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## nativi (Jul 23, 2011)

akellar said:


> Ultimately because they want to and can. If you don't like it, don't buy it.
> 
> Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using RootzWiki


Ultimately I don't.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2


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## BootAnimator (Jun 10, 2011)

nativi said:


> Ultimately I don't.
> 
> Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2


As a former pre-ICS themer and boot animation fiend, I never put anything on the market. I have received a few donations, fully appreciated of course. But nothing to sustain my way of living. I have no qualms about those who wish to do so by charging money for their work. Its their right, and I'm OK with that. 
The only problem is seeing some themers and ROM devs literally requesting donations. I think that takes a lot of balls and is, IMO, classless. 
It happens blatantly outright or subtly by asking you to "buy them a beer".
My opinion is that if your work is good enough, it will speak for itself and asking for donations becomes unnecessary and people will send cash unsolicited. 
Of course there will always be users who free ride and never donate a single cent. That's classless too. You can tell me every excuse you want, until you turn blue in the face. If you can afford these phones and mobile services, then you can afford a $5 donation to one of many credible and awesome devs and themers. 
Any donations I received in the past, I forwarded to other devs who I felt deserved it more than I did. 
It boils down to a few things - donate and/or buy or don't donate and/or buy.
Its up to you. 
I did it for the fun of learning and also to give back to the community that gave me so much over the last 4yrs since I began in Android. 
I have a feeling that those themers who are just out for a quick $$$ won't be around in the long run. So its nothing really worth paying much attention to them. The ones that do stick around? And make some pretty wicked themes/ROMs? I'll gladly buy them a beer. They've earned it.

Just my $0.02


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## Droidx316 (Jun 21, 2011)

nativi said:


> So do themers.
> 
> Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2


 that's why I said themers need to make a living to..

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2


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## poontab (Jun 7, 2011)

If someone is making original images & charging for it in the market more power to them. No difference in people charging for icon packs or premium fonts. If they're just changing image colors, grabbing old kitchen images, or swapping out OEMs images then I have no idea. 


nativi said:


> I know that developers do get a good bit of donations.


What on earth makes you think, much less know, that?


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## WhataSpaz (Feb 20, 2012)

Why do I buy over priced girl scout cookies? I guess we'll never know


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## SSMayNV (May 2, 2012)

If I could thank you more than once bootanimator, I would. Nice post.


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## Schoat333 (Jun 14, 2011)

The point of making a "donate" Version of a theme in the market is for those that wish to donate. Since searching for themes in the markets give no option to donate if the user wishes, there is no other way.

I, and most other themers, also include a link to, or free market version of themes, for those that just wish to use and not donate.

There are those that only have paid versions, and that is up to them. Some of these themes may have more time put into them than the rom itself, and that could be why.


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## ÜBER™ (Jul 8, 2012)

I think we deserve it for all the crap we put up with. "Oh i want this can you do this" "I dont like that can you remove it" "OMG its not working!" I mean seriously the only good comments and ratings i get on the market .. are of my paid themes. I get countless emails for support on the same question... and i even have the solution in the screenshots and the description. If anything the paid themes are there to remove the ingrates. Either your grateful for the persons work.. so you purchase it, or you could care less.

Honestly... whats the big deal on putting a price tag on a service?


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## nativi (Jul 23, 2011)

ÜBER™ said:


> I think we deserve it for all the crap we put up with. "Oh i want this can you do this" "I dont like that can you remove it" "OMG its not working!" I mean seriously the only good comments and ratings i get on the market .. are of my paid themes. I get countless emails for support on the same question... and i even have the solution in the screenshots and the description. If anything the paid themes are there to remove the ingrates. Either your grateful for the persons work.. so you purchase it, or you could care less.


Good day.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2


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## ÜBER™ (Jul 8, 2012)

nativi said:


> Good day.
> 
> Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2


Ya you too...


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## nativi (Jul 23, 2011)

ÜBER™ said:


> .
> 
> Honestly... whats the big deal on putting a price tag on a service?


Is not. I was wondering why themers charge for a theme but a developer doesn't for the Rom.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2


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## nativi (Jul 23, 2011)

ÜBER™ said:


> I think we deserve it for all the crap we put up with. "Oh i want this can you do this" "I dont like that can you remove it" "OMG its not working!" I mean seriously the only good comments and ratings i get on the market .. are of my paid themes. I get countless emails for support on the same question... and i even have the solution in the screenshots and the description. If anything the paid themes are there to remove the ingrates. Either your grateful for the persons work.. so you purchase it, or you could care less.
> 
> Honestly... whats the big deal on putting a price tag on a service?


What I'm trying to say is a developer puts a lot of time on the Rom. And a themer does on the theme I know. But why not make a donate version and a free version rather then just a paid version? Not trying to get anybody mad or anything like that.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2


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## ÜBER™ (Jul 8, 2012)

nativi said:


> What I'm trying to say is a developer puts a lot of time on the Rom. And a themer does on the theme I know. But why not make a donate version and a free version rather then just a paid version? Not trying to get anybody mad or anything like that.
> 
> Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2


And im not trying to be attacking in anyway but i dont see the justification in having both versions, all that work and for what... for everybody to go after the free version and the limited few that arent too cheap to spare 2 bucks for the donate version?


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## MR H3LLMAN (Oct 20, 2011)

nativi said:


> Is not. I was wondering why themers charge for a theme but a developer doesn't for the Rom.
> 
> Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2


None of thus has an attitude behind it so please take it accordingly. Just me rambling off my thoughts haha.

If you can deploy something to the market, as schoat was saying, a donate version is always nice to have as it does take quite a bit of effort to make themes or full overlays and if people get the feel to show their appreciation monetarily then they have the option to do so. We don't "charge", per say, but as schoat said earlier we have the donate version available AS WELL as a free version. Its a choice to the end user ultimately. I for one do not have anything in the market nor do I plan to anytime soon but I do have a donate button the same way most themers and devs do. Nobody is holding a gun to anyone's head and making them pay for anything. And as someone said earlier if they are working with open source images and drawables and simply changing colors then you start running into issues as you can't charge for stuff you got for free as I believe you mentioned actually. But if its peoples original work they have the right to charge for it the same way any other app developers charge for theirs. So in reality it is quite a large blanket statement to say themers charge for their work. Some do, some don't. You wont ever catch me doing it though.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using RootzWiki


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## nativi (Jul 23, 2011)

MR H3LLMAN said:


> None of thus has an attitude behind it so please take it accordingly. Just me rambling off my thoughts haha.
> 
> If you can deploy something to the market, as schoat was saying, a donate version is always nice to have as it does take quite a bit of effort to make themes or full overlays and if people get the feel to show their appreciation monetarily then they have the option to do so. We don't "charge", per say, but as schoat said earlier we have the donate version available AS WELL as a free version. Its a choice to the end user ultimately. I for one do not have anything in the market nor do I plan to anytime soon but I do have a donate button the same way most themers and devs do. Nobody is holding a gun to anyone's head and making them pay for anything. And as someone said earlier if they are working with open source images and drawables and simply changing colors then you start running into issues as you can't charge for stuff you got for free as I believe you mentioned actually. But if its peoples original work they have the right to charge for it the same way any other app developers charge for theirs. So in reality it is quite a large blanket statement to say themers charge for their work. Some do, some don't. You wont ever catch me doing it though.
> 
> Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using RootzWiki


Very well said. I have not done a T-Mobile theme engine theme yet. Life has been crazy for me lately. But if I do I plan to follow what you said.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2


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## mbh87 (Jun 14, 2011)

Glad I'm not the only one that thinks like this. It is what it is, though. A theme should never be over $.99 and very rarely will I ever pay more than that. It all comes down to who the theme is by, for instance Sonny has to be one of the most helpful and friendly themers out there and I wouldn't hesitate buying anything of his. Some guys are in it for a quick buck and never or hardly ever update their theme.


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## 52brandon (Jul 27, 2012)

nativi said:


> Is not. I was wondering why themers charge for a theme but a developer doesn't for the Rom.
> 
> Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2


since android is open-source, is charging for a ROM even an option legally? That may answer half of your question


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## ÜBER™ (Jul 8, 2012)

52brandon said:


> since android is open-source, is charging for a ROM even an option legally? That may answer half of your question


This was my point initially but then you could turn it on the themer and say.. the theme is using original images and being sold. But im leaning towards the price paid is being paid for a service and not quite for the images or the theme or none of that.. but for the time and effort spent on such.

Speaking for my self, i've gotten countless thanks on my themes, and downloads. Even knocking down my free hosting sites multiple times... and not once have i ever gotten a donation for a theme. Well maybe once.. but JUST ONCE. The point being if i never sold my themes.. i would never earn anything. Which is quite sad...and what it all boils down to is.. you have the choice to buy the theme or not... its very simple... why fuss on the fact it has a price tag... regardless of the circumstances and what other things may have been done for free?


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## nativi (Jul 23, 2011)

52brandon said:


> since android is open-source, is charging for a ROM even an option legally? That may answer half of your question


Then is charging for images that you didn't make just changed the hue values not the same? Just a minor alteration just like some Roms.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2


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## error311 (Oct 14, 2011)

A question I never understood either. CM7 theme chooser there was soo many free themes it was amazing. Now if you search the market for CM10, it is 98% all paid for themes. But I do understand an market account isn't free either so they do deserve to get that money back atleast. In the end it's their decision on what they want to do with their themes. There are paid for themes on the market using free images or other peoples work, which is messed up and I am sure people pay for it


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## nativi (Jul 23, 2011)

You know what? is good to see a civilized conversation going.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2


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## skaforey (Aug 1, 2011)

If you're going to ask this question, then shouldn't you also ask why app developers charge for apps?

I truly appreciate the themes that are free, but I also don't mind paying a few bucks for the hard work they spend making my phone look extra awesome.


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## poontab (Jun 7, 2011)

52brandon said:


> since android is open-source, is charging for a ROM even an option legally? That may answer half of your question


You can charge for something licensed under Apache & even GPL if you wanted. RootzWiki doesn't allow charging for ROMs or kernels but there isn't a legal issue. Just because something may be open source doesn't mean it's free or in the case of android (Apache) that it has to be open or anything that interacts with it should be either.

If anyone has a complaint about a (original) theme that is not free then they probably have a complaint with spending money in general as the same complaint could be applied to any app.


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## simonbarsinistr (Dec 23, 2011)

I think there are a great many people that take advantage of rom developers work, that never donate, and worse, complain to them about the things they get for free. 
If a theme will cost me a buck or two, I'll pay it gladly, because if I like it, then that's a fine way to show my appreciation. That's why I buy the paid versions of all the root apps that have free versions, to support developers.

I really don't like seeing people complaining about a couple bucks for something that will stay available to your device through upgrades and rom flashes.

You people sound like whiny ingrates.


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## akellar (Jun 11, 2011)

If you do Android development (themes or roms) and expect to be compensated you're in it for the wrong reasons, imo. Obviously donations are appreciated and well deserved but they should never be expected.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using RootzWiki


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## ÜBER™ (Jul 8, 2012)

akellar said:


> If you do Android development (themes or roms) and expect to be compensated you're in it for the wrong reasons, imo. Obviously donations are appreciated and well deserved but they should never be expected.
> 
> Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using RootzWiki


I wouldn't expect complete compensation. But your telling me... you would go out of your way for countless amounts of people doing things for free or just for the hell of it? I mean perfectly capable individuals that could do the things your doing for them, themselves? And you wouldnt have an ounce of expectation for some kind of compensation?


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## akellar (Jun 11, 2011)

ÜBER™ said:


> I wouldn't expect complete compensation. But your telling me... you would go out of your way for countless amounts of people doing things for free or just for the hell of it? I mean perfectly capable individuals that could do the things your doing for them, themselves? And you wouldnt have the an ounce of expectation for some kind of compensation?


I'm saying that shouldn't be your motivation for the work. Personally I have no problem with paid themes, I own a few myself. I do think that the free/donate system is ideal.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using RootzWiki


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## ÜBER™ (Jul 8, 2012)

akellar said:


> I'm saying that shouldn't be your motivation for the work. Personally I have no problem with paid themes, I own a few myself. I do think that the free/donate system is ideal.
> 
> Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using RootzWiki


Gotcha, i mean its not my intention entirely... but think about it, how much motivation would you have for something that had no reward? Whats the point of a race if there is no Trophy? Whats the point of a football game if nobody wins or loses.. just cuz its fun?


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## akellar (Jun 11, 2011)

ÜBER™ said:


> Gotcha, i mean its not my intention entirely... but think about it, how much motivation would you have for something that had no reward? Whats the point of a race if there is no Trophy? Whats the point of a football game if nobody wins or loses.. just cuz its fun?


For a lot of people the reputation and acknowledgement from the community is reward enough. If it's not for you, that's fine. I don't mean that in a negative way either, everyone has their motivation. I just hate seeing people stop theming or developing because they didn't feel like they were being appropriately compensated. It happens way too often.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using RootzWiki


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## solongthemer (Jan 17, 2012)

ÜBER™ said:


> Gotcha, i mean its not my intention entirely... but think about it, how much motivation would you have for something that had no reward? Whats the point of a race if there is no Trophy? Whats the point of a football game if nobody wins or loses.. just cuz its fun?


Im not starting an argument with you merely stating my opinion. This for me is all in fun. Ive been making themes since my d1 long ago. Ive not once had a donation button nor published a theme chooser theme in the playstore. I even go out of my way to distribute my knowledge to other themers whenever needed. This is truly fun for me and thats all i want or need to take away from it. This is my take on it and i may be part of a small few who feel this way. However, like i said im not trying to get into it with you and i have no problem with others getting money in return either. 
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2


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## djdarkknight96 (Jun 11, 2011)

Ok, I just had to reply to this.... I started charging for themes ONLY because my users were asking over and over to have a donate version. So I created a free and donate...the only difference was I updated the donate two days before the free one...Now I do know if roms could be downloaded from the market there would be developers who charged for them..like rom manager, and other apps used to get roms do charge for convenience. I've also donated over $300 to CM and AOKP to give back to them for making it possible to create themes for the market. As for changing for my color versions that don't have a free option..they take twice as long to theme then black and white and I don't use them personally. They can buy them if they like the color or just use my black and white one free. That was also a request from users. I only get upset at others who charge for a theme that has 99% stock images and only a few colors codes added. That's just being greedy and working the system. I guess it depends on the theme that's charging and the Time put into them. Time does have value you know! Now for my latest they theme I decided to test the waters with a donate only in the market but free in the forums only..just like most apps and I have had a ton of success with it. So I'm not saying it good or bad but seems like the users don't care as long as you provide a great product!

My $.02 ;-)

DJ

DarkJelly Gnex on JellyBro sent this from the app.


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## fcisco13 (Jul 26, 2011)

I don't pay for themes and never will, i DO donate to kernel/rom/themers if the themes are free just like the roms/kernels.

I would gladly pay for themes if the themer would donate part of the money to the rom developer.

G NEXUS


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## nativi (Jul 23, 2011)

djdarkknight96 said:


> Ok, I just had to reply to this.... I started charging for themes ONLY because my users were asking over and over to have a donate version. So I created a free and donate...the only difference was I updated the donate two days before the free one...Now I do know if roms could be downloaded from the market there would be developers who charged for them..like rom manager, and other apps used to get roms do charge for convenience. I've also donated over $300 to CM and AOKP to give back to them for making it possible to create themes for the market. As for changing for my color versions that don't have a free option..they take twice as long to theme then black and white and I don't use them personally. They can buy them if they like the color or just use my black and white one free. That was also a request from users. I only get upset at others who charge for a theme that has 99% stock images and only a few colors codes added. That's just being greedy and working the system. I guess it depends on the theme that's charging and the Time put into them. Time does have value you know! Now for my latest they theme I decided to test the waters with a donate only in the market but free in the forums only..just like most apps and I have had a ton of success with it. So I'm not saying it good or bad but seems like the users don't care as long as you provide a great product!
> 
> My $.02 ;-)
> 
> ...


Dude a fucking love your work in fact I'm using one of your themed Swype versions, the black and white one.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2


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## solongthemer (Jan 17, 2012)

I have to agree.. Mr darkknight has previously given me an image manipulation induced hardon in the past.. 
Edit-had to insert a second "k" 
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2


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## djdarkknight96 (Jun 11, 2011)

nativi said:


> I have to agree.. Mr darknight has previously given me an image manipulation induced hardon in the past..
> 
> Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2


Lmfao, thanks man!

DarkJelly Gnex on JellyBro sent this from the app.


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## BootAnimator (Jun 10, 2011)

Good discussion folks! Definitely nice to see arguments made for all sides and still kept civil. Its refreshing. 
Much respect to all who put in the time, whether 20 minutes or two weeks, to give us some really cool stuff!


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## 52brandon (Jul 27, 2012)

ÜBER™ said:


> You can charge for something licensed under Apache & even GPL if you wanted. RootzWiki doesn't allow charging for ROMs or kernels but there isn't a legal issue. Just because something may be open source doesn't mean it's free or in the case of android (Apache) that it has to be open or anything that interacts with it should be either.
> 
> If anyone has a complaint about a (original) theme that is not free then they probably have a complaint with spending money in general as the same complaint could be applied to any app.


thank you for clearing that up. I'm not all that familiar with how the open source thing works...


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## mbh87 (Jun 14, 2011)

ÜBER™ said:


> I wouldn't expect complete compensation. But your telling me... you would go out of your way for countless amounts of people doing things for free or just for the hell of it? I mean perfectly capable individuals that could do the things your doing for them, themselves? And you wouldnt have an ounce of expectation for some kind of compensation?


I don't do themes, ROMs, etc, but I have helped and gone out of my for others plenty of times. I expect nothing in return, other than the person pass the knowledge and favors on.


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## ronnieruff (Jul 27, 2011)

I am always amazed at how cheap people are.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2


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## poontab (Jun 7, 2011)

52brandon said:


> thank you for clearing that up. I'm not all that familiar with how the open source thing works...


Well you can sum it up in open source doesn't mean free at all. Well unless you ask crazy Richard Stallman who thinks that everything should be free & everyone homeless like him. Too many people think that because some parts of android are open source everything should be free. Fact is some of the best people will only do things for money & that's fine by me because I want the best.

*again open source has nothing to do with money. It's about source code. If android were meant to be free it would be called "free software". Google themselves make money hand over fist off of Android. Money is the only reason it exists.

GPL (kernels) you can charge (not on RW) but you have to post the source so anyone can take it as they see fit. With Apache (android/ROMs) you can choose to post source or not & even charge for it if you want (not on RW).

If you're making images from scratch you can choose from hundreds of licenses & do whatever you want with them of course.


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## ÜBER™ (Jul 8, 2012)

mbh87 said:


> I don't do themes, ROMs, etc, but I have helped and gone out of my for others plenty of times. I expect nothing in return, other than the person pass the knowledge and favors on.


I came at that the wrong way. I help people and answer questions and all that as well. Hell I even held people's hands through rooting their phones. Never expecting anything and at the end they asked for my PayPal. I'm talking something more involved such as theming etc. 
Sent From My Toro+ via RED Tapatalk


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## MR H3LLMAN (Oct 20, 2011)

Just as a funny little fact. I've only been donated to 4 times and haven't even broken 20$. Legit don't care either 

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using RootzWiki


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## 52brandon (Jul 27, 2012)

ÜBER™ said:


> Gotcha, i mean its not my intention entirely... but think about it, how much motivation would you have for something that had no reward? Whats the point of a race if there is no Trophy? Whats the point of a football game if nobody wins or loses.. just cuz its fun?


basically. There are adult recreational football/baseball/soccer/etc. leagues that exist solely because it's fun

I used to do some theme work on my D1 and TB, Had a few people ask me for my paypal to donate, I always just told em to donate the $ to a ROM or kernel dev


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## ÜBER™ (Jul 8, 2012)

52brandon said:


> basically. There are adult recreational football/baseball/soccer/etc. leagues that exist solely because it's fun
> 
> I used to do some theme work on my D1 and TB, Had a few people ask me for my paypal to donate, I always just told em to donate the $ to a ROM or kernel dev


Yes but they have some sort of championship and a trophy of some sort whether it be physical or mental in the sense of pride. 
Sent From My Toro+ via RED Tapatalk


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## 52brandon (Jul 27, 2012)

ÜBER™ said:


> Yes but they have some sort of championship and a trophy of some sort whether it be physical or mental in the sense of pride.
> Sent From My Toro+ via RED Tapatalk


sure. The market keeps track of downloads, right? I would think a high number of DLs/users would bring that pride. I was happy with users just saying thanks


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## wyattyoss (Aug 28, 2011)

Has anyone mentioned that Android is open sourced, so paying for a variant based off of Android would probably violate some of those rules?

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2


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## ÜBER™ (Jul 8, 2012)

52brandon said:


> sure. The market keeps track of downloads, right? I would think a high number of DLs/users would bring that pride. I was happy with users just saying thanks


Yeah okay but we are moving away from the point. My point is there is nothing wrong with having a paid theme. As long there was some effort put into it. I have a normal blue theme a free and donate version. But the other colors are not free. Because they require and extensive amount of more time and effort. It's takes me around 4 hours to change all my colored images and all the blue images in the framework and in apps etc to another color. That's quite a bit of work. And some thanks and a stagnant amount of downloads is not compensation for hours of my time. At least to me... as the old phrase goes "time is money" and I don't have a whole lot of both so I price my themes.  I'm not in it for the money, but I couldn't justify not charging for such a service.
Sent From My Toro+ via RED Tapatalk


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## zathus (Jan 2, 2012)

99% of the themes have a free and donated version. whats the big deal? I have a donated version because it was requested. You dont HAVE to buy it to use my themes. its an option. It comes down to this for every single topic just like this one.. if you dont like it, dont use it! Or make your own...


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## djdarkknight96 (Jun 11, 2011)

wyattyoss said:


> Has anyone mentioned that Android is open sourced, so paying for a variant based off of Android would probably violate some of those rules?
> 
> Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2


It's open source code to do what you want with it. The android sdk was built to provide easy access to source so apps..paid and free..can keep up with android changes. That fact of the matter is charging for themes is not a bad thing but people take advantage of anything to make a buck. I've noticed developers taking code from others saying it's theirs and also theme developers taking images and code from others and charge for work they didn't provide. I've been Kanged many many many times and people make money off it...Those are issues that should be addressed!

T-Mobile developed the theme chooser so their phones sell more and stand out from other companies. They also provided the source code as a gift to developers who have helped them show that android is the way to give people what they want and not what companies want them to have.

To sum this up open source means here's a foundation...make what you want and sell what you want so we "Google" can make more money!

I started themes for fun then to see a better option then PayPal to let people donate and get updates easier was a gift. I really think this thread title should say..why are you charging for themes with very little time and effort put into it. But as frustrating as it is too see it happen it's going to happen with any app on the market! I understand the reason behind this thread BUT I think users just want to support developers who take their personal time to provide something they don't have to provide.

2 more $.01 lol

DarkJelly Gnex on JellyBro sent this from the app.


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## wyattyoss (Aug 28, 2011)

djdarkknight96 said:


> It's open source code to do what you want with it. The android sdk was built to provide easy access to source so apps..paid and free..can keep up with android changes. That fact of the matter is charging for themes is not a bad thing but people take advantage of anything to make a buck. I've noticed developers taking code from others saying it's theirs and also theme developers taking images and code from others and charge for work they didn't provide. I've been Kanged many many many times and people make money off it...Those are issues that should be addressed!
> 
> T-Mobile developed the theme chooser so their phones sell more and stand out from other companies. They also provided the source code as a gift to developers who have helped them show that android is the way to give people what they want and not what companies want them to have.
> 
> ...


Okay, so the themers that actually do put time into this don't deserve any gratuity? I tip even then worse waitresses I deal with out of courtesy. However, if the theme is simply a ripoff, there's no reason to charge. But I have paid for a couple themes, and I am extremely glad to have done so. Its late, so maybe I'm just confusing myself
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2


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## 52brandon (Jul 27, 2012)

ÜBER™ said:


> Yeah okay but we are moving away from the point. My point is there is nothing wrong with having a paid theme. As long there was some effort put into it. I have a normal blue theme a free and donate version. But the other colors are not free. Because they require and extensive amount of more time and effort. It's takes me around 4 hours to change all my colored images and all the blue images in the framework and in apps etc to another color. That's quite a bit of work. And some thanks and a stagnant amount of downloads is not compensation for hours of my time. At least to me... as the old phrase goes "time is money" and I don't have a whole lot of both so I price my themes.  I'm not in it for the money, but I couldn't justify not charging for such a service.
> Sent From My Toro+ via RED Tapatalk


oh don't get me wrong. I can see it from both sides. Was just playing devil's advocate. I'm definitely not trying to tell you what to do with your creations. It's just an interesting debate, and I love debating lol


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## JeremySoftBeard (Jun 4, 2012)

I've wondered this as well. For me, when I got into icon development, I did it just because I enjoyed it. And when my girlfriend/friends said they really enjoyed my work, that was really all I could've asked for and gladly gave it to them. That being said, after pouring hours and hours into it, I understand that it's a true labor of love and I can totally understand people wanting some form of compensation for their time and effort.

But at the same time I've seen loads of truly remarkable apps, incredible devs, and support, and their apps are totally free, but if I search for themes, the vast majority of them are paid and paid only. I've always wondered what their motivation was.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2


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## djdarkknight96 (Jun 11, 2011)

wyattyoss said:


> Okay, so the themers that actually do put time into this don't deserve any gratuity? I tip even then worse waitresses I deal with out of courtesy. However, if the theme is simply a ripoff, there's no reason to charge. But I have paid for a couple themes, and I am extremely glad to have done so. Its late, so maybe I'm just confusing myself
> Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2


Ok, to clarify there is also a developer's ethic to follow. Most themes devs will gladly share images and knowledge if others ask. It's the ones that don't ask, take your theme and use half the images from it and never say where they got then from to make quick money. Those are the ones I speak of. Honestly is someone asked me to take part of my theme as a base to sell in the market I would 100% say sure! Just make sure it's not launcher icons or Wi-Fi bars. Use anything else you want! There's a difference in what time you speak of too..I update my theme all the time...the quick buck ones almost never do. Did that help?

DarkJelly Gnex on JellyBro sent this from the app.


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## djdarkknight96 (Jun 11, 2011)

JeremySoftBeard said:


> I've wondered this as well. For me, when I got into icon development, I did it just because I enjoyed it. And when my girlfriend/friends said they really enjoyed my work, that was really all I could've asked for and gladly gave it to them. That being said, after pouring hours and hours into it, I understand that it's a true labor of love and I can totally understand people wanting some form of compensation for their time and effort.
> 
> But at the same time I've seen loads of truly remarkable apps, incredible devs, and support, and their apps are totally free, but if I search for themes, the vast majority of them are paid and paid only. I've always wondered what their motivation was.
> 
> Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2


Yeah I totally see where you're coming from. For a theme developer myself I couldn't see charging for something only without a free version to try out completely. I really don't buy apps unless I can. But if there's a way to add a little more convenience/variety to the user but it takes me more time to maintain or create, I think it's justified to sell it. I actually never considered any of this either until my users kept bombarding my emails, threads and pm's to do donate/paid themes. So I guess the best way to shop for apps would be to see what the developer puts into the project and how it's maintained, also if they help support their app. But to sell paid only hurts both the developer and user...less people buy those. Good debate but still think OP title is too general of a question.

DarkJelly Gnex on JellyBro sent this from the app.


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## ERIFNOMI (Jun 30, 2011)

wyattyoss said:


> Has anyone mentioned that Android is open sourced, so paying for a variant based off of Android would probably violate some of those rules?
> 
> Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2


Someone needs to hear the free-as-in-speech vs free-as-in-beer talk.


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## yarly (Jun 22, 2011)

ERIFNOMI said:


> Someone needs to hear the free-as-in-speech vs free-as-in-beer talk.


That's a start, or just read the License for Apache 2.0 and how Google removed libc from the kernel and rolled their own with Bionic (which is bsd variant licensed) just to get around any possible GPL issues. That would avoid issues with any apps or anything outside the kernel and as far as ROMs, Apache 2.0 itself gives that right.

I always recommend this site for anyone who gets too bored to read actual licenses or doesn't care enough: http://www.tldrlegal.com/


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