So do you feel the same way about Basecamp or ZenDesk or Salesforce offering 30-day free trials?
They also have the ability to crank up the price whenever they feel like it. They're also offering their product 'for free' at the most critical time for a business - when deciding what product to use.
The only way what you say makes sense is if people buying into the program are dumb enough or ill-informed enough to not know that there are open-source alternatives available for what they want to do.
But no one is confusing their free-trials as anything other than a marketing strategy to maintain a low barrier to entry to get more people to first try then use their product.
i.e. I've never heard anyone say SalesForce is absurdly generous because of their free trials.
They also have the ability to crank up the price whenever they feel like it. They're also offering their product 'for free' at the most critical time for a business - when deciding what product to use.
The only way what you say makes sense is if people buying into the program are dumb enough or ill-informed enough to not know that there are open-source alternatives available for what they want to do.