I want to talk about software development on Mac OS X, but I don't quite know how to frame the discussion.

It seems to me that there's been a lot of activity recently in the small developer and single-purpose application space. Is there a shift happening, or am I just noticing a bunch of small developers for the first time?

Maybe sites like VersionTracker, MacUpdate, and Apple's own Mac OS X Downloads page are raising awareness of single-purpose apps?

What do you think?

A quick peek into my Applications folder turns up some well established programs from big developers (e.g. Adobe Creative Suite and Microsoft Office 2004). However, for every big, multi-purpose program in the folder, you can program find two or three slick little programs from small developers -- apps like Acquisition, Butler, CSSEdit, NetNewsWire, PDFshrink, Transmit, and WeatherPop.

Since I write about technology for several different publications, I'm often sent free, "not for resale" copies of new software for review purposes. This is helpful, of course -- there are many programs I would never use otherwise, simply because I can't afford to buy every new app that's released. (Software reviews don't pay that well.)

But this practice introduces an X-factor into all published reviews of software. If the reviewer did not pay for the software he or she is reviewing, it's a powerful temptation to be slightly more forgiving than a real, paying customer might be.

In summary: I think "Would you buy this software with your own money?" is an important question that every reviewer should try to answer. (Hypothetically, of course. Attention marketing people: Please keep sending those NFR packages and serial numbers. Thank you!)

My point (and I do have one)
I took out my Visa card today and paid $40 (Canadian) to register Site Studio. It's a slick, idiot-proof Web design tool that can create an entire Web site in minutes. Site Studio produces valid HTML and CSS, and comes with several very nice built-in templates.

In short: Site Studio is a brilliant, single-purpose Web design tool that puts bigger, better-known programs to shame. Although I could have simply e-mailed the developer and asked for a free copy, I wanted to pay for this.

Get Site Studio.
(No, they haven't paid me for this mention, and no, I'm not a relative.)

A note about price sensitivity.
An interesting sidebar: I have no problem spending up to $30 (US) to get great software. This is especially true if a one-time payment buys me future upgrades of the software. (I'm much less enthusiastic about renting software. If you can charge me a monthly fee, will you not charge me if I leave your software idle for a month? But I digress.)

Here's an example to illustrate my point: I like NetNewsWire, but I haven't registered. It's not that I think $39 US is too much for all the great features. It's not that I prefer a competitor, like PulpFiction or NewsFire, or that I'm waiting for Safari RSS to ship.

It's just sticker shock. $5 or $10 is an impulse buy. $20 provokes a moment's hesitation. $30 is for programs and/or developers I really like. $40 is a Real Purchase, and it makes me hesitate.

Update: Several people wrote to remind me that $39.95 now buys you both NetNewsWire and MarsEdit. Each app is sold separately for $24.95.

In general, I would choose less money over more features. And therein lies a different problem for many software developers: are you better off with a program that does a lot and costs more, or several programs that cost $10-$15 but do just one thing each?

What little Mac programs have prompted you to get out your wallet?

What do the Mac developers in the audience think about these questions?

Drop me a line and let me know.