What I find interesting is that when people go to the PDN forums to call him out on it, even in a nice way ("hey, I love your software but I got a bunch of malware instead due to the big fake buttons, just wanted you to know"), he blasts them and whines about how little money he makes off of a project he pours his life into, and how he's going to just quit because it's not worth the hassle anymore.
Then he releases a new version, makes even bigger buttons that lead to even scummier malware, and the cycle repeats.
I get the need to make money off of your hard work, and certainly the guy does a fantastic job on the software, but he's pulling some really shitty tactics to make that money. Why not a lite/pro version setup, or something else above board?
The lite vs. pro version is a great suggestion and I would have purchased a pro version for my daughter immediately to avoid the malware hassles it caused us. Instead she purchased an academic version of Photoshop which was $100 USD or in that ballpark. This is a shame because Paint.net is a great product and I'd like to see it succeed but their business side is poorly executed. I'll need to head over to the PDN forums and express my frustration.
Then he releases a new version, makes even bigger buttons that lead to even scummier malware, and the cycle repeats.
I get the need to make money off of your hard work, and certainly the guy does a fantastic job on the software, but he's pulling some really shitty tactics to make that money. Why not a lite/pro version setup, or something else above board?