Show HN: Base, an SQLite database editor for macOS

It's crazy how expensive these small utilities are.

And worse, because they're paid you don't even get the source code to fix issues yourself :/

So the OSS thing is a preference, obviously, if you like OSS tools, just use them - it's not like you're short of options.

But... expensive? Really? A one-off cost (not a subscription, mind) for a tool that might make an expensive developer/data person even marginally more productive? You have to be kidding. It blows my mind how much developers, who of all users should be the ones who appreciate how much work goes into something like this, complain so often about the cost of basic tools.

TBH the author asked for feedback and I provided it.

There’s a ton of work that’s OSS. There’s also a ton of work that’s not.

This is a tool that I’d happily pay double the amount that they’re asking if it was OSS. I also regularly fund OSS maintainers.

Heck I’d even be fine with a closed source by default, but pay to get source code access too.

40 USD, this is ridiculous

this is on par with AAA games that have tons of creative assets, art, music, thousands of people work on them for years.. and here is a utility that did not even invent SQLite itself, not a dollar goes to SQLite creators either. rather a light wrapper over standard UI build by Apple - SwiftUI. what is the marginal contribution from creator here for this price? what a ripoff

And I welcome the feedback, even if I probably won’t follow it. If everyone thought like you do, then it’d be far nicer to publish the code and maybe charge for support. I’m fairly confident that not enough people feel the same way to make it work.

As to pricing, I need to be able to financially justify the time spent working on the app, and the price is one that I hope will let me do that.

And yet people pay $5 to watch a movie that cost $100 million to shoot. Surely the AAA game is overpriced?

you are missing the point. (proving yourself wrong?)

that movie has tons of AAA-grade creatives, AAA-grade actors, tens of thousands of people work, brand new music, licenced music, photos, drawings, videos, animations and motion graphics, 3D assets, pictures, photos, whole buildings and set built for this, that borderline tiny real towns. LotR had to develop brand new state-of-the-art VFX rendering tech, which is often the case with such projects.

VFX for say "fake" UI Iron Man suit, had to write tons of code to make it work. amount of work those movies and games take in creatives (very often it is just code) is unbelievable.

now, with this utility app. what did it produce? not even close.

I would love for you to make the code source available if you pay.

Or are you worried about people stealing and making pirated copies?

If the code were available I would 100% expect that someone else would distribute a binary with the paywalled features unlocked and that my original version would be relegated to secondary.

I know you could make the argument “the right license wouldn’t allow that”, but that would only be enforced if you follow up through the courts, perhaps internationally. I just can’t be doing with the hassle unfortunately.

I watch the movie and it's over in an hour. I use this app and I can improve my workflow for a year. Which one is worth it?

you can pay for it 1000 USD too, nobody stops you

but that does not mean it is "worth it". as in, marginal contribution and work people did to make it happen. banana duck-taped to a wall, same story.

say I start charging you 40 USD for clothes you have bought from someone else, you are washing yourself, reparing, and other people made, using their own tools and materials. I did close to nothing, and yet "you will be wearing it for a year". great, but that does not mean there is no ripoff from my part. I have close to nothing to do with your clothes, even if they are obviously useful to you for next year.

same story here. marginal contribution is too low compared to price