So stop getting caught off guard when your favorite project sells out! “They were getting so popular, why did they have to shut it down?” Because it’s hard to resist a big payday when you are rapidly heading into debt. And because it’s culturally acceptable to leave your user base high and dry if you get a good offer, citing self-inflicted financial hardship.
Like a service? Make them charge you or show you ads. If they won’t do it, clone them and do it yourself. Soon you’ll be the only game in town!
I just don’t get people who refuse to pay for iOS apps or good web services. I paid for Pinboard, Tweetbot, Instapaper, MarsEdit and a hundred other apps and services because they are all part of my workflow. Without them, I’d be stuck using something else.
Something that would probably worse.