Software installation wrapper OpenCandy argues that it's still lucrative
to make desktop apps and points to one billion installs as the proof.
The problem is both cultural as well as logistical, Ng said in an interview outside the Las Vegas Convention Center. Desktop software, especially on Windows, has a long history of being developed as freeware. But pitching a secondary software purchase to the user during the installation process had been poisoned, he said.
"The problem is that developers don't like the Ask toolbar monetization," Ng explained.
To that end, his company SweetLabs developed OpenCandy to create a better offer experience for both the user and the developer, he said. "We're not showing the same offer over and over. If you're downloading a PDF tool, [the user] might see an offer for a productivity app."
The past year has been a good one for the 5-year-old startup based out of San Diego. OpenCandy has hit more than 1 billion installs of Windows freeware, and month-over-month volume increased by 63 percent in 2012. Payment rates to app developers jumped 70 percent in the same period.
The problem is both cultural as well as logistical, Ng said in an interview outside the Las Vegas Convention Center. Desktop software, especially on Windows, has a long history of being developed as freeware. But pitching a secondary software purchase to the user during the installation process had been poisoned, he said.
"The problem is that developers don't like the Ask toolbar monetization," Ng explained.
To that end, his company SweetLabs developed OpenCandy to create a better offer experience for both the user and the developer, he said. "We're not showing the same offer over and over. If you're downloading a PDF tool, [the user] might see an offer for a productivity app."
The past year has been a good one for the 5-year-old startup based out of San Diego. OpenCandy has hit more than 1 billion installs of Windows freeware, and month-over-month volume increased by 63 percent in 2012. Payment rates to app developers jumped 70 percent in the same period.
