If people came here and said "Hey all, have looked at a few options and <insert software> looks good for these reasons <insert reasons/functions> but I'm wondering what other options there may be and if they are free" then I'm certain they would get a much different response.
Indeed.

There's a notion that this forum is a warm and fluffy place where posters can do no wrong. A notion that I believe to be entirely incorrect.

I don't know where that comes from, especially since the instructions for posting here clearly demand that the poster read the Wiki and guides first, but if it's enshrined in Forum Law then I suggest an update to our Rules.

Lazy people deserve to be "zinged", otherwise it just sets a precedent.

So far as the free software argument goes, it's worth remembering that not everybody pays for their own subscriptions, hardware, etc. Those people may have found it relatively easy to persuade (say) Mum and Dad to pay for their subscription, but might have more of a problem explaining why they need another $20.

Yes, I know... it's a tenuous argument, but it's there and it's never a bad thing to want something for free.

I could barely contain myself when KC first posted on these forums, saying that his software had to be paid for, when there were (to my mind at the time) perfectly adequate free alternatives available... and now I have... erm... 6 licenses, I think.