"You're right that making it free spares money for content rather than on upgrading the core software."

While this is correct to a degree, what's more interesting is that success with Daz content sales means increased revenue for DAZ which allows greater funding on core software updates and not in fact less. Which creates a coupled growth pattern such as. Better content means more revenue, means more development funding for core software functionality, which means better content, which means more revenue and so on and so on.

Smith Micro have been niched into a model like sell software, sell upgrade, sell upgrade. Which is much slower development wise and less lucrative in the long term. And unfortunately carrara and bryce share a similar model which has led to where they are today development wise.

Each to their own, as they say. And preference and exposure do play a big part into what app your prefer. But its worth saying that there is room going forward to see a strong Poser and a strong DS in this market sector and doesn't need to be an either or situation. But Smith Micro need to get damn creative if they want to keep up and there needs to be more collaboration and less demarcation between the camps which will ultimately be to Poser's benefit in the long term. Making DAZ the enemy is not a path forward that I can see ending well for Poser.

Car stolen twice in a month you might want to move out of Sunnyvale :P