Yes, that is a logical question.
And the answer is - the same reason software authors give their programs away for free. Almost all of the same reasons apply. For example try-before-you-buy is a proven business model. You lock out your competitors this way.
However I'd say the big difference is the relative quality in the two areas - free / open-source software is provably of the highest quality and in some cases can't be bettered. You can't say the same about free webhosts. I haven't tried many, but I've only found one quality host that offers a free service. Because it has a tiny webspace allocation it's basically a try-before-you-buy service.
However it worked for them - while trying out free webhosts, I came across their economy hosting service, and found one that actually knows how to host CMS properly. So they will get work from me as I can always use a source of cheap but good CMS hosting - not easy to find. I know of others but I'm not keen on their business ethics - they hold your card details and auto-charge every year unless you cancel 2 months before, and that kind of stuff. Smart tactics of that type don't get my vote.
|