Thoughts on free (no $) but closed software

Question

What is your opinion about software that has no fees but isn't open source either, in terms of adoption? Suppose its shown to be very robust, would you use it in commercial usecases if its MIT licensed? How about non commercial but "critical" usecases like part of personal tool set (where your output might or might not be part of larger professional work)? I know I haven't specified the type of software, just wanted to abstract a potentially distracting info, but would your decision depend on it?

ksaj · Accepted Answer

The old Shareware model isn't too different than this. If the user opts not to pay, they basically have something close to what you describe.
There are also a lot of free apps for tablets and smart phones. Some are open source, but definitely not all of them.
But I think a lot of people do (rightfully) look a gift horse in the mouth. If it is free, the lack of source code availability calls into question 1) Why? Is there something that needs to be hidden in there? and 2) what to do if the software suddenly is no longer supported by the author, be it through disinterest or death or whatever.