Computer programmers are perhaps the most underrated and unheroic of all the heroes and underdogs of our time. They spend hours a day in front of computers, looking at lines of seemingly random numbers, letters and commands. They make our lives easier and get very little recognition.

Although you may not see it that way, almost everything that you use in 21st-century life is controlled by a computer chip that runs on a computer program written by computer programmers.

You can’t remember how your life used to be without the electric windows, the blender that you use every day to make your healthy smoothies, and the smartphone taxi app that protects you from being ripped off every time that you return from a party. These are all built on computer programs that are more or less complex that people try to avoid paying for.

Overall, we can all agree that International Shareware Day was necessary. It is a day for programmers who work tirelessly to make your life easier.

PC-Talk was the first piece of software to be called “freeware”. It was a telecommunications program that Andrew Fleugelman created in 1982. He called it an experiment in economics rather than altruism. The first time the term “shareware” was used was with PC-Write, a word processing program that Bob Wallace released in 1983.

Shareware and freeware downloads rarely get paid for. This means that you have very little chance of making a living as a programmer from shareware income. This is especially unfortunate as this method of software production has led to some amazing software tools being made freely available to users all over the world, including virus protection software and audio or video player players.

Many shareware and freeware projects that do not generate financial returns are abandoned. After all, everyone has to eat and pay rent. Software development is not considered charity.

International Shareware Day was established to remind shareware users of the benefits they have derived from their use of these programs. Most of them are free or very low-cost. In the spirit of the holiday season, it is possible to encourage them to make a few payments to shareware app authors. A number of times has a particular antivirus helped you avoid malware?

Are you still using the same program for years to watch videos and listen to music? Give thanks! You would tip a waiter at a restaurant if they were friendly, helpful, and delivered your order promptly. The same goes for the creators and designers of your favorite programs. Consider a small donation to show your appreciation. It is important not to take anything for granted. Otherwise, we might find ourselves spending more money on apps and programs that we don’t need.