(Second Edit: I am an idiot and the problem never really existed - i read the interface of the AppCenter wrong. I couldn't type in zero on the update page for Agenda because it already has been updated and the interface was only for later payment, that is still 100% freely and not required. Agenda is first in line after the Nvidia drivers ... so ... i am really sorry right now! Still i learned a lot of things on the way. Also got an insight why stripe. And maybe all this will be good for something one day. Like for example a super easy and nice way to pay for credit card less people all over the world.)
(First Edit: Edited the text because former EC Cards got a rebranding to Giro Card in 2007, didn't know that, things you learn, i knew both names, didn't know one isn't official anymore ^^)
First of all i am definitely a supporter for your effort to rise awareness that people are working for open source software and even as it is free, it deserves to be supported.
I also supported elementary Os and it's apps before, because elementary is my go to Linux distribution (big thank you) and usually i pay those open source project that i am using regularly.
So in theory the app center payment could be convenient way to do so.
Except it isn't.
So when it comes to money Germans are quite different and quite stubborn. Credit Cards are not famous around here at all. And i am personally have no wish for having one.
It's not against progress or anything. But around here cash is still one of the most famous ways to pay. The other one are Giro Cards. Of course credit cards exist around here as well. But no one feels the need to have one.
Reasons are Germans are more privacy concerned than other cultures for historical reasons and even if people can avoid it to pay via Giro Card they will always pay cash.
Due to the unpopularity of credit cards in our culture, and my personal not existing interest to get one, the app center payment doesn't work.
So than the problem starts with the app "Agenda" which is quite simple and neat. And can't be updated anymore without payment.
So i want to pay apps, but i don't want to use a credit card. Especially i don't like to be forced to get one in the first place.
So far i type in 0 for every app and would spend money directly via paypal if i want to.
But it's not my favored way and i would so much more like it uncomplicated and easy as the app center payment is meant to be.
I understand if you got any concerns about pay pal in general. But on the other side you use it on your homepage for the os download. And you could use a compareable alternative if it exists. I pay everything in the internet with paypal. So i haven't been looking for alternatives yet. But i would be willing to use one for elementary. Also to integrate the Giro Card system might be quite complicated and well, i really don't ask for it.
If apps in the future will have a kind of minimum price of 1 dollar / euro whatever, i don't mind it and it's fair enough. But the system will get unusable for me that way.
And Agenda is not update-able for me already.
I don't wanted to lecture anybody. Giro Cards are certainly as bad for privacy as credit cards. I don't know if credit cards that much more insecure than some Germans have the impression they might be. We simply have a culture where there is no need for credit cards.
I only wanted to point out that in Germany we are far away from "everybody has a credit card" for national taste.
So i would really ask for an alternative payment method. For reasons above.
If there are ways around that problem already, i would love to hear it. I haven't found it myself.
Sorry for the long text as well.
