[T]he invisible hand is usually just giving you the finger if you care about what you make

This downbeat summary does seem to be on the mark, at least for good software. I didn't upgrade to Day One Premium, because Classic does all I need. Does that make me part of the problem? I don't believe it does, any more than darning my socks (which I don't do) or patching my trousers (which I do) makes me a bad consumer. Definitely, the people who make beautiful software need a better way to sell their creations, and no, I don't know what that might be.