Can someone explain to me how giving away "free" licences with strings attached is good PR? Makes me skeptical of the integrity of someone recommending their product.
The good PR comes from harnessing somebody's enthusiasm for the product (how many people have you ever seen bother to make this kind of contact?) rather than turning them towards the 'Buy' page and ending it there.
The guy could easily have taken the licence and done nothing. Instead, he got it to #1 on reddit. Seems like a good PR move to me.
The only obligation was whatever was perceived by the licensee. The email was carefully worded so that it was clear that the license was free and clear, and, oh, by the way, it would be nice if you...
For all we know they've done this a hundred times and received only "kthxbye" in return (but that's a valid response!).
