My own move to OS X proved similar. On Windows, I don't recall paying for a single piece of software -- ever, but suddenly after the move to Mac I'm stocking up on shareware from some of the smallest independent software developers out there: Panic, Salling, Unsanity, Kung-Foo, Indigo Field... most of them are one-man operations, the rest only small teams.

I think half the reasoning behind it is the outstanding quality of these apps. There's still plenty of trash out there; but Mac developers seem to have a real love of their work, some innovative ideas, and the kind of attention to detail that Apple seems to foster. Maybe that just says something about the Cocoa framework... maybe it says something about the Mac developer community. Maybe it says you're getting soft, getting all giggly over software and throwing the developer a dime. Who the hell knows?