First, let me point out that there is no emotional undertone behind any of what I'm about to say. I'm not upset, I'm not anything, I'm just responding. Don't take it as insulting or whatever.
Convenience and non-existent features elsewhere will do a lot to attract people. This is the same for any software. I do have a rough value of the number of people using PokeGen at the moment, and yes, it is sufficient to provide motivation. What exactly do you anticipate management-wise that's so dramatically different from what I already deal with? I sure don't see much.
It won't require an internet connection every time you use it. Windows is going to be a necessity, yes, but there simply aren't many people who aren't using Windows. Those that are can dual-boot Windows, as they should already be set up to do to begin with, given how prevalent Windows software is. The amount of work it would take to create a new binary would be far beyond what I'm willing to do, especially given the percentage of users it would impact.
I think it's more factual that they use the pirated/cracked software because they don't want to pay, not because the protection is annoying.
Not once have I EVER thought anything like that. That sounds really childish, and isn't at all what I'm interested in. You might note that I rarely even respond when people provide positive comments.
I started this project because I wanted something tailored for my own use. Now that I practically never play the games, that motivation is gone. It's been replaced with the desire to see how far I can take the program, and a sense of obligation to some degree that I need to keep doing it. I honestly can't explain that part, I just know it's there.
There are some people who are very helpful and considerate. (I'm grateful to those of you who actually take the time to look for things on your own and who do provide bug reports/feedback, even though it's not expressed that often.) There are many more who are not. I don't even understand the last question given how it makes no sense. What software doesn't have users providing feedback, paid or not?
What other way of doing it is there?
Unlike some other posts, I actually didn't get that feeling from yours. That really wasn't necessary to prove a point, but thanks nonetheless.