Obviously the PreSonic Studio One Free is a marketing product, I've never doubted that. This is no charity action for the financially challenged or even poor people.
But there are possibilities to make DAW's affordable for people with less income - REAPER is one example of them. If you earn less than 20,000 $ a year (with the music production with REAPER), then you get REAPER at a more favorable price.
That could be a model for other companies, too.
If you want a DAW without money, there are alternatives, too, for example LMMS.
What angers me, is that suggestions are apparently not welcomed. I've criticized the lack of VST support and got no intelligent answer from PreSonus WHY they don't want to support it (in the free and the artist's version). I just got a harsh reply.
That's why I will not test or buy PreSonus Studio One.
But to think - as some do - that companies should give away free pro versions of their DAW for the less privileged people, that would never come up to my mind. Every one wants to survive (even if we die in the end, anyway) and everybody needs money. Unless you live in the Amazonas jungle and live from natural produce...
And BTW, a DAW, is it really necessary for surviving??