PC World 1999 September

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W H A T I S S H A R E W A R E ? --------------------------------------- Copyright (c) 1997 Swimming Elk Software. All Rights Reserved. ----------------------------------------------------------------- TABLE OF CONTENTS ----------------------------------------------------------------- Some Definitions .............................................. 1 The Shareware Concept ......................................... 2 The Association of Shareware Professionals .................... 2 Contacting ASP Members Online ................................. 3 Author Address Changes ........................................ 4 For More Information .......................................... 6 Some Definitions: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ You've probably heard the terms "public domain", "freeware", "shareware", "trialware", and others like them. Your favorite download site probably has many programs described by one or more of these words. The terms give rise to a lot of confusion, but each actually has a specific meaning and implication. Once you understand them, you will have a much easier time navigating the maze of programs available to you, and understanding what your obligations are, or aren't, with each type of program. Let's start with some basic definitions. Shareware and the ASP Page 1 of 6 Swimming Elk Software SHR-WARE.TXT "Public domain" has a very specific legal meaning. It means that the creator of a work (in this case, software), who had legal ownership of that work, has given up ownership and dedicated the work "to the public domain". Once something is in the public domain, anyone can use it in any way they choose, and the author has no control over the use and cannot demand payment for it. If you find a program which the author has explicitly put into the public domain, you are free to use it however you see fit without paying for the right to use it. But take care - due to the confusion over the meaning of the words, programs might be described erroneously as being "public domain" when, in fact, they are shareware or free copyrighted software. To be certain that a program is public domain, you should look for an explicit statement from the author to that effect. "Copyrighted" is the opposite of public domain. A copyrighted program is one where the author has asserted his or her legal right to control the program's use and distribution by placing the legally required copyright notices in the program and documentation. The law gives copyright owners broad rights to restrict how their work is distributed, and provides for penalties for those who violate these restrictions. When you find a program which is copyrighted, you must use it in accordance with the copyright owner's restrictions regarding distribution and payment. Usually, these are clearly stated in the program documentation. Maintaining a copyright does not necessarily imply charging a fee, so it is perfectly possible and legal to have copyrighted programs which are distributed free of charge. The fact that a program is free, however, does not mean it is in the public domain - though this is a common confusion. "Shareware" is copyrighted software which is distributed by software companies via the Internet, bulletin boards, on-line services, CD ROM & diskette vendors, and through copies circulated among friends. It is commercial software which you are allowed to use and evaluate before paying for it. This makes shareware the ultimate in money back guarantees. Shareware is NOT demonstration software, and should never be described as such, since it is fully (and often continuously) functioning, allowing complete evaluation by an end user. Demonstration software is either severely limited in function from the start, or else will shut down after a short period of use, leaving the user without access. The terms shareware and demo are thus mutually exclusive. The Shareware Concept: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Most money back guarantees work like this: You pay for the product and then have some period of time to try it out and see whether or not you like it. If you don't like it or find that it doesn't do what you need, you return it (undamaged) and at some point - which might take months - you get your money back. Some software companies won't even let you try their products! In order to qualify for a refund, the diskette envelope must have an unbroken seal. With these "licensing" agreements, you only Shareware and the ASP Page 2 of 6 Swimming Elk Software SHR-WARE.TXT qualify for your money back if you haven't tried the product. How absurd! Shareware is very different. With shareware you get to use it for a limited time, without spending a penny. You are able to use the software on your own system(s), in your own special work environment, with no sales people looking over your shoulder. If you decide not to continue using it, you throw it away and forget all about it. No paperwork, phone calls, or correspondence to waste your valuable time. If you do continue using it, then - and only then - do you pay for it. Shareware is a distribution method, NOT a type of software. Shareware is produced by accomplished programmers, just like retail software. There is good and bad shareware, just as there is good and bad retail software. The primary difference between shareware and retail software is that with shareware you know if it's good or bad BEFORE you pay for it. As a software user, you benefit because you get to use the software to determine whether it meets your needs before you pay for it, and authors benefit because they are able to get their products into your hands without the hundreds of thousands of dollars in expenses it takes to launch a traditional retail software product. There are many programs on the market today which would never have become available without the shareware marketing method. The shareware system and the continued availability of quality shareware packages depend on your willingness to purchase the shareware you use. It's your ordering of our software which allows us to continue to develop our products. Please show your support for shareware distribution by purchasing the programs you actually use, and by encouraging others to try them. Often nowadays, a fully registered copy is little more than a phone call or e-mail away. Internet registration is becoming the norm. Shareware can only survive through YOUR active support! AND AT THIS PERIOD IN ITS SHORT HISTORY IT IS VERY DEFINITELY AN ENDANGERED SPECIES. The Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP): ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In the early days of shareware there were no real standards. Independent authors had no efficient way to learn from each other or to work together to improve the overall image of shareware. There was no system in place to ensure that users were treated fairly and professionally. There was no way for users to find an address for an author who had moved. In short, the shareware community was disorganized and each author did things the way he or she thought was best. It was clear that if shareware was ever to become a viable and respected marketing alternative, there had to be some standardization. There had to be some guidelines to best serve the users. In 1987 a handful of shareware authors founded the Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP). In forming this industry association, these shareware authors had several primary goals in mind, including: o To inform users about shareware programs and about shareware as a method of distributing and marketing software. o To foster a high degree of professionalism among shareware authors by setting programming, marketing, and support standards for ASP members to follow. o To encourage broader distribution of shareware through user groups and disk dealers who agree to identify and explain the nature of shareware. o To assist members in marketing their software. Shareware and the ASP Page 3 of 6 Swimming Elk Software SHR-WARE.TXT o To provide a forum through which ASP members may communicate, share ideas, and learn from each other. The newly formed Association of Shareware Professionals worked together to draft a code of ethics for all present and future members. This code of ethics included several requirements that soon became very popular among users (customers), including: o A member's program (evaluation version) could not be limited (crippled) in any way.* In the true spirit of Try-Before-You-Buy, users must be able to evaluate all the features in a program before paying the registration fee. o Members must respond to every registration. At the very least they must send a receipt for the payment. o Members must provide technical support for their products for at least 90 days from the date of registration. * The rules have now changed in regard to 'crippling', largely through widespread abuses by users. A new system was put in place to help ensure that users were treated fairly and professionally. If a user was unable to resolve a problem with a member author then the user could contact the ASP Ombudsman with their complaint. The Ombudsman would then try to help resolve the dispute. For more complete details regarding the Ombudsman, please refer to the "ASP Ombudsman Statement" below (page 8). In 1991, the ASP had over 300 author members and almost 200 vendor members, with new members joining every week. Today these numbers have more than quadrupled. Contacting ASP Members Online: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ First it was Compuserve... There is still an easy and convenient way to speak directly to many ASP Members (both authors and vendors). Visit the shareware forum on CompuServe. Simply type "GO SHAREWARE", "GO SHARE", or "GO ASPFORUM" from any CompuServe ! prompt. But AOL now has its own ASP and shareware areas. So has MSN. So has the World Wide Web: just navigate to http://www.asp-shareware.org You will be able to talk to the authors of your favorite shareware programs, learn about other programs, ask questions, make suggestions, and much more. We'd love to meet you online, please come visit us today! Shareware and the ASP Page 4 of 6 Swimming Elk Software SHR-WARE.TXT Author Address Changes: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ People move. Forwarding orders expire. What can you do? "I got a copy of a shareware program written by an ASP Member. I sent in the registration fee and the post office returned my letter saying that it was undeliverable. Now what do I do?" If the author has moved then chances are very good that you have an old version of the program. This is another situation that the ASP can help you to resolve. ASP Members are required to keep the ASP informed of address changes. If you need to obtain the current address for a member, simply write to the following address: ASP Executive Director 545 Grover Road Muskegon, MI 49442-9427 U.S.A. or send a CompuServe message via CompuServe MAIL to ASP Executive Director 72050,1433. You may also FAX your request to the ASP Executive Director at 616-788-2765. For More Information: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ If you would like to learn more about the shareware phenomenon, there are several excellent sources of additional information. Two of the best books ever written about shareware are described below. Shareware and the ASP Page 5 of 6 Swimming Elk Software SHR-WARE.TXT Dr. File Finder's Guide to Shareware: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ By Mike Callahan and Nick Anis. Foreword by John C. Dvorak. "[Mike's] book distills thousands of hours of his online search for the crown jewels of Shareware into one usable guide. As such, it may be the most valuable computer book you'll ever buy." --Jack Rickard, Publisher, Boardwatch Magazine "No one combines Dr. File Finder's comprehensive knowledge of the Shareware genre with his good taste in software. This is sure to be the definitive place to look for insight and program information." --Barry Simon, Former President of the Association of Shareware Professionals, PC Magazine Columnist, and Coauthor of Stackey, Batutil, and Ctrlalt "GREAT! Every PC user will find something of value within these pages. This book will save you a bundle." --Alfred Glossbrenner "If I were going to buy only one computer book, this would be it." --Tom Scott, Publisher, Telecomputing Magazine Nobody knows Shareware like the illustrious Dr. File Finder, known off line as Mike Callahan. Now, in Dr. File Finder's Guide to Shareware, you can learn about dozens of leading Shareware programs, including where and how to get them. In the true spirit of Shareware, this book/disk package includes a disk full of top programs that you can try out yourself before registering. Send in the card at the back of the book and you'll get two additional disks with more software. Mike Callahan, AKA Dr. File Finder, is the world's leading authority on Shareware. He regularly accesses thousands of bulletin board systems and has been a major force in promoting many of the top Shareware packages. Callahan has spent several years and thousands of hours helping people around the world learn more about Shareware. Nick Anis is the coauthor of several acclaimed best-sellers in the Dvorak*Osborne imprint, including Dvorak's Guide to PC Telecommunications, Dvorak's Guide to Desktop Telecommunications, and Glossbrenner's Complete Hard Disk Handbook. $39.95, ISBN: 0-07-881646-7, 950 pp. 7 3/8 X 9 1/4. AVAILABLE NOW AT YOUR LOCAL BOOK OR COMPUTER STORE OR CALL TOLL-FREE 1-800-227-0900 (M-F, 8:30 - 4:30 PST) Shareware and the ASP Page 6 of 6 Swimming Elk Software SHR-WARE.TXT Shareware: "Try Before You Buy" Software: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Perhaps you've read Rob Rosenberger's well known and highly acclaimed treatise on the computer virus problem. If you liked that article then you'll love his excellent book on Shareware. This book is a must for anyone who is interested in Shareware, what to look for (and look out for), and where to find it. In this book, shareware author and writer Rob Rosenberger delves into the very heart of Shareware, telling you who developed the concept and why. You'll know why these programs: * undercut the price of retail software * helped bring down the use of copy protection schemes * receive numerous editorial and reader survey awards * generate more sales than retail software in some cases * make retail OS/2 software developers so nervous * are falsely accused of spreading computer "viruses". Rob shows you where you can find good Shareware. You'll learn to beware of companies that make money by abusing the "try before you buy" concept. And you'll discover where Shareware is heading in the near future. "A lot of good books devote just one or two chapters to the concept and history of Shareware. I'm pleased to say there is finally a reference book on the subject." --Jim Button, cofounder of the Shareware concept "It's filled with accurate information for anyone who wants to learn about one of the most significant sources of high- quality software." --Edward Mendelson, contributing editor, PC Magazine Here's all the information you need to obtain your copy of this outstanding book: Shareware: "Try Before You Buy" Software. By Rob Rosenberger. Third Edition. Only $6.95! Paradise Publishing Phone: (800) 233-2451 3111 S. Valley View Blvd., Suite B-105 Las Vegas, NV 89102 U.S.A.