💾 Archived View for gemini.spam.works › mirrors › textfiles › computers › DOCUMENTATION › sharware.t… captured on 2022-06-12 at 06:38:02.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-
This file contains a statement issued by the ASP Ombudsman,
and is enclosed with the NAG-BUSTER package to illustrate why
the shareware concept isn't quite working as it is used today.
The statement does not imply that I'm a member of ASP. I'm NOT.
In particular, take a look at the comparison between the
shareware concept and test driving a car! Hasn't the
ASP Ombudsman missed something vital here??
Erik Famm
------------------------------------------------------------
_______
____|__ | (R)
--| | |-------------------
| ____|__ | Association of
| | |_| Shareware
|__| o | Professionals
-----| | |---------------------
|___|___| MEMBER
========================
ASP Ombudsman Statement:
========================
This program is produced by a member of the Association of
Shareware Professionals (ASP). ASP wants to make sure that
the shareware principle works for you. If you are unable to
resolve a shareware-related problem with an ASP member by
contacting the member directly, ASP may be able to help. The
ASP Ombudsman can help you resolve a dispute or problem with
an ASP member, but does not provide technical support for
members' products.
Please write to the ASP Ombudsman at
545 Grover Road
Muskegon, MI 49442
or send a CompuServe message via CompuServe Mail to ASP
Ombudsman 70007,3536."
+---------------------------------------+
| W H A T I S S H A R E W A R E ? |
+---------------------------------------+
If you are familiar with the idea behind Shareware, then
you know that Shareware is the ultimate in money back
guarantees.
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 product! In order to qualify for a
refund, the diskette envelope must have an unbroken seal.
With these "licensing" agreements, you only qualify for
your money back if you haven't tried the product. How
absurd!
Shareware is very different. With Shareware you get to try
it for a limited time, without spending a penny. 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.
Software authors who use the Shareware method of
distribution feel that Shareware is the best way to try a
product. You are able to try it on your own system(s), in
your own special work environment, with no sales people
looking over your shoulder. Have you ever purchased a car
and realized that if you could have test driven it for 30
days your purchase decision might have been different?
With Shareware these problems can be avoided - you DO have
a 30 day test-drive!
After trying a Shareware product and deciding to continue
to use it, then - and only then - do you pay for it. Not
only that, but Shareware is traditionally MUCH less
expensive simply because you are paying for the software,
not the advertising and marketing that comprises the
majority of the cost of most software (a one page ad in PC
Magazine, one time, can cost upwards of $20,000). If the
try-before-you-buy concept sounds like an ideal way to make
your purchase decisions, you're right!
Some companies burden their products with annoying copy
protection schemes because they don't trust their users.
Shareware developers not only don't use copy protection,
they freely distribute their products because they DO trust
their users.
Someone once said that you should never trust software which
doesn't trust you. This makes a lot of sense - no wonder
Shareware is becoming so popular among users and developers.
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. Registration of Shareware products, in addition to
being required, is also an incentive for programmers to
continue to produce quality software for the Shareware
market.
There is another significant advantage to Shareware - it
allows small companies (like Just Excellent Software) to
make software available without the hundreds of thousands
of dollars in expenses that 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. Please
show your support for Shareware by registering those
programs you actually use and by passing them on to others.
Thank you for your support!
=======================
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 71327,2051.