Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!bonnie.concordia.ca!thunder.mcrcim.mcgill.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!spool.mu.edu!uunet!misty!daveg
From: daveg@misty.sara.fl.us (Dave Goodman)
Newsgroups: alt.sources.d
Subject: Re: Charging the net....
Keywords: shareware
Message-ID: <515@misty.sara.fl.us>
Date: 23 Apr 91 14:09:18 GMT
References: <1566@tronsbox.xei.com> <1991Apr22.081417@mccall.com> <1991Apr22.192306.29134@looking.on.ca>
Organization: The Center for Creative Confusion, Sarasota, FL
Lines: 28

In article <1991Apr22.192306.29134@looking.on.ca> brad@looking.on.ca (Brad Templeton) writes:

>                                        ...  As such, they have made shareware
> a non-feasable distribution method on USENET.     Too bad, because the
> grass-roots nature of shareware fits well with the grass-roots nature of
> usenet, except with those who think it is a sin for programmers to charge for
> their work.

You are confusing the medium with the message.  I, for one, have no
argument with shareware; I support, nay, applaud the concept.

But I see two problems in using usenet to distribute shareware:

  1) Shareware *is* a commercial product; using usenet to distribute it
     is a commercial use of the net.  

  2) My site is being involuntarily recruited as an *unpaid* distributor
     for the product.  I am out of pocket for the costs of acquiring it
     (connect time); it uses my facilities and my disk space.  All of
     this to make a buck for someone else!

At least the author should offer me a percentage if one of my users registers 
the package!  :-)

-- 

Dave Goodman   .   .   .   .   .    __|__    .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .
daveg@misty.sara.fl.us .   . --o--o--(_)--o--o-- .   ....uunet!misty!daveg