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From: IO92203@MAINE.BITNET (Scott Maxell)
Newsgroups: comp.binaries.ibm.pc.d
Subject: Re: Shareware is junk
Message-ID: <91122.165834IO92203@MAINE.BITNET>
Date: 2 May 91 20:58:34 GMT
References: <1991Apr30.174659.9082@aplcen.apl.jhu.edu>
 <40790008@hpcvra.cv.hp.com.>
Organization: University of Maine System
Lines: 38

In article <40790008@hpcvra.cv.hp.com.>, everett@hpcvra.cv.hp.com. (Everett
Kaser) says:
>
>/ rubin@visual1.jhuapl.edu (Don Rubin) writes...
>>FLAME ON
>>My suggestion to budding shareware programmers is give
>>us a MOSTLY fully functional program with no stupid
>>order forms, warning boxes, etc. To insure registration
>>just reduce the functionallity on a few functions
>>(eg. allow it to print only a few pages, limit the
>>size of the image, etc.).
>>Try to act like a professional programmer before you
>>act like a bean counter and you will end up with a better
>>product and more people will want to pay for it.
>>FLAME OFF
>
>I agree with your flame (for the most part), but the problem with your
>suggestion is that many other people hate IT, calling that type of product
>"crippleware".

    Many people won't try shareware that is not fully functional, as
opposed to a fully functional program with an annoying message every
time you run it. The messages are there to discourage people from using
the shareware past the registration period. If one doesn't have a fully
functional product, how can one completely evaluate its usefulness?
    Why are these types of messages so annoying and indicative of
a non-professional programmer? Since you aren't intended to use a shareware
program for an extended period of time, why is it such a problem?
    Shareware programmers put a lot of time and effort into their products.
It is their right to determine how they want to make sure people register
them.

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|         |               -- Internet ->> IO92203 @ maine.maine.edu
|    O    |
|    |    | "What I need is a computer that will do what I want it to
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