Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!usc!apple!agate!forney.berkeley.edu!jbuck
From: jbuck@forney.berkeley.edu (Joe Buck)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c++
Subject: Re: Window BOSS Libraries
Message-ID: <1991Jun1.003017.10845@agate.berkeley.edu>
Date: 1 Jun 91 00:30:17 GMT
References: <16693@helios.TAMU.EDU> <1991May31.162704.26099@dg-rtp.dg.com>
Sender: root@agate.berkeley.edu (Charlie Root)
Reply-To: jbuck@forney.berkeley.edu (Joe Buck)
Followup-To: poster
Distribution: usa
Organization: University of California, Berkeley
Lines: 37

In article <1991May31.162704.26099@dg-rtp.dg.com>, hagins@gamecock.rtp.dg.com (Jody Hagins) writes:
|> Can you say shareware?  I thought you could.
|> 
|> Seriously, though, many good products are not making it out to the public
|> because too many people abuse the shareware concept.

Yes, and too many shareware authors are abusing the network by illegally
using it for profit, for example, by putting their shareware on sites
for anonymous FTP access in the hopes of raising money.

|> See, this really makes me think twice.  I am currently developing a
|> GUI class which I had thought of releasing as shareware.  The reasons are
|> that I have received valuable help from some people on the net over the past
|> year, and also I believe that there really isn't a GOOD, inexpensive class
|> for doing interfaces.    ...
|> the trend is for people to not pay for it, then expect to get free service
|> to boot!  Anyway, I better get off my soapbox before I get too carried away.

Did the people that helped you over the net request money from you in exchange
for your help?  No?  Then why do you consider shareware as a way to pay anyone
back?  It would simply be a profit-making venture, and the real reason you're
thinking twice is because you think you may not profit as much as you hoped.
Nothing wrong with wanting to make a profit, but stop pretending you're
doing anyone a favor.

I have no objection to shareware per se.  I have STRONG objection to people
using the resources of Usenet or Internet to promote their shareware, since
they don't give the people who paid the phone bills or for the disk space
a cut of their earnings.  That goes double for people posting (or making
available for anonymous FTP) crippleware as a marketing ploy.

(If the Window BOSS people used only BBSes that specialize in shareware
to do their distribution, none of this applies to them).

--
Joe Buck
jbuck@galileo.berkeley.edu	 {uunet,ucbvax}!galileo.berkeley.edu!jbuck