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From: wmf@chinet.UUCP (Bill Fischer)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga,comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: Another View on Shareware
Message-ID: <998@chinet.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 10-May-87 09:22:33 EDT
Article-I.D.: chinet.998
Posted: Sun May 10 09:22:33 1987
Date-Received: Sun, 10-May-87 18:45:11 EDT
References: <18006@sun.uucp> <1474@uwmacc.UUCP> <2265@tekgvs.TEK.COM>
Reply-To: wmf@chinet.UUCP (Bill Fischer)
Organization: Black Dog Moving and Storage (chinet), Chicago, Il
Lines: 42
Keywords: Shareware, free advertising, many versions
Xref: mnetor comp.sys.amiga:4698 comp.sys.ibm.pc:3926

In article <2265@tekgvs.TEK.COM> toma@tekgvs.UUCP (Thomas Almy) writes:
>[...] My experiences with shareware communication, database,
>spreadsheet, and outlining programs has been universally bad.  
>
I am sorry to hear that. My experience with PD / Shareware packages has been
generally good. In particular;

PROCOMM 2.4.2 is an EXCELLENT communications package, available complete from
the "BBS distribution" with docs and a "timed release" program registration
request that disappears after 15 uses or so.

PC-DBMS is a "flatfile" data base manager that was suprisingly easy to develop
and use. It uses a somewhat unconventional user interface and command set, but
it's no weirder than most commercial packages.

There are a million spreadsheets in the PD, and while there certainly is a lot
of crap, I've found that in some simpler applications it's easier to get some-
one up and running using a "strippo" spreadsheet than to inflict something like
the LOTUS 123 command set on the new user.

PCO or BBO, Brown Bag Software's Shareware outline package is functionally 
complete with the "BBS distribution" and has all the functions and features
a casual user could want along with a simple, "makes sense" interface and
command set. 

The above examples are specific answers to Thomas Almy's comments. I would
like to add PC-Deskteam as a good example of Shareware. This TSR, SIDEKICK
type of package is, in my huble opinion, better than any of the commercially
available stuff.

One last comment, KERMIT is NOT PD. Columbia University holds the copyright
on KERMIT but allows unlimited UNMODIFIED copies to be distributed so long
as no charge for the program itself. This allows Columbia to maintain 
control of "official" versions of KERMIT so this package can mature gracefully
not haphazardly.


-- 
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|   Bill Fischer                 "When the gods wish to punish us,            |
| ...!ihnp4!chinet!wmf               they answer our prayers." - Oscar Wilde  |
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