Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!mnetor!seismo!uwvax!puff!upl
From: upl@puff.WISC.EDU (Future Unix Gurus)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga,comp.sys.ibm.pc,comp.sys.misc
Subject: Re: Shareware is a HOAX Re: Another View on Shareware
Message-ID: <765@puff.WISC.EDU>
Date: Fri, 8-May-87 10:37:26 EDT
Article-I.D.: puff.765
Posted: Fri May  8 10:37:26 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 9-May-87 18:01:24 EDT
References: <18006@sun.uucp> <795@looking.UUCP>
Reply-To: upl@puff.WISC.EDU (Future Unix Gurus)
Organization: U of Wisconsin CS Dept
Lines: 35
Xref: mnetor comp.sys.amiga:4618 comp.sys.ibm.pc:3850 comp.sys.misc:559

In article <795@looking.UUCP> @looking.UUCP (Brad Templeton) writes:
>The recent discussion on Shareware reminded me of a survey I took
>last year, but never reported on.
>
>I asked net readers (supposedly many thousands of high-profile micro
>users with wide connections and good programming skills) to send me
>their shareware success stories.
(lines deleted)
>Yes, a very few famous programs have made money for their authors.
(lines deleted)
>The conclusion -- Shareware is a hoax.  Only a very, very few make money
>from it, and their programs would probably have sold far more as
>commercial products.  (Has PC-Write gone commercial now?)
>It was a cute idea, but it just isn't real.

Wait a minute on this, how are you defining shareware? If you honestly expected to get rich of off shareware, than your naivete is showing. Obviously when
you ask for vouluntary payment on something, only a fraction (and a tiny one at that) of the consumers are going to pay. Rule #1 of human behavior= people are
greedy. (Rule #2 is, if someone doesn't seem to be greeedy, consult rule #1).

I have always felt that shareware was a modified PD, NOT a modified commercial
scheme. Shareware is nice in that it provides an organized way of saying thanks.If you expected any more than that, well, you give people ALOT more credit
than I do.

If you WANT to be commercial, then BE commercial! Take out ads, do the 
duplication and packaging your self, and charge for copies by the copy. If
on the other hand, you are devloping things that for one reason or another
you don't want to market, but do want to share and would like a little
recognition, release it as SHAREWARE (note the derivation of the word, it 
aint called COMMERCIALWARE! :) )

If there is a hoax here, people have pulled it on themselves, thanx to rule
#1 above!

Jeff Kesselman
upl@puff.cs.wisc.edu