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From: merchant@dartvax.UUCP (Peter Merchant)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: Shareware (was Red Ryder)
Message-ID: <7530@dartvax.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 31-Oct-87 15:22:57 EST
Article-I.D.: dartvax.7530
Posted: Sat Oct 31 15:22:57 1987
Date-Received: Thu, 5-Nov-87 06:44:50 EST
References: <377UD069225@NDSUVM1> <172@ut-emx.UUCP> <297@ur-tut.UUCP> <7082@prls.UUCP>
Organization: U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, Kings Point, NY
Lines: 33

In article <7082@prls.UUCP>, Robert Gardner writes:
> On a somewhat related note, I think the amount of money asked can be
> important, but perhaps differently than people might think. I get annoyed
> at shareware that asks me to send "what I think it's worth" or similar
> and I also don't like ones that ask for $5 or less! (Maybe even $10 or
> less.) Why? Because it hardly seems to be worth it to go to the effort
> of making out a check, sending it in the mail, etc. just to give someone
> enough money to go to a movie. It also makes you wonder what kind of
> an opinion the author has of their software and what the chances are
> that they'll really do anything else with it. Is this a strange attitude?
> Are marketing practises also a concern in shareware?

Now, perhaps my motivation is different from people who do Shareware, since
what I wrote wasn't Shareware.

My Phone Book DA was released as public domain, but I added the note that if
someone wanted to send me some money for it, I certainly wouldn't complain.
I actually got five dollars from someone, which I used to buy lunch.  The
money was not important to me, so I didn't care that he didn't send more or
less.  I think, in most cases, these are the people who developed this program
and suddenly figured, "Hey!  I'll put it out as Shareware!  Maybe I'll make
some money!  Wouldn't that be neat!  But I don't want to charge too much for
it...hell, I'll just tell people to send what they think it's worth."

What I found intriguing was to include my address and I told people to write
and give their opinions, mention bugs, or whatever.  I got about ten letters
from all over the country from people telling me they got it off of this
bulletin board and that they found it a useful program and wouldn't it be nice
if it also did this and this and this.  It was kind of amusing watching
letters from Texas, California, and even Australia come in.  Personally, I
think that's just as nice as someone who sends five dollars.
--
"I'm on fire..."                    Peter Merchant (merchant@dartvax.UUCP)