Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!think!rlk
From: rlk@think.COM (Robert Krawitz)
Newsgroups: comp.sources.d
Subject: Re: Posting shareware to the Usenet
Message-ID: <14224@think.UUCP>
Date: 28 Dec 87 14:25:57 GMT
Sender: usenet@think.UUCP
Reply-To: rlk@THINK.COM
Organization: Thinking Machines Corporation, Cambridge, MA
Lines: 35

In article <2377@dasys1.UUCP> samperi@dasys1.UUCP (Dominick Samperi) writes:
]Perhaps the original developer of the shareware/freeware concept made a
]killing because he did it at the right time. I do not think that it works
]anymore. 

Perhaps the "original developer" of the shareware/freeware concept
wasn't interested in making a killing in terms of money.  Maybe s/he
wanted to let everyone have a useful hack but wanted a little return
on his or her time and effort.  Maybe people who used it were
impressed by the generosity and trusting attitude of said person
compared to the more predatory ("We don't warranty that this will even
load in off disk, but if you so much as let anyone else use this,
we'll come in and take everything you own") software houses and
decided that a good deed merits a good deed in response.

]Question: What motivates a programmer to develop a large complex software
]system, perhaps requiring many weeks (or even years) of development effort,
]which is then posted for the world to use, for free?

Perhaps a desire to help others?

There's actually another reason why some people may distribute
software in a shareware fashion.  Suppose you sell something for $300,
but 9 out of 10 copies out there are "shared", "pirated", or whatever.
Now, most of those may be done one at a time, rather than by really
organized pirates.  Suppose that instead you distribute it shareware,
and 80% of the people with copies send you $50.  You're coming out
better in the long run and it's much less effort (your sales budget is
much lower, etc.).  You'll never be able to go after the people
copying your program in the first case, but you're losing a lot per
copy.

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