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From: samperi@marob.MASA.COM (Dominick Samperi)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga,comp.sys.misc,comp.sys.ibm.pc,comp.sys.mac,comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: Shareware & Honesty (Was: Software (and other kinds of) copying)
Summary: Shareware & PD
Keywords: Shareware, PD
Message-ID: <143@marob.marob.MASA.COM>
Date: 23 Jan 88 20:26:04 GMT
References: <8055@g.ms.uky.edu> <174@piring.cwi.nl> <39450@sun.uucp> <6649@agate.BERKELEY.EDU> <469@aimt.UUCP> <6665@agate.BERKELEY.EDU>
Reply-To: samperi@marob.UUCP (Dominick Samperi)
Organization: 18th Street Construction Co NY NY
Lines: 27

In article <6665@agate.BERKELEY.EDU> mwm@eris.UUCP (Mike (My watch has windows) Meyer) writes:
>No, nobody stands in line - they just write the software for whatever
>reasons they have (like they need the tool, or think it would be
>educational, or ...), and don't feel like doing the extra work
>required to turn it into a commercial product. So they drop it into
>the PD distribution channels *without* trying to make a quick buck by
>putting in a "send me money or you'll pay in the afterlife" message.
>
Shareware writers drop their software into the PD distribution channels
in order to avoid the expense of commercial advertising, thus enabling
them to ask for smaller fees, saving themselves *and* the satisfied users
some money (unsatisfied users need not pay). Shareware software is NOT
PD software. Ideally, a shareware writer will spend a good deal of his/her
time making the software of commercial quality. 

I do not believe shareware marketing is an attempt to make a "quick buck".
A great deal of time and energy may go into a shareware product. Although
all of this sounds good in theory, I do not believe it is working. Some
form of quality control may help.

As the responses to a related discussion in comp.sources.d showed, many
of the high quality PD programs that are available are free because the
authors were prevented from marketing their work due to contractual
restrictions.
-- 
	Dominick J. Samperi, Manhattan College, NYC
	manhat!samperi@NYU.EDU or ihnp4!cmcl2!manhat!samperi (cmcL2)