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From: exodus@uop.edu (G.Onufer)
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)
Message-ID: <971@uop.edu>
Date: 27 Jan 88 04:27:54 GMT
References: <8055@g.ms.uky.edu> <174@piring.cwi.nl> <39450@sun.uucp> <39910@sun.uucp>
Organization: UoP-- Sun Lab Administration
Lines: 27
Summary: Hold on... see the light.


Instead of quoting the last three hundred people, I am going to give
my views...  

How many people have paid more than US$100 for a software package to find
out that it does not do something that the 'other' package costing a little
more _did_ do?  And how many stores have the broken shrink-wrap/no-return
policy (every single one in my area)?  How many salesmen know what they
are talking about when they sell the afore-mentioned software packages?
(If they do know about the packages, they are creating them and not selling
them :-)  An alternative?  Yes, shareware.  

Shareware is a great concept except for one small detail.  It relies on
the honesty of the participants.  In European countries, that wouldn't be
so bad (at least from my experiences...I have lived in Europe for 13 years).
In America, piracy has turned the software (and even the hardware industry
with IBM PC clones) industry inside out.  No flames please, I am not
saying everyone is a thief, I am not saying Europeans are perfect,
no one take it personal.  But if everyone who used Shareware and paid for
it, it might gain some respect.  It is damned nice to be able to use a
piece of software for a day, month, couple of months before paying for it.
If only to find out what it can do, and also to figure out if it contains
any disasterous bugs that prevent it from being usable.  How many people
would have bought the ST version of Wordperfect if they had know its flaws?
Not many.

Shareware as a concept has been introduced.  Don't knock it.