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From: ngg@bridge2.3Com.Com (Norman Goodger)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: StuffIt 1.5 vs. 1.40B
Summary: Shareware Concepts
Message-ID: <57@bridge2.3Com.Com>
Date: 1 Sep 88 23:30:41 GMT
References: <53@bridge2.UUCP> <24684@teknowledge-vaxc.ARPA>
Organization: 3Com Corp., Mt. View, CA
Lines: 50

In article <24684@teknowledge-vaxc.ARPA>, mkhaw@teknowledge-vaxc.ARPA (Mike Khaw) writes:
> StuffIt if it's strictly shareware.
> 
> If I were using StuffIt for my personal benefit, I have no problems paying
> the very reasonable sum of $20 for such a great utility, but in all good
> conscience I can't install a shareware utility on the machines at work,
> not knowing how many people are going to make use of it (I would think each
> regular user of a shareware utility should feel obliged to ante up
> the money, even if they all run it on the same machine, no?).
> The whole shareware concept needs clearer definition, what with networks
> and file servers and whatnot.
> So, Norm, what's your advice now?  Does my company need to pay N * $20
> for N of our Macs to run StuffIt 1.5? M * $20, where M is the anticipated
> number of regular users?
> Mike Khaw

Well Mike, thats a tough question, from your intial posting it just appeared
that you wanted to continue to use Stuffit for your personal use, under'
the original guidelines of previous versions. That has changed. I guess without
digging into the problems of networks and such, it appears that you have a 
valid use for stuffit, so I see no reason why you cannot or should not pay
the shareware fee. If it were extremely expensive, I can see procrastination
on many users parts, but its not, its only $20. I am sure if you dropped
a note to Ray Lau, you could even perhaps work out site license if you
felt the real need to go that far. But if you have a use for it, and you
continue to need it for unbinhexing, and perhaps unstuffing the files
that come across the net, then I think you should consider paying the
shareware fee. Ray's initial rules have changed. And Like I mentioned its
possible that future archives will contains folders that may not work with
older versions. Even if the net sets up rules about that, it only takes one
file to get thru that will mess up anyone hanging on to an older copy
of Stuffit.

The other thing I've never understood is the seeming total dependency on
the net for some of these files, there are an abundance of BBS's out there
that contain all or most of these files, and you can get them all much
faster, and with a lot less work then piecing all the parts together and
then to discover that you are either missing a piece, or its corrupted
but I guess this is a whole subject in itself. 

Bottom line Mike, sorry if I came across rudely, but shareware is something
that is on the way out or on the skids, and this is one application that I
feel is worth the minimal fee, just for your personal use, not withstanding
the environment and other people there. I also don't think you can decide
what is good for the others there either, paying the fee is up to each 
user I think.....

Norm Goodger
3Com Corp.
Sysop - MacInfo BBS @415-795-8862