Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!clyde.concordia.ca!uunet!microsoft!bruceki
From: bruceki@microsoft.UUCP (Bruce KING)
Newsgroups: comp.sources.d
Subject: Re: Paying for Shareware (Was: Re: v09i070: newsclip 1.1...)
Message-ID: <52026@microsoft.UUCP>
Date: 2 Mar 90 23:15:21 GMT
References: <13986@s.ms.uky.edu> <33975@watmath.waterloo.edu> <34392@watmath.waterloo.edu> <17981@rpp386.cactus.org> <34556@watmath.waterloo.edu>
Reply-To: bruceki@microsoft.UUCP (Bruce KING)
Followup-To: alt.flame
Organization: Microsoft Corp., Redmond WA
Lines: 24


  Your example is one of sending an ANNOUNCEMENT of a product over the 
network -- "this book is for sale".  Our problem with shareware is that
they're SHIPPING it over the network.  If you posted the entire text of
the book to usenet and stuck a label on it saying you could get a 
paper copy if you sent money it'd be the same sort of waste of net
bandwidth that we're complaining about here.  When you post an example
please take the time to make sure that it fits the problem precisely.  

  We're talking about people subsidizing their products distribution;
if the shareware authors wanted to post a note to somewhere saying "hey,
this product is available, mail me at ..." I don't think that ANYONE
would complain.  Ross Greenberg, please note:  You can announce your new
product in comp.announce.newprod any time you want; Brad, you can
announce your book any time you want.  The objections here center 
around the distribution over the network.  

  The shareware guys should really start a mailing list or something so that 
interested site admins can hear about new shareware and request it.  How much
is computer professional's good will to your bottom line?  Every time this
thread irritates another person, how long will they remember that X or Y
person is an irritating guy who's wasting net resources?  

  This is my opinion.  I don't speak for any other people.