Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!hoptoad!gnu
From: gnu@hoptoad.uucp (John Gilmore)
Newsgroups: comp.sources.d
Subject: Re: Scareware
Message-ID: <10612@hoptoad.uucp>
Date: 5 Mar 90 23:24:44 GMT
References: <14010@s.ms.uky.edu> <125816@midas.UUCP> <635@magnus.Hotline.Com> <34812@watmath.waterloo.edu>
Organization: Cygnus Support, Palo Alto
Lines: 35

bstempleton@watmath.waterloo.edu (Brad Templeton) wrote:
> Dozens of commercial activities take place on USENET.  Job postings, Ads,
> announcements, tech support, people asking for help in their work, cars for
> sale, rooms for rent, software updates and yes, shareware and lots of it

I see the car ads but I have seen VERY little shareware, and I've been
archiving most of the sources that have come over the net since 1982.
Perhaps Brad's "lots of" shareware is in comp.binaries, which hoptoad
does not accept or forward.

> (with effectively no complaint prior to this debate.)

I complained about it before, when a few shareware things came
through.  Also, I certainly count Rich $alz's prohibition on shareware
in comp.sources.unix as a "complaint".

Shareware is an idea for a particular mileau (tiny micros that only run
binaries).  The Unix answer to shareware is GNUware -- use it all you
want, pass it on to your friends, you get full source.  AND, if you
like it and want to contribute to its development, we accept donations
(of both money and technical effort).  The Free Software Foundation
runs completely on donations, sale of manuals, and sale of tapes.  Not
on fear and loathing.  On donations.  No wonder "scareware" isn't
popular in the Unix community.

If the Usenet gives you such a lousy "registration rate", why not
simply go where you are appreciated?  Trying to sell to people who
dislike your whole concept is not usually a good use of your time.
(I realize that the desire to sponge off other peoples' phone bills
is a powerful incentive to persevere in the face of this rejection.)
-- 
John Gilmore      {sun,pacbell,uunet,pyramid}!hoptoad!gnu      gnu@toad.com
 Boycott the census!  The government that invaded Central America does not
hesitate to break into "their own" census database to violate your privacy.
         Maximum penalty for refusing to answer:  $100, no jail.