hardin@hpindda.HP.COM (John Hardin) (02/15/88)
Subject: use of PD and Shareware in a commercial environment I've seen a lot of discussion of shareware and honesty on the net recently, but I've been running into a problem that I have not seen discussed that keeps money out of the hands of shareware providers and keeps me from using their software. My company has established rules for the use of software on PCs that requires a master disc (i.e., the officially labeled distribution discs that come with commercial software) for all software on the PC. I have been informed verbally that an official registration number on something like company letterhead stationary may suffice, but this is not in the written guidelines. Any software that displays a copyright notice when run requires such proof of legality. PD software that prints a copyright is unusable at my site. I have noticed that it is not uncommon for PD software to be copyrighted by the author, presumably for his/her own protection and to keep third parties from turning it into their own commercial software. Shareware that asks for a donation or that asks for the user to register, but returns no proof of registration, is also unusable. Regardless of any money set to the author, the auditors will see this as illegal/pirated software. There are many more PCs used at work than at home. If the policies used where I work are (or become) widespread, then shareware providers will have to get serious about their endeavor if they want to realize significant returns. Casting software onto the waves in a bottle containing a request for money just won't do it. You'll have to provide master discs or some other proof of registration to your customers and be prepared to deal with a large company's purchasing department instead of the real user. There are several shareware packages that I would register at work next week if the author could satisfy our auditors. As it is, I just can't use these packages at work. John Hardin Hewlett Packard Disclaimer: I am representing myself here, not Hewlett Packard. All opinions, mistakes, and misconceptions are my own.
coulter@hpclisp.HP.COM (Michael Coulter) (02/17/88)
Try writing the authors of the shareware about your problem. I suspect they would be happy to send you suitable "proof of registration". Most outfits will also accept a stated amount of money and send you a disk. This could then be used as your "master" disk. -- Michael Coulter, Hewlett-Packard, Computer Language Lab, ...ucbvax!hpda!coulter
rgale@pnet01.cts.com (Ryan Gale) (02/17/88)
hardin@hpindda.HP.COM (John Hardin) writes: > [stuff about corporate hassles with shareware deleted] The authors I've dealt with have typically been most accommodating -- providing invoices, "officially labelled" diskettes, etc. Granted that my auditors may not be as nitty-gritty as John's, and granted that I've made sure that checks (rather than POs) were issued -- even so, I've not run into any hassles from either the authors or the accounting department. Department _heads_, on the other hand... --- Ryan Gale UUCP: {hplabs!hp-sdd, sdcsvax, nosc}!crash!pnet01!rgale ARPA: crash!pnet01!rgale@nosc.mil INET: rgale@pnet01.CTS.COM
nwd@j.cc.purdue.edu (Daniel Lawrence) (02/17/88)
In article <4330033@hpindda.HP.COM> hardin@hpindda.HP.COM (John Hardin) writes: >Subject: use of PD and Shareware in a commercial environment > ..... >There are several shareware packages that I would register at work >next week if the author could satisfy our auditors. As it is, >I just can't use these packages at work. > I put a package which I restrict from comercial use.... and given the proper registration from orginizations like yours I would happily send along an official document sactioning it use. I don't see this as a barrier to the use of software like this... you just need to get hold of the package author. I think you will find most are happy to set you up. Daniel Lawrence (317) 742-5153 UUCP: {ihnp4!pur-ee!}j.cc.purdue.edu!nwd ARPA: nwd@j.cc.purdue.edu FIDO: 1:201/2 The Programmer's Room (317) 742-5533
loafman@convexe.UUCP (02/18/88)
>My company has established rules for the use of software on PCs >that requires a master disc (i.e., the officially labeled >distribution discs that come with commercial software) for all >software on the PC. I have been informed verbally that an >official registration number on something like company letterhead >stationary may suffice, but this is not in the written guidelines. >Any software that displays a copyright notice when run requires >such proof of legality. A great many Shareware authors will provide you with an official looking disk, registration numbers, and so forth. AutoMenu comes to mind first on that list, followed by the ButtonWare products and various other major players. Every package I've registered so far has at least provided me with a nicely labeled disk that looks quite official, some with multi-colored logos, some just with printer generated logos, none done by hand. With some shareware site licences the owner is provided with a set of labels to make their own disks after customization is done. Some of the corporate accounts like to set up the various options in a standard manner rather than letting each user do their own. If that's not enough to satisfy the legal beagles then I suggest they change the positioning of their head. I've heard that such stretching is hard on the back. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Kenneth W. Loafman @ CONVEX Computer Corp, Dallas, Texas | All opinions Voice: work: (214) 952-0829 home: (214) 964-1250 | are my own, USPSnail: 1705 Coit Rd #2101, Plano, Tx 75075 | of course. UUCP: ihnp4!convex!loafman | CompuServe: 72345,233 | ...KWL ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
hardin@hpindda.HP.COM (John Hardin) (02/20/88)
>I put a package which I restrict from comercial use.... and given the >proper registration from orginizations like yours I would happily send >along an official document sactioning it use. I don't see this as a >barrier to the use of software like this... you just need to get hold of >the package author. I think you will find most are happy to set you up. > > Daniel Lawrence >---------- The above advice is certainly sound and I have, indeed, pursued some shareware and PD software to this extent. One of my insprirations for the original posting, however, was a note from a shareware author complaining that payback on shareware was poor. The above advice puts the burdon on me, the customer. I must contact each package author myself. I'm not likely to do this for any but the most mouth-watering packages. After all, I just use the PC as a workstation to aid my productivity in doing my own work. I can't spend a lot of time setting up special arrangements with shareware vendors. I don't know how things are elsewhere, but the normal way I get software at work is to: 1) Get informal permision from my boss for the order. 2) Send electronic mail to our department secretary asking that a Purchase Order be sent to the Purchasing Dept. for the software. 3) Wait for the software to arrive. Ever tried to do anything unusual through a formal system like this? I get moans and groans every time I go to the secretary with one of those upgrade offers requiring that top half of the master disc or the title page from the manual be included with the order. I can order a $300 commercial package using only about 3 minutes of my time. It can take an hour of explanations to my secretary and Purchasing to pay for some $15 shareware, not counting whatever time it takes me to set up special arrangments with the author (no matter how well meaning and helpful that author is). The moral I am trying to convey is that if you want to distribute shareware to the corporate environment, make it easy for your potential customers. Making it easy means making it look the way commercial software looks to the the Purchasing Department. Let me cut a P.O. and get back either a master disc or some official looking paper with a registration number. John Hardin ----