ignac@electro.UUCP (Ignac Kolenko) (02/01/90)
In article <1940@laura.UUCP> klute@heike.informatik.uni-dortmund.de (Rainer Klute) writes: >If the shareware author does really want to see any money he >has to find out how he can "encourage" the user to pay. This >can be done be offering some additional benefit for paying. I >tried this with my Arcgsh from version 2.1 upwards: From time >to time a dialog box pops up and asks the user to pay for the >program. He then can click any button and the program >continues. This procedure has two advantages: > >1. Occasional use of Arcgsh: The user can take full advantage > of the program without paying. The "Please pay your > shareware donation" dialog boxes he can ignore. He is not > *forced* to pay. The boxes will not disturbe him too much > because he uses Arcgsh seldom. > >2. Regular use of Arcgsh: The frequent popping up of those > dialog boxes gets really annoying and the user wants to get > rid of them. And this is exactly what he gets if he pays his > shareware donation. > >Experience has shown that this procedure works very well. this is actually a very common technique among shareware authors. before quickst went commercial, the last couple of demo shareware versions that loaded from the auto folder would purposely put all kinds of ordering information and "propaganda" on the screen and forcibly made the user press a key before continuing. this way, people who didn't want to upgrade to the shareware version (with no such messages or keypress waits) could still use the program, but they would have to endure the "press any key" condition EVERY time they would reboot. we got lots of shareware contributions after that, with almost all letters asking (hoping!) that the registered owner version not have such things. and of course, that is the incentive of registering: you get a clean, properly working version with enhancements and further bug fixes from when the shareware version came out and the entitlement to receive future updates whenever they become available. of course, there are people who will actually take the time and disassemble shareware programs and remove the offending code which pops up the dialog boxes, or forces a keystroke before continuing, etc. for the three hours they spent disassembling and debugging, even someone working at mcdonalds at $5 an hour could have broken even (at least for quick st) by sending in their contribution ... but that's their choice!!! :-) :-) :-) -- =====Ignac A. Kolenko (The Ig)=====watmath!watcgl!electro!brasoft!ignac====== co-author of QuickST, and the entire line of Quick Software!!!! Branch Always Software Box 2624, Station B, Kitchener, Ont. CANADA N2H 6N2 =============================================================================
andyc@hplsla.HP.COM (Andy Cassino) (02/02/90)
As a shareware end-user, I'd like to throw in my two cent's worth.
My assumption with shareware is this: "what you see is what you get".
I'm under no legal obligation to register AND the developer is under no legal
obligation to fix bugs or enhance the product.
So, if I get a program that has too many bugs or otherwise is not fully
functional, it gets dragged to the trashcan. No exceptions.
The last shareware program I registered for was SUPRBOOT. It is fully
functional and I have not encountered any significant problems after several
months of use. If it was never updated again, I would be happy.
Now, you (the shareware author) may disagree with my approach to this
situation, but if you want my financial support, that's what it takes.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed herein are those solely of the author,
who has no pecuniary interest in the companies, products,
or publications mentioned above.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
% Andy Cassino %
% uucp: hplabs!hplsla!andyc domain: andyc%hplsla@hplabs.hp.com %
% Hewlett-Packard Lake Stevens Instrument Division %
% 8600 Soper Hill Road Everett, WA 98205-1298 %
% (206) 335-2211 %
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%lyn.ibson@canremote.uucp (LYN IBSON) (02/06/90)
Back to one of the initial problems, Rainer -- how do we in Canada get a shareware registration fee to you. (I don't even know what the account number you refer to in your ARCGSH messages is for!) --- ~ RNet 1.03M: SoftNet London, CANADA 519/685-5306
klute@heike.informatik.uni-dortmund.de (Rainer Klute) (02/12/90)
In article <90020603025378@masnet.uucp> lyn.ibson@canremote.uucp (LYN IBSON) writes: >Back to one of the initial problems, Rainer -- how do we in Canada get a >shareware registration fee to you. (I don't even know what the account >number you refer to in your ARCGSH messages is for!) Hmm, I don't know anything about the problems over there. I thing we have to start a cooperation and try to work this out together. (Money transfer should not be any problem at all for huge amounts of money are shoveled around the world permanently within a few minutes. The following information I can provide: Here in Germany each bank has a name (in my case it is "Postgiroamt Hannover") and a unique number, the so-called BLZ (Bankleitzahl = bank code), which is "250 100 30" in my case. Finally my personal bank account has the number "4412 46-300". To transfer money to me you should take the information above, walk to your bank and ask the clerk how to do it. They are the experts, they really should know. I would like to hear how/whether you succeeded! Dipl.-Inform. Rainer Klute klute@heike.informatik.uni-dortmund.de Univ. Dortmund, IRB klute@unido.uucp, klute@unido.bitnet Postfach 500500 |)|/ ...uunet!mcvax!unido!klute D-4600 Dortmund 50 |\|\ Tel.: +49 231 755-4663
silvert@cs.dal.ca (William Silvert) (02/17/90)
In article <1969@laura.UUCP> klute@heike.informatik.uni-dortmund.de (Rainer Klute) writes: >>Back to one of the initial problems, Rainer -- how do we in Canada get a >>shareware registration fee to you. (I don't even know what the account >>number you refer to in your ARCGSH messages is for!) > >Money transfer should not be any problem at all for >huge amounts of money are shoveled around the world permanently >within a few minutes. > > ..... > >To transfer money to me you should take the information above, >walk to your bank and ask the clerk how to do it. They are the >experts, they really should know. I would like to hear >how/whether you succeeded! I run into this problem frequently, since I go to a lot of foreign conferences and they often specify that the registration fees are to be transferred to a Postgiro account. If you are transferring several thousand dollars this is great, but it is not the way N. Americans transfer funds, so if you go to any bank I have tried you will find that the handling fee is much larger than the usual shareware payment. Basically we use cheques and money orders, sent by mail. This seems to be the cheapest method by far. If anyone else has info on sending money to foreign countries (outside Canada and the US that is), please post it. -- Bill Silvert, Habitat Ecology Division. Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Dartmouth, NS, Canada B2Y 4A2 UUCP: ...!{uunet,watmath}!dalcs!biomel!bill Internet: bill%biomel@cs.dal.CA BITNET: bill%biomel%dalcs@dalac
klute@heike.informatik.uni-dortmund.de (Rainer Klute) (02/19/90)
In article <1990Feb16.161133.16110@cs.dal.ca> bill@biomel.UUCP writes: >I run into this problem frequently, since I go to a lot of foreign conferences >and they often specify that the registration fees are to be transferred to a >Postgiro account. If you are transferring several thousand dollars this is >great, but it is not the way N. Americans transfer funds, so if you go to any >bank I have tried you will find that the handling fee is much larger than the >usual shareware payment. > >Basically we use cheques and money orders, sent by mail. This seems to be the >cheapest method by far. If anyone else has info on sending money to foreign >countries (outside Canada and the US that is), please post it. This raises the question how much fee I had to pay if I would receive a cheque or money order from a foreign country (here: anything outside Germany). Recently I got an Euro-Cheque from Austria made out in DM (Deutsche Mark) and I had no additional costs with it. Probably it is different with cheques from, say, Canada or the United States. I shall try to find out and post the results here. Oh, and there is still the very cheap possibility to put some banknotes into an envelope and hand it over to the snail mail for delivery. Obviously this is not the most secure procedure but for $15 (the Arcgsh Shareware fee I ask for) the risk may be bearable. Dipl.-Inform. Rainer Klute klute@heike.informatik.uni-dortmund.de Univ. Dortmund, IRB klute@unido.uucp, klute@unido.bitnet Postfach 500500 |)|/ ...uunet!mcvax!unido!klute D-4600 Dortmund 50 |\|\ Tel.: +49 231 755-4663