jeremyr@cs.qmw.ac.uk (Jeremy Roussak) (12/04/90)
(I posted a note on this topic a few weeks ago, but I don't think it ever got through: certainly, I recevied no replies) What do people consider to be the obligations that a shareware author has towards people who have paid the registration fee for the software? I'm thinking of upgrade charges (or not), advance notification of new releases, etc etc. All opinions welcome... Jeremy Roussak
oster@well.sf.ca.us (David Phillip Oster) (12/08/90)
A shareware author has an obligation to reply to every piece of mail, at
least so I have heard that the Guild of Shareware Authors says. (I was
never able to find a correct address for this, mostly IBM PC authors,
group.)
A shareware author must be loyal, helpful, friendly, couteous, kind,
obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brace, clean & reverent.
He must carefully protect himself and his customers from bugs, lawsuits,
and all forms of indemnity.
--
-- David Phillip Oster - At least the government doesn't make death worse.
-- oster@well.sf.ca.us = {backbone}!well!osterdorner@pequod.cso.uiuc.edu (Steve Dorner) (12/12/90)
>What do people consider to be the obligations that a shareware author >has towards people who have paid the registration fee for the software? >I'm thinking of upgrade charges (or not), advance notification of new >releases, etc etc. I suggest that you are obliged to do what you say you will do. If you promise to send people new releases free of charge, you should do so. If you promise to send people notice of new releases, you should do so. If you don't promise anything, I don't think you have any obligations, legal, ethical, or otherwise. I do think it is best that you make your terms explicit. Let people know exactly what they're getting for their shareware fee. Let them know your upgrade policy, your bug fix policy, and the level of support you will provide. -- -- Steve Dorner, U of Illinois Computing Services Office Internet: s-dorner@uiuc.edu UUCP: uunet!uiucuxc!uiuc.edu!s-dorner
jeremyr@cs.qmw.ac.uk (Jeremy Roussak) (01/30/91)
Some while ago, I posed a request for opinions on the obligations of shareware writers to those who have paid the shareware fee. I'd like to thank all those who replied. The general consensus of opinion was that the obligations are those promised in the program or its documentation. No promises - no obligations. Some other points raised were: 1. You should reply promptly to email about the program 2. You should try to keep registered users informed about upgrades, but not if it means losing money (of particular interest to me since transatlantic mail is relatively expensive). 3. You should fix bugs (obvious, really :-)) Jeremy Roussak