CompuServe Messages

As an author (of MS-DOS programs) distributed both as freeware and shareware, I can speak for the shareware side a bit. Shareware can work very well. The key word is CAN. The program has to be usefull to the end user and easy enough for them to use to make them want to use it. (If it's easier to do it another way, they will). Also, programming for a niche market can also cause "problems". In other words you shouldn't expect 10,000 registrations. The biggest thing I've found in shareware is that crippling doesn't work well. Crippling can be anything from handling a reduced amount of data, to missing features, to time limits it'll work, etc. With missing features and reduced data handling, the user can't truly evaluate the program (which is what shareware is all about). A database limited to 10 records might be blazingly fast… but when loaded with a 1000, might be the slowest of it's kind available. (Sort of like taking a new car for a test drive, but not being allowed to take it over 25 mph). Time bombs, ala a program set to work until a certain date and then quit causes lots of problems for sysops and users alike. (no one likes to download a program and then find out it expired three months ago, especially if it took a long distance call or was obtained from a service like CIS. [More]