CompuServe Messages

Well, whether or not Stefan Boberg responds to shareware contributions, he has in fact made a major contribution to the Amiga community, which we all use every day. It's hard to begrudge him the contributions that are sent, even if they are not acknowledged. Any shareware that is not "serviced" – with a response, with an upgrade, with a documentation pack, whatever – is sure to fare poorly as an income generator. SB's lack of response will lessen his revenue; I guess that's his choice. It is frustrating to send a shareware/upgrade donation and receive no response. Often, I have found that the package was apparently written by a student during college; in a couple of years, he or she is gone with no forwarding address. Sometimes the contribution comes back in the mail, sometimes there is no feedback of any sort. And if you were hoping to get an upgrade/commercial grade version, you may be out of luck. One of my oddest shareware experiences was sending off a contribution, and receiving back a letter which said, "Since I'm no longer working on upgrading this package, I'm returning the money". Heck, he could have kept it for the work he had already done; I certainly benefitted from it. –Jim