CompuServe Messages

Claude, To be fair, commercial programs simply cannot be updated as often as freely distributable ones. The software houses face a completely different set of conditions. They must be concerned with distribution of updates, which cost money. Even if they charge for updates, it still requires a substantial cash investment up front. A freely distributable program, on the other hand has no cash involvement beyond the cost of uploading. In addition, a company must decide when to upgrade, balancing new features against the demand for them. If a company updates too soon, with only minor improvements, the buyers will not take kindly to it, feeling that they need to buy the update or be left behind, and feeling that the company has just found a new way to charge high prices for their software. I'm glad you are enjoying Aterm. Regards, Larry.