#Perks of shareware reg.?
3 messages in this thread
I can't speak directly to your subject, but I will say this.
I released one utility some time ago as shareware. The utility worked
well at the time, but later developed some "unusual behavior" when
the AV Macs shipped. I fixed the bug immediately to produce an
updated version. However, because of absolutely abysmal shareware
registration, only a very few individuals ever received the update,
which I personally mailed only to each registered user, on floppy
disk and at my own expense.
I never released the update by any other means because (literally) I
got twice as many letters asking for free distribution rights on user
group CDs than I ever received registrations. Also the CIS download
count was infinitely higher than my registrations reflected. I
estimate unpaid usage to paid usage at least 100:1.
I'll never release shareware again, and if anyone dare complain about
a bug in my shareware utility I'll tell them where to stick it. It's
an idea whose time has come and mostly gone.
I hope the shareware experience didn't sour you on releasing neat
stuff you've written for free. Aside from my two commercial products
(Pyro! and PBTools), all of the stuff I've written over the years has
been released for free.
It is terribly satisfying, I get thanks all the time, even years
later, and I'm not pissed off that no one sent me any money (because
I didn't ask for any).
I think the biggest problem with shareware is that programmers think that
people are actually going to send them money. A much more reliable way to make
money is to sell your talents or your programs.
You certainly can't assume that every download should be a registered user.
Perhaps your 100:1 ratio means that 100 people examined your software, but only
one was motivated to pay for it. Too bad CompuServe doesn't record how many
people read the description but *didn't* download it.