Tips & Hints for
Shareware/Freeware Authors
Written by Matthias Kahlert, mkahlert@kagi.com
http://www.GeoCities.com/SiliconValley/Pines/8031/index.htm
Welcome!
Hi. My name is Matthias Kahlert and I'm a shareware author. I started this homepage in order to help all the shareware and freeware software authors all around the world. On the pages of this web site you'll find many tips and hints how to spread your applications and how to reach the greatest possible number of users. You'll also get some very useful tips and tricks about how to write successful shareware. Just click a bit around...
Although these pages are aimed especially at shareware and freeware authors, you may also find it useful and interesting if you are a commercial developer or a shareware user.
I tried to keep my pages as simple as possible. This site should deliver information, and not heavy graphics. So I didn't use any complex buttons, image backgrounds, etc. But I heavily use tables, so if you want to get the best out of this page your web browser should be able to display these frames.
| Just a few Lines About Me |
I'm 21 years old (born on 8. May 1976) and at the moment I'm studying Computer Science at the Fachhochschule Regensburg (Regensburg is located in Bavaria, Germany).
I'm working with computers since 1986. My first computer was a Apple Macintosh SE with 1 MB RAM, a 20 MB harddisk and a built-in 9" black & white screen (Sounds a bit funny today). It was a really nice machine, and it is still working today! After more than ten years, without any failures and damages!
There have also been some other Macs after the Mac SE: at first a Mac LC II, then a PowerMac 6100/60 and now a PowerMac 7600/132 (80 MB RAM, 3.2 GB harddisk, 20" screen).
I still have a small collection of Macs, my personal "Computer Museum": I have my old Mac SE, a Mac IIsi and a Macintosh Portable (one of the first Portables here in Germany...).
But there is also a standard IBM-compatible PC right beneath my Mac: A Pentium 100 MHz with Microsoft Windows 95.
I started programming in 1990 with Apples HyperCard. I made some great stacks with it, but after some years I got tired of that easy but very slow language. And so I started with C and C++ using the Metrowerks CodeWarrior.
But I'm still using HyperCard today: All these pages of the Tips and Hints for Shareware Authors are created with a self-programmed HyperCard database...
Because of my Computer Science studies I also learned some other programming languages like Pascal, 8086-Assembler, Pearl and some special tools like MatLab, but I'm still concentrated on C and C++.
I also worked with some other languages and tools like Java, Microsoft Access and Microsoft Visual FoxPro.
If you are interested in my self-programed applications and utilities for the MacOS then you should take a look at my software homepage. There you can download the latest versions of all my programs. Just surf to http://www.donau.de/privhome/kahlert.
Or if you want to contact me, just write an e-mail to mkahlert@kagi.com. It would also be nice, if you would sign my guestbook (or just visit it...).
This pages are separated into different chapter:
- The first chapter deals with homepages and everything that has anything to do with it.
Here you'll find some tips where to get your own (free) homepage, how to add it to the different search engines and many other things (like: how to exchange links, where to get your own guestbook, etc.).
- The second chapter gives you some general information about shareware and freeware.
Here you can find information about payment services, etc.
- The next chapters are sorted by the operating system your application is thought for.
There you'll find the URLs and addresses of Software Archives, Computer Magazines, CD-ROM manufacturers, UsersGroups, etc.
Each of these chapters is then diveded into different types like WWW archives, CD-ROM manufacturers or magazines. Just click on one of that links to get a list of links. Each of these lists is then seperated into the different countries and states. The links are entered into the sections according to the location of the company/server.
Before you send your applications to one or more of these archives or magazines, please make sure that they are the right place for your applications. Especially the magazines that don't regularly release shareware CD-ROMs often can't do anything with your software. In this cases it would be better if you just inform them that your software is available now and that you ask them if they are interested in a (free) copy of it.
If you have any new tips, hints or links, please let me know. I'm happy about everything you send me.
And if you want to you can also send me your own articles. Or do you know any new software archives (Internet, CompuServe, AOL, etc.)? Any CD-ROM manufacturers or magazines? Just send an e-mail to mkahlert@kagi.com or use the New Link Submission Form.
But please note: All these tips, hints and addresses have been collected by myself. I can't give you any warranty that all the links and addresses are correct. If you find any mistakes or broken links, please let me know, so that I can correct that as soon as possible.
I tried to only collect free services or services that offer a great advantage to the user. I don't want to have here any companies that take money from authors for things that the author can do itself (like link submission services). I think there are enough homepages that deal with topics like that.
If anybody had made bad experiences with any of that services listed here, please let me know so that I can put a note to the according database entry.
The entries on this page are not rated in any way. They are listed by topics, then by the country they are located in and at last in alphabetical order. I don't put any commercial ads onto this page, I just entered to information for you, the software authors. All the companies listed here have been collected by myself. They don't pay a penny for that, and I don't get any returns from them. Just for information...
If this online version of my page is too time-consuming for you, you can also download the offline version of this web site. There you can browse through the articles and links at home, without paying any online fees. I packed all the files into a single ZIP archive, I think this is the ideal cross-plattform archive format. You can unpack it on Windows or DOS Computers with WinZip or PkUnzip, and on the MacOS you can use the StuffIt Expander to explode it.
Download "Tips for Shareware Authors"
This downloadable version is exactly the same like the online version. I didn't delete the image links, the counter and such things from that version... If you have any problems with it, please let me know.
If you want to link from your page to my page, you're welcome! You can use a standard text link:
<A HREF="http://www.GeoCities.com/SiliconValley/Pines/8031/index.htm">Tips and Hints for Shareware and Freeware Authors</A>
Or you can include my banner onto your page:<A HREF="http://www.GeoCities.com/SiliconValley/Pines/8031/index.htm"><IMG SRC="http://www.GeoCities.com/SiliconValley/Pines/8031/banner.gif" ALT="Tips and Hints for Shareware and Freeware Authors" BORDER=0></A>
But GeoCities doesn't allow me to link back to your page using a banner. But if you want to I can put a link to your page into my Thank you section.
And now for something completely different:
This homepage is a US$5 Shareware. Please read the Shareware Infos for more details.
Thanks in advance!
Matthias Kahlert
Haidauer Straße 79
93073 Neutraubling
Germany
E-Mail: mkahlert@kagi.com
Homepage: http://www.donau.de/privhome/kahlert
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