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The SHR_WARE.DOC Page 1
W H A T I S S H A R E W A R E ?
---------------------------------------
W H A T I S T H E A S P ?
------------------------------------
_______
____|__ | (R)
--| | |-------------------
| ____|__ | Association of
| | |_| Shareware
|__| o | Professionals
-----| | |---------------------
|___|___| Member
DEFINITION OF SHAREWARE
Shareware distribution gives users a chance to try software
before buying it. If you try a Shareware program and continue
using it, you are expected to register. Individual programs
differ on details -- some request registration while others
require it, some specify a maximum trial period. With
registration, you get anything from the simple right to
continue using the software to an updated program with printed
manual.
Copyright laws apply to both Shareware and commercial
software, and the copyright holder retains all rights, with a
few specific exceptions as stated below. Shareware authors are
accomplished programmers, just like commercial authors, and
the programs are of comparable quality. (In both cases, there
are good programs and bad ones!) The main difference is in the
method of distribution. The author specifically grants the
right to copy and distribute the software, either to all and
sundry or to a specific group. For example, some authors
require written permission before a commercial disk vendor may
copy their Shareware.
Shareware is a distribution method, not a type of software.
You should find software that suits your needs and pocketbook,
whether it's commercial or Shareware. The Shareware system
makes fitting your needs easier, because you can try before
you buy. And because the overhead is low, prices are low
also. Shareware has the ultimate money-back guarantee -- if
you don't use the product, you don't pay for it.
The accompanying software is "shareware" and is provided at no
charge to the user for evaluation. Feel free to share it with
your friends, but please do not give it away altered or as an
unacknowledged part of another system. The essence of
The SHR_WARE.DOC Page 2
"user-supported" software is to provide personal computer
users with quality software without high prices, and yet to
provide incentive for programmers to continue to develop new
products. If you find this software useful and find that you
are using it and continue to use it after a reasonable trial
period, you must register it with P. C. Softsmith.
Please pass a copy of the software along to your friends for
evaluation. Please encourage them to register their copy if
they find it useful.
The Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP):
In the early days of shareware there were no real standards.
Independent authors had no efficient way to learn from each
other or to work together to improve the overall image of
shareware. There was no system in place to ensure that users
were treated fairly and professionally. There was no way for
users to find an address for an author who had moved. In
short, the shareware community was disorganized and each
author did things the way he or she thought was best. It was
clear that if shareware was ever to become a viable and
respected marketing alternative, there had to be some
standardization. There had to be some guidelines to best
serve the users.
In 1987 a handful of shareware authors founded the Association
of Shareware Professionals (ASP). In forming this industry
association, these shareware authors had several primary goals
in mind, including:
o To inform users about shareware programs and about
shareware as a method of distributing and marketing
software.
o To foster a high degree of professionalism among shareware
authors by setting programming, marketing, and support
standards for ASP members to follow.
o To encourage broader distribution of shareware through
user groups and disk dealers who agree to identify and
explain the nature of shareware.
o To assist members in marketing their software.
o To provide a forum through which ASP members may
communicate, share ideas, and learn from each other.
The newly formed Association of Shareware Professionals worked
together to draft a code of ethics for all present and future
members. This code of ethics included several requirements that
soon became very popular among users (customers), including:
o A member's program (evaluation version) could not be
The SHR_WARE.DOC Page 3
limited (crippled) in any way. In the true spirit of
Try-Before-You-Buy, users must be able to evaluate all the
features in a program before paying the registration fee.
o Members must respond to every registration. At the very
least they must send a receipt for the payment.
o Members must provide technical support for their products
for at least 90 days from the date of registration.
A new system was put in place to help ensure that users were
treated fairly and professionally. If a user was unable to
resolve a problem with a member author then the user could
contact the ASP Ombudsman with their complaint. The Ombudsman
would then try to help resolve the dispute. For more complete
details regarding the Ombudsman, please refer to the "ASP
Ombudsman Statement" below.
ASP Ombudsman Statement:
This program is produced by a member of the Association of
Shareware Professionals (ASP). ASP wants to make sure that
the shareware principle works for you. If you are unable to
resolve a shareware-related problem with an ASP member by
contacting the member directly, ASP may be able to help. The
ASP Ombudsman can help you resolve a dispute or problem with
an ASP member, but does not provide technical support for
members' products.
Please write to the ASP Ombudsman at:
ASP Ombudsman
545 Grover Road
Muskegon, MI 49442-9427
U.S.A.
or send a CompuServe message via CompuServe MAIL to ASP
Ombudsman 70007,3536.
This document is somewhat altered ASP material, originally
prepared with input by a number of ASP people for
ASP/shareware purposes.