The MX Shareware Database was initiated from the Association of Shareware Professional's catalog. Each author received a direct mailing introducing the project's goals and inviting them to write longer product descriptions. About 35 percent responded even though no marketing could be promised at the time.
The Games database was split off from the main to create a smaller database suitable for on-line distribution. Shareware products from two game CD-ROMs were then entered to provide a little more material. It takes about four months for authors to respond to a direct mailing. Product descriptions for these new games were extracted from documentation since there wasn't time to do a direct mailing. Interestingly, these new products actually have some of the better descriptions.