Windows95.com Software Developer's FAQ

If you're a shareware, freeware, or commercial software developer, then this document should answer most of your questions about getting your software posted in the Windows95.com 32-bit Software Collection.

Our relationship with you is the most important factor in the success of Windows95.com, and our Webmaster always welcomes your feedback. If you have any questions that are not answered in this FAQ, don't hesitate to ask us!

What is the relationship between software developers and Windows95.com?: We've built our success on a mutually beneficial relationship with software developers. We provide an audience of hundreds of thousands of individuals who come to Windows95.com every single day to find 32-bit software, and we give all software developers access to these users at no cost to them. We think that's a great benefit to developers. In return, software developers provide a constant source of new and updated software to attract users to our Web site again and again, which is a great benefit to us. By keeping this relationship mutually beneficial, we can ensure the success of the Web site and the software developers for many years to come.
How do I submit new or updated software to Windows95.com?: It's easy! Just fill out our 32-bit Software Submission Form. The software must be truly 32-bit, and must be able ro run on Windows 95, Windows NT 4.0, or Windows CE (or any combination of the previous). Please provide as much of the information requested in the form as you can. This will help us classify your software better, and the more information users have about a program, the more comfortable they are downloading it. If you release an update to an application that is already listed, please use the same form, and choose the updated listing option. We usually post the new or updated information within a couple of days after receiving it.
Can I upload my program to Windows95.com?: Windows95.com is a virtual software library, which means that we do not actually store the software on our servers. Instead, we provide links to software on FTP and HTTP servers across the Internet, and we prefer to point to the software's "home" location. That way, the developer has full control over the distribution of the software. In other words, no - you cannot upload your program.
What makes certain software titles get downloaded more than others?: Obviously, there are many things that can affect download popularity. However, we think we have a rather unique perspective into what works at Windows95.com and what doesn't - and we've definately noticed some trends that make certain titles more popular than others. For example, software that is closer to the top of a page gets downloaded more frequently than software near the bottom. Since we list the software titles based on their release date, frequent updates of your software will place it at the top of the page more often, and will therefor increase downloads. Also, software titles with full information get downloaded more often than software with missing information. Please check your title's listing, and submit an update form to us with any missing or incorrect information. This helps us provide complete information to our visitors, and it helps build confidence in your product among users trying to make a decision between 20-30 similar programs on a page. And finally, having a , a , or a definately increases downloads. See the paragraphs below for more information about these disctintions.
How can my software get a ?: Basically, we give a Try It to a program that we find easy to recommend to our visitors. It stands out from the others in its category with at least a couple of must have features. We pick a Try It rather quickly; when we run it for the first time, if we yell "Cool!" then it's a Try It.
How can my software get a ?: A Getit is a well-known distinction at Windows95.com. Previously, the Getit was our only distinction, but we added the Try It in an effort to urge software developers to provide software that is easier to install. Not being able to figure out how to install a program is the number one complaint among our visitors. Therefore, a Getit has the exact same criteria as a Try It, but it must also have at least Install Support.
And, although we don't enforce it strictly, we must admit that we give Getit preference to software that does not have an expire on date timeout. There's nothing wrong with an expire after timeout (such as software that times out 15 or 30 days after the actual day a user installs it), but we get thousands of complaints from our users each week when they try to install a program that has expired on a specific calendar date - and many times that date was weeks before they ever got a chance to evaluate it. Again, we won't rule out a Getit simply because of your timeout scheme, but if we're having a hard time making a decision, the timeout issue will usually tip the scales.
How can my software get a ?: The WINners are chosen annually by Windows95.com Webmaster Steve Jenkins. It is an award given to the standout programs of the previous year. Perhaps your software will be a future WINner!
What is the difference between "Expires on" and "Expires after"?: If a program times out (stops functioning until it is registered) on a specific date, regardless of how long the user has been using the program, then we say that it expires on that date. If it times out after a certain number of days of use, then we say it expires after so many days. If it has no timeout, then we say it never expires. Users prefer software that expires after a certain number of days of use, rather than timing out with a calendar date. Software that expires on a certain date also poses a problem for our CD-ROM customers, since some of the software on the discs has alreay timed out by the time the discs are shipped to them. Whevenever possible, we ask that you give preference to software that expires after.
What are the "Install/Uninstall" categories?: In an effort to give our visitors as much information about a program as possible, we like to tell them about the install and uninstall features of each program. We have four categories: No Install Support, Install Support Only, Uninstall Support Only, and Install and Uninstall Support.
No Install Support is rather self-explanatory. The user has nothing more than a README.TXT file to figure out how to install the program.
Install Support Only means that the developer has provided some sort of installation routine for the user. We do recognize the WinZip Self Extractor as Install Support. However, most users also want a setup routine that creates a directory, copies the files into the directory, puts icons in the Start menu or on the Desktop, etc.
Uninstall Support Only is the exact opposite. The user is on his or her own to get the program installed, but you're more than happy to provide a way for them to nuke it from their system. We admit that it's highly unlikely that any developer would provide uninstall support only, but it's your software, and we never want to rule anything out!
Install and Uninstall Support is what all users dream about. It's the ability to easily install a program on a system, as well as the ability to remove it (including any registry keys and .ini files). It it's possible, we'd love for you to provide this support for all your software.
How do you determine the "status" of a program?: We realize that we aren't the only authority on the matter, but for the sake of consistency, we needed to draw some pretty clear lines when it came to the status of the programs in our collection. So please don't yell too loudly at us if you don't happen to agree with out classifications ;). Currently, we categorize all the programs in our collection as one of the following: shareware, freeware, or commercial demo.
We define shareware as any software that is try before you buy. Therefore, we lump nagware, crippleware, and a bunch of other wares together in this category. If a software title has any sort of registration, then we call it shareware.
Freeware is software that is provided stricly out of the good of a developer's heart (or a desire to take over the market, whichever you prefer). There is no required payment associated with freeware, and users don't have to feel guilty for using it for months without paying anybody.
What's left are commercial demos. These are scaled down programs that give a taste of how a commercial application works, but they are rarely fully functional. Also, commecial demos are usually purchased, instead of registered. Sometimes this is a pretty fuzzy line, but we'll usually be more than happy to go with the classification of the developer, unless we think it will confuse our visitors.
How can I get my program's icon in its listing?: We try to include a program's icon with its listing whenever possible, but collecting all those icons is quite a task, and we're missing many. We'd be more than happy to put your icon (35 x 35 pixels) in your listing if you'd like to mail it to us at shareware@windows95.com.

Windows95.com is a service of Jenesys, LLC. Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Microsoft Corporation in no way endorses or is affiliated with Windows95.com. All other trademarks are the sole property of their respective owners.