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1989-04-05
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9KB
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150 lines
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~ The Benefits of Shareware Programming? ~
~ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ~
~ By Jake A. Bain ~
~ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As a PD librarian, I tend to get a lot of feedback from PD and shareware
authors, concerning the varying responses they receive from their
programs. I was prompted to write this article after a recent
conversation with one such programmer.
The programmer in question, had contacted me on numerous occasions for
advice on the best way to make money from his hard work. Why he chose to
ask me, I'm not sure, but I'm glad he did, and I was obviously of some
help, since he came back to me again.
Unfortunately, as yet neither he nor his co-author have made much, if
any, hard cash from that particular program. Why? Read on.
The shareware scene in the UK is a relatively new concept, though it has
been very successful in the USA for many years now. Shareware programmers
in the US have more experience of the whole concept than we do here, and
some can even claim to make a living from their talents.
Basically, It's our attitude that's at fault. A shareware program is
often provided in it's complete form, with no restrictions other than the
lack of a printed manual, (though most shareware authors now realise that
restrictions are necessary in a "try before you buy" version) the onus is
on the user's conscience as to whether they register for a program they
intend to keep on using. The attitude of our transatlantic cousins is
more honest than our own, and that is the basic difference.
So how does a programmer set about making shareware work for him/her?
Well, there are a few options.
Provide a "full" working version, but with a small but vital feature
missing. This is a bit of a hit or miss option, since potential
registered users may want to see just how well that particular feature
performs before committing their hard earned dosh, and they may not order
the program from a PD library knowing there are restrictions. For
instance, a Word Processor may be just what an individual has been
looking for, but what use is it, if there is no "Print" option in the try
before you buy version.
A far more effective option, is the continually nagging alert box. This
presents the user with a full, unrestricted version of the program, but
with a built-in "auto-nag" reminding the user that the program is
shareware, and that they are required to register with the author if they
want to stop the nagging! This option can be very effective indeed, and
is a rather better alternative to the previous one. Frustration spurs the
user to register! A similar option is the delay. Here, the program has an
in-built delay of say, 10 seconds every time an option is selected,
rather than a nagging alert box, but just the same really.
Of course, there are various other options which could be implemented,
such as incentives. Offer follow-up programs, the next release free, an
exclusive game etc. All very good, but all down to the user's
requirements and attitude in the end.
A very good example has been the game "Grandad and the Quest for the
Holey Vest" by Ian Scott. Ian gives the player a taste of the game, by
allowing access to the first "level" only. If you manage to get to a
certain point in the game, a six-digit security code is required to
continue through the further 150plus locations. The code is only
available from the author upon receipt of the £5.00 registration fee.
This ensures that the user either pays up, or gives up on the game. This
is highly unlikely, since the excellent presentation, humour and graphics
in the game make it a worthwhile expenditure.
Naturally, distribution of the program has to be relatively high, in
order to attract the widest possible response. This is usually down to PD
libraries, and in the case of Caledonia, we ensure that any program
submitted as shareware, (of good enough quality, naturally) is
distributed to our many contacts throughout the world. Some libraries
don't do this, but then some libraries don't have the contacts we do.
Copies of "Grandad" for instance, have been sent to Australia, USA and
various European countries to name but a few. So the author's work gets
seen by as many people as possible. It's not perhaps a sure fire recipe
for financial success, but it surely helps.
From time to time, we are asked to try getting a particular program
included on the cover disk of a magazine. A prime example here, was "The
Financier" program by Kevin Munro. Some months ago, Kevin asked me just
that. I did the necessary, and the Financier appeared on ST Format's
cover disk. Since then, Kevin has had an excellent response, his
confidence is intact, and he is working on further projects. Of course,
some response is almost guaranteed when a program is distributed far and
wide in this way.
For instance, take a magazine with a circulation of say, 60,000. Your
program may appeal to a particular percentage of that figure, a further
percentage of those may actually like the program, and a percentage of
those will actually be honest enough to register their copy.
So it's fair to say, that some cash at least should come your way, but it
depends on the quality, presentation and ultimately the worth of the
program as much as anything. You can distribute a program to the four
corners of the globe, but if it's naff nobody will want it, and therefore
nobody will register.
This point brings me back to the programmer mentioned in the opening
paragraphs. The program in question was distributed in the normal way but
was unrestricted, and received excellent magazine reviews. Caledonia
provided umpteen copies to interested customers, and sent copies to our
usual contacts. The result was just ONE registered user! Thankfully, this
is a fairly uncommon situation, and there is no real explanation for such
a disappointing episode.
Anyway, as a result of this apparent flop, a lot of thought went into the
distribution and marketing of the second version of the program, and
resulted in the author(s) contacting one of the monthlies offering
financial incentives for cover disk submissions. They were offered
£75.00! The programmer was insulted and asked my advice and opinion. I
advised him to accept, since he had nothing to lose, given the possible
extent of circulation.
My opinion is that these magazines are slightly out of order in as much
as offering the possibility of authors earning up to £500 and £1000.00,
and bearing in mind that these programs are there to help sell the
magazines. To my knowledge, no magazine has ever payed anything like that
to a shareware author for a cover disk program. This particular program
will appear on a future magazine cover disk, and the programmers will
have learned a few lessons from their previous experience. I for one,
wish them luck!
The benefits of shareware ARE there, but there is an element of luck, and
a lot of hard work is essential on the part of the programmer which can
often go unrewarded. Good reviews are almost essential, and PD libraries
such as Caledonia can ensure that particularly good programs submitted to
the library are sent to the monthly magazines for reviews, though in our
case the program description in the catalogue can often be just as
effective. If the program is any good at all, it should get fair reviews,
though this is not always the case in the magazines, since some reviewers
are often under more pressure to get their copy finished than to giving
magazine space to what they often see as "inferior" quality products.
I for one will continue to encourage shareware authors, and help them as
and where I can, but the burden is on the programmer. There are many,
many excellent programmers out there, and they have the ability to
produce commercial quality programs. They simply have to create well
presented, well programmed and above all useful programs, preferably with
full user support, and libraries and magazines should help do the rest.
Shareware is THE alternative to overpriced mass-produced commercial
products, and after all, the programmers of those are just normal people
too!