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Text File | 1986-11-25 | 18.8 KB | 463 lines

THE DB-SHARE PROGRAM by R.H. Martin Applied Foresight Inc. P.O. Box 20607 Bloomington, Minn. 55420 February 23, 1986 Copyright 1986 by R.H. Martin All Rights Reserved Trademark Pending DB-SHARE PROGRAM Copyright 1986 R.H. Martin P. 2 ABOUT DB-SHARE SOFTWARE PRODUCTS -------------------------------- OVERVIEW DB-SHARE is a new and un-trademarked designation referring to a modified SHAREWARE product where the programmer has developed software revolving around a network model database, using a compiled language-driven, run- time royalty-free and license-free database manager. SHAREWARE is a term used by Quicksoft (TM), the developer of PC-WRITE (TM). Write Quicksoft, 219 First N. #224, Seattle, WA 98109. Bob Wallace, the developer of PC-WRITE, describes SHAREWARE in his manual as follows: "Shareware is our term for software that can be freely copied and shared. The term (from an INFOWORLD column) describes both public domain (non-copyrighted) software, and copyrighted software, like PC- WRITE, which the author supports and encourages people to copy and share. "Shareware is like public television: the programming is freely distributed, but support from users is encouraged. The concept is based on these principles: 1. People need to try programs to see if they are useful. 2. Software authors can be supported directly by users. 3. Copying and networking of programs can be encouraged. "To quote Andrew Fluegelman: 'This is an experiment in economics more than altruism. Free distribution of software and voluntary payment for its use would eliminate the need for money to be spent on marketing, advertising, and copy protection schemes. Users could obtain quality software at reduced cost, while still supporting program authors.' "Quicksoft takes the Shareware concept further by giving additional materials and services when someone registers, and giving a commission to people who distribute copies." Anyone is allowed to sell or give away wholly unmodified copies of the official Shareware-release diskette. The "official" release is the one released by the software author. Shareware does not allow distribution of any modified software copies, nor source files, nor printed copies of the manual, without permission of the Shareware author. FEATURES DB-SHARE differs slightly from the Shareware program. The main features of a DB-SHARE software product are: 1. The software package revolves around a network model database, using DB-SHARE PROGRAM Copyright 1986 R.H. Martin P. 3 a compiled language-driven, run-time royalty-free and license-free database manager. So far, only DB-VISTA by RAIMA Corporation seems to fit this requirement. DB-VISTA is sold by RAIMA Corporation, 12201 SE Tenth St., Bellevue, WA 98005. RAIMA Corporation is NOT connected with Applied Foresight nor the DB-SHARE program. 2. The base package is distributed similar to SHAREWARE. Parts of the code may be copyrighted software by the involved author and other parts may be public-domain coded subroutines. Due recognition is given to any public domain code utilized. Anyone is allowed to sell or freely give away wholly unmodified copies of the DB-SHARE base software diskette. DB-SHARE does not allow distribution of any modified software copies, nor source files, nor printed copies of the manual, without permission of the DB-SHARE author. Policy about manual copying may vary amongst authors. 3. The base package must be completely useable and practical without the need for the optional (by purchase) add-on package. Those users who like the base package and want the luxury optional program features provided by the add-on package, can register with the software author and receive the add-on package and several other benefits. However, the base package must be good enough on its own merit to generate a widespread public enthusiasm for it and be able to sustain widespread copying and cheap or free distribution of it. The base package is NOT to be viewed as a demo software product. The add-on package provides only luxury features, not needed to functionally use the base package in a practical manner. 4. A DB-SHARE add-on software diskette will only be distributed by the author or legally contracted distributors. A harmless, but generally persuasive security measure will be used to prevent unauthorized distribution of a DB-SHARE add-on software diskette. The diskette will contain in an encrypted manner, the customer's name and serial number, which will become encryptically embedded in any and all user databases which have the add-on program ran against it. Thereafter, everytime any base DB-SHARE program or add-on DB-SHARE program is ran against that user's database, the decrypted user's name will appear on the screen and printouts. DBS-KAT uses the following manner. ("XYZ" stands for the DB-SHARE database name.) ********************************************************************* XYZ Database of: John Q. Owner S/N 99999999. ********************************************************************* Although, some unscrupulous persons may still copy an add-on DB-SHARE program, they will have to put up with their computer screen and printouts advertising the fact that they are unscrupulous. Any known instances of copyright violations of a DB-SHARE add-on program diskette should be reported to the software author. DB-SHARE PROGRAM Copyright 1986 R.H. Martin P. 4 Some dishonest persons may order this year's upgrade add-on module and their friend might order next year's add-on module, and then both might share programs, except that one runs the other's programs in reverse order so that finally one's own name gets embedded in their individual's DB-SHARE database. To disallow this, an add-on DB-SHARE program will only re-update its embedded owner's name, if the add-on version number is newer than the last re-update embedding. 5. Each DB-SHARE software author is independent of other DB-SHARE software authors, unless specifically stated. The quality and reputation of each DB-SHARE software product reflects only upon the responsible individual author. 6. DB-SHARE add-on software will be minimally priced, rarely if ever going over a two digit price figure for any personal computer application. If the DB-SHARE targed audience is small, a DB-SHARE developer can sustain one's revenue needs through offering multiple, inxpensive add-on software modules for a base DB-SHARE software product. 7. DB-SHARE authors should have a conscientious committment to upgrade both the base DB-SHARE and DB-SHARE add-on software whenever feedback from users indicate that deficiencies exist. Any deficiency affecting functional use of the base package in a practical manner, when resolved, should appear in the base DB-SHARE product. PHILOSPHY Besides sharing the concepts behind SHAREWARE, DB-SHARE has additional concepts. Software products revolving around a compiled-language drive database manager are typically applications that are many faceted. There are the basic facets which critically maintain and use the application and there are numerous "peaches and cream" facets which make the use of the application even more worthwhile. A DB-SHARE software developer knows that one's development effort will be financially rewarded if one has developed a base package that people love to use and copy, because anyone who uses the base package long enough will eventually want and will likely get the add-on software. However, the secret to a software developer's success is to make the base package highly desirably useful in its base state, because otherwise the initiative to enthuasiastically use it and share that enthusiasm through copying and sharing it with others will not be there. Without that enthusiasm over the base DB-SHARE product, there will not be enough of a distribution spread and hence any derived registrations will be less than desired. The above formula is a "you win-I win" formula for both the developer and the customer. The customer gets a very useful base product free (or nearly free, if an intermediate distributor charges a handling fee) and is able to get add-on features direct from the developer, or an DB-SHARE PROGRAM Copyright 1986 R.H. Martin P. 5 authorized distributor, for minimal costs. The developer wins because a widespread enthusiasm of one's base product will naturally be followed by numerous registrations. The developer is protected from widespread copying of the add-on diskettes, because of the security protection device. The honest customer is not hassled by the security protection, because infinite number of backup copies can be made, and the software employs no floppy-dependent mechanisms. Either party (user and author) is only going to win in this situation if the other party is allowed to win. Thus, the challenge goes out to future DB-SHARE developers: "Don't put out anything but an excellent base product!" If the public's feedback to the base DB-SHARE product is less than enthusiastic, improvements deserve to be put in the base DB-SHARE product, not necessarily the DB-SHARE add-on modules. OBLIGATIONS DB-SHARE developers have a duty to provide in the base package, minimally, a database integrity analysis program and database recovery strategy. Just telling users they need to do backups is not sufficient with a compiled language driven database. Suppose a portion of a user's database, which is only referenced once or month or less, has its internal cross-referencing pointers messed up. A user who recycles his backup diskettes every month, may end up not discovering he has a damaged database until after he has trashed his only good version database backup with a worthless, but more recent, backup. What good, is it to do a restoration of a prior database if the backed up database is also messed up? Database pointers can get messed up by a variety of factors: hardware problems (either occurring during or outside of a database program session), user errors, or software errors. The majority of my years of database management programming has been on the HP 3000 minicomputer line, which comes free with a database manager, IMAGE. One thing nice about IMAGE, is that there are provided tools for maintaining the integrity of one's database. Most microcomputer database managers do not currently have available such integrity tools. However, in lieu of any generic tool for analyzing database integrity, a DB-SHARE developer should provide such a program in the base package, along with documented recovery procedures. A database integrity analyzer can alert a user to the need to do a database recovery shortly after it is damaged rather than when the damage is inadvertently discovered (what if it takes a year end report program to otherwise discover it?). DB-SHARE authors are also obliged to preserve the useability of their original public release database design through all future upgrades. If an author decides to restructure the database design in a future release, a provided download/reload database program should be provided to upgrade customers. DB-SHARE PROGRAM Copyright 1986 R.H. Martin P. 6 OPTIONAL MARKETING IDEAS The following is suggested for future DB-SHARE developers to consider as an aid to further their distribution of add-on (by purchase) software modules. Consider arranging for cooperative retailers and mail-houses, etc., to receive a DB-SHARE distributor program along with the DB-SHARE base and add-on software. The security features of this software distributor program is described in the paragraph following. The distributor could sell the combination base and add-on software for $50 or just the add-on software for $40. That would amount to $35 for the add-on software, $5 handling, plus $10 for the base software handling cost. The distributor would need to carry no inventory, except for blank diskettes and labels. The DB-SHARE developer could provide a label print program. For each add-on software sale, the distributor would be required to mail the DB-SHARE software developer $15 for the first 50 copies sold in any one calendar year; $10 for the number of copies sold thereafter for the remainder of the calendar year. Consider structuring the program which updates each outgoing diskette with the customer's name and S/N, to also include an encrypted, hard- coded, name of the software distributor name and ID, which causes each's customer made disk to have encryptically transferred this distributor ID information, so that when the customer runs the add-on software program(s) against his database, that not only does program-embedded customer name and ID get embedded in his database, but also the distributor name and ID. There is no reason to display or print this distributor information on program screens or printouts, but a good place to have this distributor information printed is on a customer coupon-entitlement form, which your add-on program could print for the user. Require the customer to use this form if he desires to get a coupon entitling him to get one future add-on software module for $10.00 (postage and handling fee provided for with this price) and to receive any future mailings. Also structure your add-on software to not work, if the add-on programs run without a distributor name and ID being embedded in the program. This will protect you from distributors making diskette copies bypassing the use of your custom disk-copy program. The impact on the DB-SHARE developer is that he would have to recompile his disk-copy program for distributors each time he signs up a new distributor. This can be a real easy task. ADVICE TO POTENTIAL DB-SHARE DEVELOPERS The author intends to document DBS-KAT's database manipulation logic and have it published as a magazine article. Documentation aimed at programmers, along with most of the DBS-KAT source code will be made available to those who purchase the DBS-KAT source code package. In the meantime, the following brief advice is given to potential DB-SHARE developers. DB-SHARE PROGRAM Copyright 1986 R.H. Martin P. 7 Be true to the complete DB-SHARE philosophy. Your DB-SHARE product will sell better if there is widespread public awareness of the DB-SHARE program, including a trust in the quality and reliability of a DB-SHARE product. Become familiar with other DB-SHARE developed programs. Recognize other worthy DB-SHARE programs in your user manual. In your user manual, refer to the DB-SHARE distribution program. You are pre- authorized to copy this entire DB-SHARE section, as long as you give due credit and forward a pre-release copy of your manual to Applied Foresight. If you desire to copy a portion of this section, forward a pre-release copy of your manual to Applied Foresight and obtain written permission. A reponse will be sent to you promptly. Thoroughly debug your DB-SHARE product before releasing to market. Make the schema and source code for the database manipulation logic and mainstream of your programs available to registered buyers. If you want to ensure that buyers can't compete with you in updating your database design, provide re-arranged but complete database structs. You'd be wise to keep private your particular encryption/decryption algorithm. Consider writing a magazine article about your use of the database manager chosen for your DB-SHARE product. There is a great need for PC Magazines to carry articles on language-compiled, network model database managers and their use in application programs. LIMITATION OF DB-SHARE COVERAGE Not all data base dependent software lends itself to the DB-SHARE concept. Complicated software requiring accompanying audio visual training material, and implementation or maintenance assistance by local consultants are two obvious types of software beyond the applicable range of the DB-SHARE concept. Software easily able to be a success in a conventional commercial manner would be foolish to distribute in a DB- SHARE manner. DB-SHARE makes sense for those database dependent applications that are simple to use and which would be overpriced and undersold if sold via conventional methods. It also makes sense for cash-starved start-up companies.