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F I D O N E W S -- Vol.13 No. 2 (08-Jan-1996)
+----------------------------+-----------------------------------------+
| A newsletter of the | ISSN 1198-4589 Published by: |
| FidoNet BBS community | "FidoNews" BBS |
| _ | +1-519-570-4176 |
| / \ | |
| /|oo \ | |
| (_| /_) | |
| _`@/_ \ _ | |
| | | \ \\ | Editors: |
| | (*) | \ )) | Donald Tees 1:221/192 |
| |__U__| / \// | Sylvia 1:221/194 |
| _//|| _\ / | |
| (_/(_|(____/ | |
| (jm) | Newspapers should have no friends. |
| | -- JOSEPH PULITZER |
+----------------------------+-----------------------------------------+
| Submission address: editors 1:1/23 |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| MORE addresses: |
| |
| submissions=> editor@exlibris.tdkcs.waterloo.on.ca |
| Don -- don@exlibris.tdkcs.waterloo.on.ca |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| For information, copyrights, article submissions, |
| obtaining copies of fidonews or the internet gateway faq |
| please refer to the end of this file. |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
========================================================================
Table of Contents
========================================================================
1. Articles...................................................... 2
In response to Timothy Trace................................ 2
New Area Codes.............................................. 3
Bad Keys Make Grunged Mail.................................. 3
Shareware or Freeware....................................... 4
2. Fidonews Information.......................................... 5
========================================================================
FidoNews 13-02 Page: 2 08 Jan 1996
========================================================================
Articles
========================================================================
In response to Timothy Trace
by Fredrik Bennison
2:205/300, fredrik.bennison@rosebay.ct.se
I just read Mr Trace's article in FidoNews 1301 and have a few comments
I feel I want to share with the rest of this, or large and
ever-expanding community.
Mr Trace writes about the 'Shareware Ethics':
"[...] the registered users understand that they're paid in full to reap
the benefits of shareware as compared to commercially developed
software. Summed up briefly, those benefits are: timely, inexpensive
registration; quick technical support and direct contact with the
author; and frequent version updates."
I disagree, at least in part, with this summary, and I hope that I am
not alone in this.
The idea of Shareware is simple, you get to try the program out before
you buy it, and it is most often cheaper than any commercial equivalent.
What you don't get, however, is *any* guarantee that it will be
developed further. You don't pay for coming upgrades, or even support,
you pay for the program itself. Updates may or may not be free of cost,
and support may or may not be provided.
Further down in the article, Mr Trace writes:
"If you have registered either program believing that some manner of
support was included in your registration fee, and have received your
key, I recommend that you contact Joe via netmail and request a
complete refund based on his lack of timely support to registered
users."
The only response I can think of here is 'Why?'... Any registered users
have done the right thing, they have gotten what they paid for, a fully
functional program, and they have been using it for some time. Why
should they, after utilizing the software for an extended period of
time, demand money back?? That's like demanding the money back for
Windows'95, or any other commercial package, after using it for 6 months
and being dissatisfied with the support.
Finally, Mr Trace rounds off his article with a description of his
Policy Complaint against Mr Lemoine, ending with
"My Policy Complaint asks that Joe be issued a cease-and-desist order
for listing his Fidonet address as a contact point in his programs'
documentation. If he doesn't respond positively and hastefully to
that request, I've asked that he be punitively cut from the nodelist."
FidoNews 13-02 Page: 3 08 Jan 1996
This seems to me to be totally foundless, albeit it is an understandable
reaction...
It is regrettable that an author of Shareware who lists his
FidoNet-address in the documentation doesn't answer questions and
requests received to that address, but I cannot see any grounds for
removing a sysop from the nodelist merely for failing to answer netmail.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
New Area Codes
by Jerry Schwartz 1:142/928
New Area Codes
Connecticut now has two area codes, 203 and 860. Many other
areas have also created new area codes recently. Unfortunately,
some places in the country have trouble dialing the new area
codes.
You can test your ability to call 860 by calling the number
1-860-203-0950; this should be a free call, at least in the USA.
If you have trouble calling ANY of the new area codes, call the
National Area Code Hotline at 1-800-218-6436. They can't help
you with your PBX, but they can help with some of the local COs
that don't accept the new numbers.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Bad Keys Make Grunged Mail
by Jerry Schwartz 1:142/928
Bad Keys Make Grunged Mail
In the last few weeks I've received some netmail packets which
were marked as bad by my software. By manual inspection, I
figured out that the problem is a <nul>t sequence in the PID
kludge line. I was rather surprised, because the product in
question is well known and widely used.
I sent a sample off to the Zone 1 support node for the software,
and got an almost instant response: the faulty PID lines are the
result of using a bogus key generator to "register" the product.
The legal aspects of this are between the software publisher and
the sysops in question; I am not a law enforcement officer, nor
do I intend to become one. However, I find it rather amusing
that these sysops are sending out messages which are being killed
by any of a number of packet inspectors around the world.
So, if you are using a counterfeit key and are wondering why
nobody answers your messages, remember the words of the Mikado.
Truly, the punishment fits the crime.
FidoNews 13-02 Page: 4 08 Jan 1996
Shareware or Freeware
by Daryl Stogner @ 1:317/104
Shareware Ethics Guideline or Freeware
I can certainly understand the frustration a person can go through
when taking a chance at registering many shareware programs. A delay
of registration, or poor tech support, should make the end user
reconsider support standards, prior to the purchase. And then
there's FREEWARE.
The supporting user has a right to expect the benefits of quick
registration and tech support. Frequent version updates aren't a
mandate of shareware, but author bug support is needed.
What bothers me most about shareware is the chance we all take when
we purchase the software registration. We don't really know the
author, or his/her reliability to support their product or or whether
they might run off with our funds?
Having operated a BBS since 1983, I've had my share of problems, but
I have had many satisfying purchases with various authors. As I
went about learning to program so I could write my own doors, utils
etc, I released a few of them as shareware. Whew! It was a learning
experience that brought me into the world of what people needed,
expected and deserved. I took my little utils and doors and released
them a freeware. That's all they deserved to be released as.
Over the years I improved my skills, but continued to release BBS
utils as Freeware. And, I find myself providing tech support, setup
help and software requests for dozens of Sysops from around the world.
No I'm not some know all programmer, I have just found a niche for
BBS programs...FREEWARE. Not many BBS utils deserve to be released
as shareware, certainly not most of the wcCODE and PPE modules that
are released. Then again there are some PPE's and wcCODE modules that
would and have gotten my bucks quite quickly. Yup I'm registered for
both PCBoard and Wildcat!
Frustration with Shareware programmer's are not always unavoidable, but
I try to watch out for a few things to make the purchase easier.
1. Has the author been around awhile?
2. Have I contacted the author prior to registration?
3. What do other Sysop's say about the author's work and support?
4. ASP/STAR aren't a requirement but is shows some professionalism.
5. Finally...do I really need the software to make the BBS better?
If any of the above are answered negatively, then you have your work
cut out for you, before you make that purchase.
Overall, I've found most shareware author's to be good folks that go
out of their way to help the customer.
FidoNews 13-02 Page: 5 08 Jan 1996
Do we give up on shareware because of something that has disrupted
the registration process of a product? Nope, we just get more picky
about who gets our support. And most important, don't forget that
freeware software is out there and can be just as useful as software
that requires plastic.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
========================================================================
Fidonews Information
========================================================================
------- FIDONEWS MASTHEAD AND CONTACT INFORMATION ----------------
Editors: Donald Tees, Sylvia Maxwell
Editors Emeritii: Thom Henderson, Dale Lovell,
Vince Perriello, Tim Pozar
Tom Jennings
"FidoNews" BBS
FidoNet 1:1/23
BBS +1-519-570-4176, 300/1200/2400/14400/V.32bis/HST(DS)
more addresses:
Don -- 1:221/192, don@exlibris.tdkcs.waterloo.on.ca
Sylvia- 1:221/194, max@exlibris.tdkcs.waterloo.on.ca
(Postal Service mailing address)
FidoNews
128 Church St.
Kitchener, Ontario
Canada
N2H 2S4
voice: (519) 570-3137
sylvia: (519) 579-8029
Fidonews is published weekly by and for the members of the FIDONET
INTERNATIONAL AMATEUR ELECTRONIC MAIL system. It is a compilation
of individual articles contributed by their authors or their
authorized agents. The contribution of articles to this compilation
does not diminish the rights of the authors. Opinions expressed in
these articles are those of the authors and not necessarily those of
FidoNews.
Authors retain copyright on individual works; otherwise FidoNews is
Copyright 1995 Donald Tees. All rights reserved. Duplication
and/or distribution permitted for noncommercial purposes only. For use
in other circumstances, please contact the original authors, or the eds.
OBTAINING COPIES: The most recent issue of FidoNews in electronic
form may be obtained from the FidoNews BBS via manual download or
Wazoo FileRequest, or from various sites in the FidoNet and Internet.
PRINTED COPIES may be obtained by sending SASE to the above paper-mail
address.
FidoNews 13-02 Page: 6 08 Jan 1996
INTERNET USERS: FidoNews is available via FTP from ftp.fidonet.org,
in directory ~ftp/pub/fidonet/fidonews.
Anyone interested in getting a copy of the INTERNET GATEWAY FAQ may
freq GISFAQ.ZIP from 1:133/411.0, or send an internet message to
fidofaq@gisatl.fidonet.org. No message or text or subject is
necessary. The address is a keyword that will trigger the automated
response. People wishing to send inquiries directly to David Deitch
should now mail to fidonet@gisatl.fidonet.org rather than the
previously listed address.
SUBMISSIONS: You are encouraged to submit articles for publication in
FidoNews. Article submission requirements are contained in the file
ARTSPEC.DOC, available from the FidoNews BBS, or Wazoo filerequestable
from 1:1/23 as file "ARTSPEC.DOC". Please read it.
"Fido", "FidoNet" and the dog-with-diskette are U.S. registered
trademarks of Tom Jennings, and are used with permission.
' ' disgreement is actually necessary,
or we'd all have to get in fights
or semethin to amuse ourselves,,
and create the requisite chaos."
-Tom Jennings
-- END
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