337 lines
14 KiB
Plaintext
337 lines
14 KiB
Plaintext
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Effective Shareware distribution via the BBS channel
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----------------------------------------------------
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Version: 1.2 Released: 08/10/92
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BBS filename: BBSTIP12.ZIP
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This text will describe ways to get widespread BBS distribution for
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your Shareware, and how to package it so that the maximum number of
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Sysops post it, and people download it.
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This entire text is Copyright 1992 by Jay Caplan, ALL rights reserved
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worldwide. All product names referenced herein are trademarks of
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their respective companies. You are hereby given permission to copy,
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distribute, and publish this text by any means, provided that you do
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NOT alter it in ANY way, and that you distribute and/or publish it in
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its entirety. If this text is distributed as a compressed computer
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file, I expressly forbid any files to be added to the original
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compressed distribution file.
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This text is based on my prepared remarks presented while on the
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"Interacting with Distributors" panel at the 1992 Summer Shareware
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Seminar, sponsored in part by the Association of Shareware
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Professionals (ASP). I can be reached at my board, The Consultant BBS
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at 718-837-3236, an ASP Approved BBS, or through Compuserve at
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70421,17.
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Getting widespread BBS distribution
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-----------------------------------
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The first thing to realize is that there are several BBSes that serve
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as key distribution points. They are "feeder systems" for many other
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BBSes, online services, and disk vendors. By getting your Shareware
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placed on these Feeder BBSes, it will get excellent distribution.
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After sending your Shareware to these systems, you should place it on
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other BBSes. Suggestions follow the Feeder BBS listing below.
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Please note that the first 4 BBSes listed are ASP approved BBSes, and
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hence will get any disks sent in the monthly ASP disk mailing.
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Participation in the monthly ASP disk mailing is STRONGLY recommended!
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Feeder BBSes
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------------
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Exec PC 414-789-4210
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Bob Mahoney ASP Approved BBS with 250 lines.
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PO Box 57 Running custom software.
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Elm Grove, WI 53122
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Page 1
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Canada Remote Systems 416-629-7000
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Jud Newell ASP Approved BBS with 201 lines.
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#D 1331 Crestlawn Dr Running PCBoard.
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Mississauga, ON L4W 2P9
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Canada
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Channel 1 617-354-8873 and 617-354-3230
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Tess Heder/Brian Miller ASP Approved BBS with 80 lines.
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PO Box 338 Running PCBoard.
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Cambridge, MA 02238
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The Invention Factory 212-431-1194 - registration only
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Michael Sussell ASP Approved BBS with 44 lines.
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321 Greenwich St Running PCBoard.
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New York, NY 10013
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Computer Connections 202-547-2008
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Robert Blacher 202-547-3037 - uploads only
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253 12th Street, SE Influential BBS with 4 lines.
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Washington, DC 20003 Running PCBoard.
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Compuserve - place your Shareware in appropriate forums. IBMNET hosts
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several forums with popular download libraries; enter "GO IBMNET" to
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get there. You can also mail your Shareware to the Sysop of IBMNET,
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Don Watkins, at the following address:
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Compuserve IBMNET
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Don Watkins
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749 Parkside Drive
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Santa Rosa, CA 95404
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Ziffnet, hosted on Compuserve with its own monthly $2.50 charge, also
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has forums with popular download libraries, including the Public Brand
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Software forum (GO ZNT:PBS) and PC-Magazine's Utilities/Tips forum
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(GO ZNT:TIPS). Note: the "ZNT:" prefix can be dropped once in Ziffnet.
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To get a FREE Compuserve starter kit, with a $15 usage credit, call
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800-848-8199 (or 614-457-0822) and ask for operator 162. This offer is
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courtesy of the ASP.
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Page 2
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Other BBSes
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-----------
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After getting your Shareware to the Feeder BBSes, then you should work
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on sending it to other BBSes. One logical strategy is to make sure
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that your Shareware is placed on one or more large, multi-node BBSes
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in every significant media market, or better yet, every state.
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Computer Shopper Magazine has a national BBS listing by state (the
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list is published every other month).
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There are 2 other major national BBS lists:
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1) USBBS - USBBSxxx.ZIP, where xxx = version number
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- updated monthly
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- available from Computer Connections BBS listed before
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2) THELIST - BBSmmyyp.ZIP, where mmyy = month and year, p = A,B,C,D,E
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- updated every Monday morning (A = 1st one, E = 5th one)
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- available from the House of Files BBS at 516-938-6722
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There are communications programs designed for automating online
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actions. Robocomm is one well known Shareware program. With Robocomm,
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you can automate the uploading of your Shareware to numerous BBSes.
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You can get Robocomm from its customer support board, Group One BBS at
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312-752-1258. On other BBSes, look for it with a file mask of ROBO*.*.
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At the least, you should make sure that you get your Shareware placed
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on the five Feeder BBSes listed previously, and Compuserve, even if
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you have to mail it to them.
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Packaging your Shareware (and other tips)
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-----------------------------------------
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The following guidelines should be followed:
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1) Include a file INSIDE of your compressed distribution file named
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FILE_ID.DIZ - this is an ASCII text file, and can contain up to 10
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lines of 45 characters each. The FIRST line of this file should
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always include the PROGRAM NAME and VERSION. The following lines
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should provide a coherent description of your program, stating its
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purpose and features.
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When a compressed file containing FILE_ID.DIZ is uploaded to
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PCBoard based BBSes (the most popular) and some others, the
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description contained in the file will REPLACE the description
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provided by the uploader. In this way, the author can be assured
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that the program will be properly and consistently described.
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Page 3
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Try to compose your FILE_ID.DIZ in a modular fashion, with the most
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important information near the top. Although the FILE_ID.DIZ file
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can accommodate up to 10 lines, the description CAN GET TRUNCATED
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by the Sysop (or perhaps by software on the BBS). However, my
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observation has been that most BBSes that use FILE_ID.DIZ will use
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the entire file.
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If your application requires more than one compressed file to
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distribute, do NOT repeat the same FILE_ID.DIZ description for each
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of the other compressed files in the set. Either you should further
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elaborate on your program, or just state the program name and
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version. Include a notation that indicates which part of the set
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the compressed file is, like "(1 of 2)" or "[1/2]".
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(Note: at the seminar, I said to use up to 8 lines. While 8 lines
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is the current PCBoard default for file descriptions provided by
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uploaders, the PCBoard configuration is IGNORED when FILE_ID.DIZ
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is processed. So, 10 lines may be used. Some 3rd party FILE_ID.DIZ
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processors used by BBSes will even allow more than 10 lines.)
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2) If you are a member of the ASP, you should prominently state that
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in your documentation, and in the FILE_ID.DIZ file.
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3) You should provide a CLEAR description of WHAT YOUR PROGRAM IS and
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WHAT IT DOES at the BEGINNING of your documentation!
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Some authors mistakenly start out by telling the story of how they
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came to write their program, or they go into describing their
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program's functions, without first telling the user the purpose of
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their program!
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Always direct your documentation toward the new user. NEVER assume
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that the user has any prior knowledge about your program!
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4) Include documentation in PLAIN ASCII TEXT file format.
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Many BBSes have the capability to allow callers to read text files
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inside of compressed files, while the caller is online! Many
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callers will use this capability to determine if the file will suit
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their needs. You should include documentation in plain ASCII text
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format no matter what kind of application you have.
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5) Your documentation should clearly state the program version number
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and release date.
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This will make it easier for BBS Sysops, disk vendors, end users,
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and all involved to maintain the latest version of your program(s).
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You should follow the convention of setting the dates of all files
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the release date, and setting the timestamps to the version number.
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Page 4
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6) Your documentation should clearly state what you want the BBS
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filename to be.
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This will help insure consistent product naming among the tens of
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thousands of BBSes, and online services. There are a number of
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times when this can be in doubt. These include: disks sent to BBSes
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that are meant for disk vendors, files renamed by end users, or
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files obtained from Compuserve, which has a 6 character filename
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limit.
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7) Naming your distribution file: a good rule of thumb is to make the
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first 6 characters of the filename significant and mnemonic, and
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reserve the last 2 characters (out of 8) for the version number.
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This is so it can be uploaded to Compuserve, which limits filenames
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to 6 characters. If your application will be distributed in
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multiple files, the filename for each one should be unique within
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the first 6 characters.
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8) You should limit the size of your distribution files to no more
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than 360k. This gives the average BBS caller enough time to
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download each file, and it will allow you to distribute the same
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files to disk vendors on 360k disks.
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What are the practical limits on BBS file size? Well, most callers
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have at least a 2400 bps modem. Most BBSes give callers 30-60
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minutes per day. At 2400 bps, using Ymodem or Zmodem, a caller can
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download files at around 230 chars/sec. In 30 minutes, a 2400 bps
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caller could download approximately 414k.
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9) Most BBSes prefer, and many only accept, .ZIP format compressed
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files.
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This is what you should distribute. Please do NOT imbed self-
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extracting compressed files inside of .ZIP files. All responsible
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Sysops and disk vendors scan the software they receive for viruses,
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and many virus-scanning programs will not scan executables inside
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of self-extracting files.
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10) Arrange with one or more BBSes to be authorized distribution sites
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for your Shareware, where users can get the latest version of your
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software, and get online support from you. These BBSes should be
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clearly noted in your documentation.
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It's important for users to be able to download your Shareware from
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a source they can trust. This means from the author's own BBS, or
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from a BBS or online service that the author has placed their
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Shareware on. I'm not going to introduce programs into my company's
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computers from an unknown source. You should make it possible for
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users to get your Shareware from a known reliable source.
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Page 5
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Providing technical support for your application(s) on one or more
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BBSes is STRONGLY recommended! It's an easy and low cost method for
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you to answer questions and provide fixes and updates. It allows
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you to satisfy your user's tech support questions, and to do so at
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your convenience. You'll find that the users of your application(s)
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will tend to answer a number of the support questions posted.
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In order to avoid long-distance phone charges, you should make
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arrangements with local BBSes. If this is not possible, Dan Linton,
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Sysop of Software Creations BBS, has indicated that he would be
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happy to arrange to have his BBS serve as an official distribution
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site. Dan runs a 33 node ASP Approved BBS in Clinton, MA at
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508-365-2359. You can also contact him on Compuserve at 73230,3254.
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11) If you run a BBS, then it's IN YOUR INTEREST to encourage the
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downloading of your Shareware. Callers should be able to download
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your Shareware through any high speed lines you may have.
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12) When sending disks through the mail, please make sure you use
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proper packaging. For 5 1/4" disks, you should use the sturdy
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cardboard mailers designed for sending them. Do NOT send them
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unprotected in flimsy envelopes. I have received 5 1/4" floppies in
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flimsy envelopes that were damaged and unreadable. Don't be
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penny-wise and pound-foolish; use proper disk mailers. One source
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for floppy disk mailers (and floppies) is MEI/Micro Center at
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800-634-3478.
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###
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Page 6
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