592 lines
27 KiB
Plaintext
592 lines
27 KiB
Plaintext
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W H A T I S S H A R E W A R E ?
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---------------------------------------
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W H A T I S T H E A S P ?
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------------------------------------
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_______
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____|__ | (R)
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--| | |-------------------
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| ____|__ | Association of
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| | |_| Shareware
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|__| o | Professionals
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-----| | |---------------------
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|___|___| MEMBER
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Copyright (c) 1994 by MacGregor K. Phillips
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All Rights Reserved.
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-----------------------------------------------------------------
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
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-----------------------------------------------------------------
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Some Definitions .............................................. 1
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The Shareware Concept ......................................... 2
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The Virus Problem ............................................. 3
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The Association of Shareware Professionals .................... 6
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Contacting ASP Members Via CompuServe ......................... 7
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Author Address Changes ........................................ 8
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ASP Ombudsman Statement ....................................... 8
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For More Information .......................................... 8
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Some Definitions:
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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You've probably heard the terms "public domain", "freeware",
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"shareware", and others like them. Your favorite BBS or disk
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vendor probably has many programs described by one or more of
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these words. There's a lot of confusion about and between these
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terms, but they actually have specific meanings and implications.
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Once you understand them, you will have a much easier time
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navigating the maze of programs available to you, and
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understanding what your obligations are, or aren't, with each
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type of program.
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Let's start with some basic definitions.
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Shareware and the ASP Page 1 of 10
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SHR-WARE.DOC
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"Public domain" has a very specific legal meaning. It means that
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the creator of a work (in this case, software), who had legal
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ownership of that work, has given up ownership and dedicated the
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work "to the public domain". Once something is in the public
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domain, anyone can use it in any way they choose, and the author
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has no control over the use and cannot demand payment for it.
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If you find a program which the author has explicitly put into
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the public domain, you are free to use it however you see fit
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without paying for the right to use it. But use care - due to
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the confusion over the meaning of the words, programs are often
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described by authors as being "public domain" when, in fact, they
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are shareware or free, copyrighted software. To be sure a
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program is public domain, you should look for an explicit
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statement from the author to that effect.
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"Copyrighted" is the opposite of public domain. A copyrighted
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program is one where the author has asserted his or her legal
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right to control the program's use and distribution by placing
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the legally required copyright notices in the program and
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documentation. The law gives copyright owners broad rights to
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restrict how their work is distributed, and provides for
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penalties for those who violate these restrictions. When you
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find a program which is copyrighted, you must use it in
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accordance with the copyright owner's restrictions regarding
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distribution and payment. Usually, these are clearly stated in
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the program documentation.
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Maintaining a copyright does not necessarily imply charging a
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fee, so it is perfectly possible and legal to have copyrighted
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programs which are distributed free of charge. The fact that a
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program is free, however, does not mean it is in the public
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domain - though this is a common confusion.
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"Shareware" is copyrighted software which is distributed by
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authors through bulletin boards, on-line services, disk vendors,
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and copies passed among friends. It is commercial software which
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you are allowed to use and evaluate before paying for it. This
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makes shareware the ultimate in money back guarantees.
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The Shareware Concept:
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Most money back guarantees work like this: You pay for the
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product and then have some period of time to try it out and see
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whether or not you like it. If you don't like it or find that it
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doesn't do what you need, you return it (undamaged) and at some
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point - which might take months - you get your money back. Some
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software companies won't even let you try their product! In
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order to qualify for a refund, the diskette envelope must have an
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unbroken seal. With these "licensing" agreements, you only
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Shareware and the ASP Page 2 of 10
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SHR-WARE.DOC
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qualify for your money back if you haven't tried the product.
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How absurd!
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Shareware is very different. With shareware you get to use it
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for a limited time, without spending a penny. You are able to
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use the software on your own system(s), in your own special work
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environment, with no sales people looking over your shoulder. If
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you decide not to continue using it, you throw it away and forget
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all about it. No paperwork, phone calls, or correspondence to
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waste your valuable time. If you do continue using it, then -
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and only then - do you pay for it.
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Shareware is a distribution method, NOT a type of software.
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Shareware is produced by accomplished programmers, just like
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retail software. There is good and bad shareware, just as there
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is good and bad retail software. The primary difference between
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shareware and retail software is that with shareware you know if
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it's good or bad BEFORE you pay for it.
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As a software user, you benefit because you get to use the
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software to determine whether it meets your needs before you pay
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for it, and authors benefit because they are able to get their
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products into your hands without the hundreds of thousands of
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dollars in expenses it takes to launch a traditional retail
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software product. There are many programs on the market today
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which would never have become available without the shareware
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marketing method.
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The shareware system and the continued availability of quality
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shareware products depend on your willingness to register and pay
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for the shareware you use. It's the registration fees you pay
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which allow us to support and continue to develop our products.
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Please show your support for shareware by registering those
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programs you actually use and by passing them on to others.
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Shareware is kept alive by YOUR support!
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The Virus Problem:
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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We've all heard the horror stories about computer viruses.
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Unfortunately, we have also heard lots of conflicting statistics
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and opinions. When it comes to the virus problem there is a lot
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of confusion among users and even developers.
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The sad truth is that some unscrupulous publishers of anti-virus
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products are using half-truths, overdramatizations, and outright
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fabrication to promote sales of their products. They delight in
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manipulating statistics to support their marketing efforts.
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While not illegal, these snake-oil tactics are certainly not
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ethical.
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Shareware and the ASP Page 3 of 10
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SHR-WARE.DOC
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To make matters worse, the media has frequently promoted the
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misinformation promulgated by these unscrupulous individuals
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rather than the straight facts. While the misinformation may be
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more interesting than the actual facts, the media is not doing
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the computer industry any favors by spreading inaccurate
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information. To be fair, many newspapers, magazines, and news
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networks are beginning to realize which "virus experts" are
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reliable and which "experts" say whatever is in their own best
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interest.
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One of the most interesting myths that has been promulgated by
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these snake-oil salesmen is that BBSs (Bulletin Board Systems)
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and shareware programs are a major source of virus infections.
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Some corporations are now afraid of shareware and BBS activity
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because of this misinformation.
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In the October 11, 1988 issue of PC Magazine, publisher Bill
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Machrone's editorial was entitled "Shareware or Scareware?". In
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his article, Bill Machrone points out "The truth is that all
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major viruses to date were transmitted by commercial [retail]
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packages and private mail systems." That sounds a little
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different than the claims being made by less knowledgeable
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journalists.
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Let's consider for a moment, the distribution differences between
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retail software and shareware software. Company XYZ releases a
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new version of its retail software product. At the same time
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company XYZ ships tens of thousands of copies to its retail
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distribution channels, it also ships 30,000 updates to loyal
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users. Most of those loyal users will receive the update within
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a few days of each other. This can be a big problem if the
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update happened to be infected with a virus.
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"Not likely", you say? It has already happened! Several times!
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There have been seventeen (17) major incidents of virus and
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trojan horse problems in retail software. Some of these
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incidents affected tens of thousands of users.
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What about shareware? To date there has been one case of a
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shareware author shipping an infected product. The virus was
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detected by the disk vendors and the problem was corrected
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immediately. No users were infected.
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"But it makes sense that programs which are passed around have a
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greater chance of virus infections, doesn't it?" Think about it.
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Who has the most to lose if viruses were spread by BBSs and
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shareware programs? The BBS operators, shareware disk vendors
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and the shareware authors, of course. Because of this, reputable
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BBS operators, disk vendors and shareware authors are very
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careful with the programs they handle.
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Shareware and the ASP Page 4 of 10
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SHR-WARE.DOC
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Think about it. Hundreds (even thousands) of BBS operators and
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disk vendors are carefully examining the programs they receive
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and distribute. Their business depends on it. This means that
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any given shareware program can go through hundreds (even
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thousands) of checkpoints where the program is carefully
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examined. If a problem is found, word spreads incredibly fast.
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News travels "on the wires" even faster than the proverbial small
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town gossip. Programs have disappeared almost overnight as a
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result of this highly efficient communication network.
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If a shareware program has been around for a few months, it has
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been checked for virii and trojan horses many more times than any
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retail software could hope to be checked. Retail distributors
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don't check the disks they sell. Even if the publisher checks
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their masters for virii (few do), this is still far less than the
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scrutiny to which shareware programs are subjected.
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There's something else to consider. Most retail distributors
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have a return policy. What do they do with packages that are
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returned? They shrink-wrap them and resell them, of course. How
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can you be sure that you are the first person to purchase the
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package you just bought at your friendly neighborhood computer
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store? You can't. On the other hand, most shareware authors
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erase, reformat, and reduplicate the disks that are returned to
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them. Which do you think is safer?
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Bill Machrone's article in PC Magazine goes on to say "It's time
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to recognize that there's nothing to fear in shareware. As a
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distribution medium, it saves you money and helps you try out new
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genres of software with minimum risk."
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Does this mean that we should all start buying shareware instead
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of retail software? Not at all (although few shareware authors
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would object). Let's face it, more data has been lost to power
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failures and spilled cups of coffee than all virii, trojan
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horses, and worms combined! An even bigger threat is plain old
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human error, a mistake, a wrong key press, turning off the power
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while files are open, and so forth. Accurate information and
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common sense (regular backups) are the best defenses against lost
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data.
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Sure, the virus problem is real. Virii exist. But shunning
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shareware is not the answer. Shareware and BBSs are, quite
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simply, NOT a major source of virus infections. Some
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corporations have even banned shareware entirely because of fear
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of infections. This is not only unreasonable, it is also
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expensive. Think how much they could save in software costs if
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they would only try software before they buy it!
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Shareware and the ASP Page 5 of 10
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SHR-WARE.DOC
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Is there anything you can do to help protect yourself from virus
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infections? Absolutely! Fortunately, the best preventive
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measures are also the least expensive!
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If you need informative, accurate and practical information,
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please read the treatise on "Computer Virus Myths" written by Rob
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Rosenberger and Ross M. Greenberg. This treatise is available as
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a text file on many BBSs and online services. It not only gives
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you the facts, it also provides the best overall strategy for
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protecting your computer system.
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As a service to my customers I have included a copy of
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"Computer Virus Myths" with all the programs I have written.
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Don't let fear stop you from saving money on software. Don't let
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fear prevent you from trying some of the best software available.
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Shareware is an important market for software. Take advantage of
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it. You'll be glad you did!
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The Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP):
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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In the early days of shareware there were no real standards.
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Independent authors had no efficient way to learn from each other
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or to work together to improve the overall image of shareware.
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There was no system in place to ensure that users were treated
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fairly and professionally. There was no way for users to find an
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address for an author who had moved. In short, the shareware
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community was disorganized and each author did things the way he
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or she thought was best. It was clear that if shareware was ever
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to become a viable and respected marketing alternative, there had
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to be some standardization. There had to be some guidelines to
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best serve the users.
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In 1987 a handful of shareware authors founded the Association of
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Shareware Professionals (ASP). In forming this industry
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association, these shareware authors had several primary goals in
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mind, including:
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o To inform users about shareware programs and about
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shareware as a method of distributing and marketing
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software.
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o To foster a high degree of professionalism among shareware
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authors by setting programming, marketing, and support
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standards for ASP members to follow.
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o To encourage broader distribution of shareware through
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user groups and disk dealers who agree to identify and
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explain the nature of shareware.
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o To assist members in marketing their software.
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Shareware and the ASP Page 6 of 10
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SHR-WARE.DOC
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o To provide a forum through which ASP members may
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communicate, share ideas, and learn from each other.
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The newly formed Association of Shareware Professionals worked
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together to draft a code of ethics for all present and future
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members. This code of ethics included several requirements that
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soon became very popular among users (customers), including:
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o A member's program (evaluation version) could not be
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limited (crippled) in any way. In the true spirit of
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Try-Before-You-Buy, users must be able to evaluate all the
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features in a program before paying the registration fee.
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o Members must respond to every registration. At the very
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least they must send a receipt for the payment.
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o Members must provide technical support for their products
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for at least 90 days from the date of registration.
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A new system was put in place to help ensure that users were
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treated fairly and professionally. If a user was unable to
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resolve a problem with a member author then the user could
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contact the ASP Ombudsman with their complaint. The Ombudsman
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would then try to help resolve the dispute. For more complete
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details regarding the Ombudsman, please refer to the "ASP
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Ombudsman Statement" below (page 8).
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As of March, 1991, the ASP had over 300 author members and almost
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200 vendor members, with new members joining every week.
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Contacting ASP Members Via CompuServe:
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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There is an easy and convenient way to speak directly to many ASP
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Members (both authors and vendors). Visit the shareware forum on
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CompuServe. Simply type "GO SHAREWARE", "GO SHARE", or "GO
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ASPFORUM" from any CompuServe ! prompt.
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Here you will be able to talk to the authors of your favorite
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shareware programs, learn about other programs, ask questions,
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make suggestions, and much more. We'd love to meet you online,
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please come visit us today!
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Shareware and the ASP Page 7 of 10
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SHR-WARE.DOC
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Author Address Changes:
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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People move. Forwarding orders expire. What can you do?
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"I got a copy of a shareware program written by an ASP Member.
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I sent in the registration fee and the post office returned my
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letter saying that it was undeliverable. Now what do I do?"
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If the author has moved then chances are very good that you have
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an old version of the program. This is another situation that
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the ASP can help you to resolve. ASP Members are required to
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keep the ASP informed of address changes. If you need to obtain
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the current address for a member, simply write to the following
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address:
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ASP Executive Director
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545 Grover Road
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Muskegon, MI 49442-9427
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U.S.A.
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or send a CompuServe message via CompuServe MAIL to ASP Executive
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Director 72050,1433. You may also FAX your request to the ASP
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Executive Director at 616-788-2765.
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ASP Ombudsman Statement:
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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This program is produced by a member of the Association of
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Shareware Professionals (ASP). ASP wants to make sure that the
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shareware principle works for you. If you are unable to resolve
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a shareware-related problem with an ASP member by contacting the
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member directly, ASP may be able to help. The ASP Ombudsman can
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help you resolve a dispute or problem with an ASP member, but
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does not provide technical support for members' products.
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Please write to the ASP Ombudsman at:
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ASP Ombudsman
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545 Grover Road
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Muskegon, MI 49442-9427
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U.S.A.
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or send a CompuServe message via CompuServe MAIL to ASP Ombudsman
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70007,3536.
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For More Information:
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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If you would like to learn more about the shareware phenomenon,
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there are several excellent sources of additional information.
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Two of the best books ever written about shareware are described
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below.
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Shareware and the ASP Page 8 of 10
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SHR-WARE.DOC
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Dr. File Finder's Guide to Shareware:
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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By Mike Callahan and Nick Anis. Foreword by John C. Dvorak.
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"[Mike's] book distills thousands of hours of his online
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search for the crown jewels of Shareware into one usable
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guide. As such, it may be the most valuable computer book
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you'll ever buy."
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--Jack Rickard, Publisher, Boardwatch Magazine
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"No one combines Dr. File Finder's comprehensive knowledge of
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the Shareware genre with his good taste in software. This is
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sure to be the definitive place to look for insight and
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program information."
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--Barry Simon, Former President of the Association of
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Shareware Professionals, PC Magazine Columnist, and
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Coauthor of Stackey, Batutil, and Ctrlalt
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"GREAT! Every PC user will find something of value within
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these pages. This book will save you a bundle."
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--Alfred Glossbrenner
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"If I were going to buy only one computer book, this would be
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it."
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--Tom Scott, Publisher, Telecomputing Magazine
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Nobody knows Shareware like the illustrious Dr. File Finder,
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known off line as Mike Callahan. Now, in Dr. File Finder's
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Guide to Shareware, you can learn about dozens of leading
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Shareware programs, including where and how to get them. In the
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true spirit of Shareware, this book/disk package includes a disk
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full of top programs that you can try out yourself before
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registering. Send in the card at the back of the book and you'll
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get two additional disks with more software.
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Mike Callahan, AKA Dr. File Finder, is the world's leading
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authority on Shareware. He regularly accesses thousands of
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bulletin board systems and has been a major force in promoting
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many of the top Shareware packages. Callahan has spent several
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years and thousands of hours helping people around the world
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learn more about Shareware.
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Nick Anis is the coauthor of several acclaimed best-sellers in
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the Dvorak*Osborne imprint, including Dvorak's Guide to PC
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Telecommunications, Dvorak's Guide to Desktop Telecommunications,
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and Glossbrenner's Complete Hard Disk Handbook.
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$39.95, ISBN: 0-07-881646-7, 950 pp. 7 3/8 X 9 1/4. AVAILABLE
|
||
NOW AT YOUR LOCAL BOOK OR COMPUTER STORE OR CALL TOLL-FREE
|
||
1-800-227-0900 (M-F, 8:30 - 4:30 PST)
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
Shareware and the ASP Page 9 of 10
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SHR-WARE.DOC
|
||
|
||
|
||
Shareware: "Try Before You Buy" Software:
|
||
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|
||
Perhaps you've read Rob Rosenberger's well known and highly
|
||
acclaimed treatise on the computer virus problem. If you liked
|
||
that article then you'll love his excellent book on Shareware.
|
||
This book is a must for anyone who is interested in Shareware,
|
||
what to look for (and look out for), and where to find it. In
|
||
this book, shareware author and writer Rob Rosenberger delves
|
||
into the very heart of Shareware, telling you who developed the
|
||
concept and why.
|
||
|
||
You'll know why these programs: * undercut the price of retail
|
||
software * helped bring down the use of copy protection schemes *
|
||
receive numerous editorial and reader survey awards * generate
|
||
more sales than retail software in some cases * make retail OS/2
|
||
software developers so nervous * are falsely accused of spreading
|
||
computer "viruses".
|
||
|
||
Rob shows you where you can find good Shareware. You'll learn to
|
||
beware of companies that make money by abusing the "try before
|
||
you buy" concept. And you'll discover where Shareware is heading
|
||
in the near future.
|
||
|
||
"A lot of good books devote just one or two chapters to the
|
||
concept and history of Shareware. I'm pleased to say there is
|
||
finally a reference book on the subject."
|
||
--Jim Button, cofounder of the Shareware concept
|
||
|
||
"It's filled with accurate information for anyone who wants to
|
||
learn about one of the most significant sources of high-
|
||
quality software."
|
||
--Edward Mendelson, contributing editor, PC Magazine
|
||
|
||
Here's all the information you need to obtain your copy of this
|
||
outstanding book:
|
||
|
||
Shareware: "Try Before You Buy" Software. By Rob
|
||
Rosenberger.
|
||
Third Edition. Only $6.95!
|
||
|
||
Paradise Publishing Phone: (800) 233-2451
|
||
3111 S. Valley View Blvd., Suite B-105
|
||
Las Vegas, NV 89102 U.S.A.
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
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|
||
Shareware and the ASP Page 10 of 10
|
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