40Tude Dialog may not be freeware.

[John Corliss]

There is a very popular newsreader that's listed at the Nonags site as
being one of the three top downloads for the last 48 hours. This
listing hasn't changed for quite some time (since June 18), so I am
beginning to wonder about whether or not the Nonags site is being
maintained as well anymore.
At any rate, I downloaded the 40Tude Dialog 2.0.5.1 program from:

http://www.40tude.com/dialog/

and noticed that it's a beta. In addition to that, the included readme
file says the following (direct cut and paste):
__________________________________________
This version expires on April 30, 2004.

WARNING: This is beta software. Though there already was a extensive
closed alpha and beta phase you must be prepared to lose all you
articles, emails and settings due to a yet undiscovered bug.
__________________________________________

Sounds like time-limited betaware to me. I emailed the author for
clarification.

 

[msd13]

There is a very popular newsreader that's listed at the Nonags site as
being one of the three top downloads for the last 48 hours. This
listing hasn't changed for quite some time (since June 18), so I am
beginning to wonder about whether or not the Nonags site is being
maintained as well anymore.

They are on holiday I think. ) It's on one of the pages, it might
not be on all the mirror sites I really didn't have time to check. I'm
still curious as to why one of their top downloads Star Downloader is
gone even though it is still free. Weird. *shrugs* It's not spyware or
adware, I'm not sure they filter out adware and spyware anyway.

At any rate, I downloaded the 40Tude Dialog 2.0.5.1 program from:

http://www.40tude.com/dialog/

and noticed that it's a beta. In addition to that, the included readme
file says the following (direct cut and paste):
__________________________________________
This version expires on April 30, 2004.

WARNING: This is beta software. Though there already was a extensive
closed alpha and beta phase you must be prepared to lose all you
articles, emails and settings due to a yet undiscovered bug.
__________________________________________

Sounds like time-limited betaware to me. I emailed the author for
clarification.

Would be interesting to know if the author has decided what the status
of the software will be. The fact that it's free to use and theres
nothing to say either way is sure to be enough for many people,
however I always feel a bit cautious in case even asking might tip the
balance the wrong way which might be why it turns out that it was up
to you to ask and not me. It seems quite a sensible move, only have
people involved who are interested in helping him/her develop the
thing, thats possibly what you should ask yourself before using it -
am I prepared to help this person even if it means I have nothing
personally to gain from it. ;o) Perhaps we should make a buzzword for
that kind of software, if there isn't one already.

 

[John Fitzsimons]

On Tue, 01 Jul 2003 05:52:38 -0700, John Corliss

Sounds like time-limited betaware to me.

Could that be because it is time-limited betaware ? It is however
freeware and the full release will be freeware for personal users.

As this has been discussed a number of times in this newsgroup
people are free to call it "time limited freeware" if they prefer.
That doesn't change the fact that it is the best newsreader
currently available.

I emailed the author for clarification.

Another option would have been to read my post here :

From: John Fitzsimons <[email protected]>
Newsgroups: alt.comp.freeware
Subject: Dialog full release NOT to be crippled.
Date: Sun, 29 Jun 2003 11:16:44 +1000
Lines: 28
Message-ID: <[email protected]>


Regards, John.

--
****************************************************
,-._|\ (A.C.F FAQ) http://clients.net2000.com.au/~johnf/faq.html
/ Oz \ John Fitzsimons - Melbourne, Australia.
\_,--.x/ http://www.vicnet.net.au/~johnf/welcome.htm
v http://clients.net2000.com.au/~johnf/

 

[Terry]

As this has been discussed a number of times in this newsgroup
people are free to call it "time limited freeware" if they prefer.
That doesn't change the fact that it is the best newsreader
currently available.

That is a daft thing to say.

As you probably know.

 

[Sietse Fliege]

There is a very popular newsreader that's listed at the Nonags site as
being one of the three top downloads for the last 48 hours. This
listing hasn't changed for quite some time (since June 18), so I am
beginning to wonder about whether or not the Nonags site is being
maintained as well anymore.

<SNIP>

On the Nonags site, just below the three top downloads, it says:

We're on vacation!
Back on July 02.

 

[John Corliss]

Would be interesting to know if the author has decided what the status
of the software will be. The fact that it's free to use and theres
nothing to say either way is sure to be enough for many people,
however I always feel a bit cautious in case even asking might tip the
balance the wrong way which might be why it turns out that it was up
to you to ask and not me. It seems quite a sensible move, only have
people involved who are interested in helping him/her develop the
thing, thats possibly what you should ask yourself before using it -
am I prepared to help this person even if it means I have nothing
personally to gain from it. ;o) Perhaps we should make a buzzword for
that kind of software, if there isn't one already.

'Fraid there already is:

time-limited betaware

But freeware, it ain't.

 

[John Corliss]

John Corliss wrote:




<SNIP>

On the Nonags site, just below the three top downloads, it says:

We're on vacation!
Back on July 02.

Thanks, Sietse! That explains it alright.

 

[John Corliss]

I would tend to say that the statement was oxymoronic. Freeware is never
time limited. Once we open that ugly bag of worms, a whole bunch of ugly
possibilities rear their wormy heads.

Terry, I would also have to say that I consider John Fitzsimons far
from "daft". And I know that you weren't calling him that either, just
his remark. 80)>

 

[John Corliss]

Hallo!


There is already clarification in the Helpfile:

| Please note that this version of the software will run until April 30, 2004.
| After this date I will re-evaluate my decision to make 40tude Dialog
| donationware. Since the "timebomb" raised some questions I'd like to add
| that:
|
| · All beta versions will expire.
| · There might be non-beta versions that will expire.
| · There always will be a freeware version.
|
| · Within the next 6 to 12 months or so (hopefully sooner) there will be a
| non-beta, freeware version that will not expire, with the same
| functionality as you saw it in this first public beta (apart from features
| that might have been dropped for technical reason if things go very wrong).

I do not like it either, but according to this it is time-limited
betaware that shall become freeware one day.

Thanks for the clarification, Onno. I didn't install the program
because it isn't freeware, so I wasn't able to view the help file.

By the way, I did get a reply from Marcus Monnig, the program author,
and he stated that he believes that freeware can both be beta AND can
be time limited. I replied to him that he was in a seriously small
minority in that belief.

 

[msd13]

Thanks for the clarification, Onno. I didn't install the program
because it isn't freeware, so I wasn't able to view the help file.

By the way, I did get a reply from Marcus Monnig, the program author,
and he stated that he believes that freeware can both be beta AND can
be time limited. I replied to him that he was in a seriously small
minority in that belief.

As i feel im in a minority at the moment, I'd like to pay tribute to
the authors of freeware countdown timers, especially the ones with
user interface skins which look like news clients.

 

[John Corliss]

As i feel im in a minority at the moment, I'd like to pay tribute to
the authors of freeware countdown timers, especially the ones with
user interface skins which look like news clients.

Heh. 80)>

 

[msd13]

I was more taking issue with his remark that Dialog 'is the best
newsreader currently available'

Worm pie for tea then. Requirements are more often an individual
thing, and then how various peices of software meet those varied
requirements is an objective thing. Also theres the fact that certain
things like how an HTML page is translated in a browser...you see what
I'm saying anyway, some solutions are best met with a standard and
others it doesn't matter so much.

 

[John Corliss]

I was more taking issue with his remark that Dialog 'is the best
newsreader currently available'

Right. It depends on what you want out of Usenet. For the purpose of
getting binaries, try this one:

http://www.bnr2.org/

Even if it IS a beta!

 

[msd13]

Right. It depends on what you want out of Usenet. For the purpose of
getting binaries, try this one:

http://www.bnr2.org/

Even if it IS a beta!

News to me ! [tm]

I'm glad you posted this as I've been thinking I'd quite like
something that supports yenc in this way - and it does. All I need now
is a news server that supports binaries. ;o/ I'll take that to the
relevant group.

 

[Terry]

Right. It depends on what you want out of Usenet. For the purpose of
getting binaries, try this one:

http://www.bnr2.org/

Even if it IS a beta!

News to me ! [tm]

I'm glad you posted this as I've been thinking I'd quite like
something that supports yenc in this way - and it does.

Do yourself a favour and try Power-Grab first

 

[John Corliss]

John Corliss wrote:

Right. It depends on what you want out of Usenet. For the purpose of
getting binaries, try this one:

http://www.bnr2.org/

Even if it IS a beta!

News to me ! [tm]
I'm glad you posted this as I've been thinking I'd quite like
something that supports yenc in this way - and it does.

Do yourself a favour and try Power-Grab first

Terry, I tried Power Grab last night and decided to stay with BNR. BNR
is neither bloated nor inefficient. It is very adept at what it does
and I haven't used BNR long enough to be biased. The message page in
BNR has more columns (any of which you can configure to show or not
show) and even shows the name of the file (couldn't locate this
feature in PG). Also, rather than showing the subscribed groups, queue
and messages all at once, they are in tabbed windows. I like that
method a lot better than the way PG does it.

 

[Terry]

Terry, I tried Power Grab last night and decided to stay with BNR. BNR
is neither bloated nor inefficient. It is very adept at what it does
and I haven't used BNR long enough to be biased. The message page in
BNR has more columns (any of which you can configure to show or not
show) and even shows the name of the file (couldn't locate this
feature in PG). Also, rather than showing the subscribed groups, queue
and messages all at once, they are in tabbed windows. I like that
method a lot better than the way PG does it.

'Bloat' is a subjective expression, i suppose. BNR2 *feels* bloated to
me. I tried it at ther same time as I tried Power-Grab and hated it,
while my liking of P-G continues.
It is odd you cannot see a file name in P-G, this is rather important
in a binary downloader I assume you have double clicked on a
group name, having downloaded headers?

Good points of P-G:

Throttle download speed
No use of registry
Run multiple instances with ease
Set download directories on the fly
'Graceful' stop
Toggle silly sound effects
Multiple connections to server
Easy reordering of download queue

Bad points:

'life' column, instead of 'posting date'

 

[Terry]

Yes, what I should have said was that "Dialog is the best
newsreader currently available FOR WINDOWS."

Equally daft remark

As you know

 

[Dewey Edwards]

Equally daft remark

Not really. I see "'XYZ' is the best" from a lot of posters. In
John's opinion, it is. John has spent a lot of time with this
program, and for him it is the current best.

As you know

Guess you have a different current best. Your last line is equally
"daft".

 

[John Corliss]

'Bloat' is a subjective expression, i suppose. BNR2 *feels* bloated to
me. I tried it at ther same time as I tried Power-Grab and hated it,
while my liking of P-G continues.
It is odd you cannot see a file name in P-G, this is rather important
in a binary downloader I assume you have double clicked on a
group name, having downloaded headers?

Good points of P-G:

Throttle download speed
No use of registry
Run multiple instances with ease
Set download directories on the fly
'Graceful' stop
Toggle silly sound effects
Multiple connections to server
Easy reordering of download queue

Bad points:

'life' column, instead of 'posting date'

Well, I know that out of the points you mention BNR shares the following:

No use of registry
Multiple connections to server

But there are other features about it that I prefer.

And as I said, I much prefer the tabbed interface. I will continue to
use BNR.