What is shareware? What was shareware?

[Tony Bryer]

Yes - I have been quietly impressed about that.

After a difficult start (partly due to my various mistakes) we have
a built a good business selling our non mass-market software. What
has come as a surprise is that most of our new sales now come
through SWREG. We're not set up to handle maintenance payments and
upgrades through our website and it would not be cost effective to
do so.

Almost everyone who reads this group would see web sales working
for $29-$99 apps. I really did not think this would be true for our
apps which cost £175 or more (=US$300) - partly because of price,
and partly because of the sort of customers we have. But at SIC
2002 Sharon Housley said that lots of their customers (like ours
buying expensive business-related products) were choosing to buy
off their website and so I decided to give it a try. We have an
office, we answer the phone, we take cheques and process CC
payments ourselves, but it does seem that lots of people now prefer
the web route.

 

[Art Rooney]

Students with no financial concerns? ROFL. That may be possible where
you come from, but over here they have to take out loans to pay for
their fees that run to about 3000 pounds (about $5000) a year.

Let me put it this way. I'm still paying off my student loans from
over a decade ago, but when I was in school I didn't fret or worry
about them. I knew that eventually I would have a career and make
money. I lived on PB sandwiches, popcorn, soda, beer, and could
stretch 20 bucks for a week or two. Didn't care about taxes, house
payments, car payments, kids braces, etc.

That's what I was talking about. I had no idea what it was like to be
an adult and have financial obligations (even though I was piling up
student loan debt).

 

[S. Housley]

"Software available for downloading from public networks and bulletin board

systems, usually at little cost. Note: At the end of a trial period, users
are asked to pay the software developer a small amount for use of the
software."

There is an article entitled "What is Sharware" at:
http://www.softwaremarketingresource.com/article25.html

HTH
Sharon Housley
NotePage, Inc.
http://www.notepage.net