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From: wmartin@brl-tgr.ARPA (Will Martin )
Newsgroups: net.news
Subject: Re: shareware
Message-ID: <2713@brl-tgr.ARPA>
Date: Fri, 1-Nov-85 12:10:05 EST
Article-I.D.: brl-tgr.2713
Posted: Fri Nov  1 12:10:05 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 3-Nov-85 16:41:56 EST
References: <182@tolerant.UUCP> <678@stc-b.stc.UUCP>
Organization: USAMC ALMSA, St. Louis, MO
Lines: 36

In article <678@stc-b.stc.UUCP> news@stc.UUCP (Network news system) writes:
>	Can someone please explain the FUNDAMENTAL difference between
>	shareware and, say, chain letters?
>	Seems to me that they both clog communication channels for a 
>	few people's financial benefit.

The fundamental difference is that shareware software can be of use to
you even if you choose not to participate. That is, you have the code
and can use it, copy and extract from it, etc., as you see fit. You only
need to send the author money if a) you feel some moral compunction to
do so; and/or b) you want to get the benefits that sending the money
gets you (updates, printed manuals, whatever).

As for chain letters, IF they work [a highly dubious prospect in many
cases], you HAVE to participate to get a reward -- you have to send
somebody else money and pay to copy the letter (I'm using the paper ones
I get in the mail every now and then as examples -- I've never seen how
they can work electronically!). Most of the ones I get try to avoid the
"chain letter" illegality by being a front for selling silly little
papers on how to make lots of money in mailorder, so, to participate, you
have to pay a printer to run off a hundred or thousand copies of the
brochure, and pay postage to send them out, etc.

To me, it seems that if you get a few minute's enjoyment from a
shareware game, or some useful computer software from any other form of
shareware, you are ahead of the game. NOTHING makes you put any money
into the pot, and you STILL get some good out of it. 

Let's be honest about this -- the only "problem" is that some net hosts
(mainly the fabled "backbone" sites) are putting out more resources than
they are getting back in return (from finding stuff worthwhile on the
net). If every site had people in authority that wanted microcomputer
software for themselves (personally), this issue would have never
arisen. The whole "non-commercial" business isn't really important.

Will