🚀 go-pugleaf

> What is the difference between disabling a feature and offering an
> additional feature upon registration, just a few words?

Let's put semantics aside.  There are (at least) 3 methods commonly
used to encourage/coerce payment for shareware.  The differences are
more than just words!

1) disable a central feature.  For example, you can try our editor,
but you can't save and files; you can try our database, but your
limited to 50 records per database.  The goal is to allow you to try
the software out, but to render it useless for any *real* work.

2) disable an optional feature.  For example, disable spelling checker
in an editor or the broadcast FAX feature in a fax program.  Allows full
use of the base product and gives access to additional *non-essential*
features once you pay for the product. [if you think that the spell
checker is an essential feature, fine---think of a different
non-essential feature and please don't quibble over wording]

A variation on this method is to start and or end the application with
a screen prompting the user to register the package every time it is
run.  An alternate would be to always display the "keyboard layout" on
the bottom of the screen (eat up precious screen space) until you
register the package an get the code to allow you to toggle on/off the
keyboard.  Point is to make it slightly annoying to run the package
until you pay for it, but allows for full testing of the package
before you are forced to pay for it.

3) give a *gift* item once the package is paid for.  E.g., the keycap
stickers which by no means are required to fully or fluently use the
package.  A nice way of saying "thank you" for your business.

-----------------

*Personally*, I think number 3 is the nicest, kindest, gentlest and
politest of the methods but is probably the least effective at gaining
payment from the *majority* of shareware users/abusers (i.e. not you,
but the other guys).

*Personally*, I think number 2 is best option since it allows for full
use of the program w/o any hinderences yet encourages payment since
people also want the use of the non-essential features or they want to
get rid of the annoying "please pay up" screen everytime they run the
package.

*Personally*, I think number 1 is very ineffective since a) it won't
really allow for a complete test of product since a central feature is
disabled and b) comes across as rude and condescending when they think
I can adequately test their program without ever saving and rediting a file.