🚀 go-pugleaf

I understand the differences between Shareware, Freeware and true
public-domain software.  My main concern is this:

People ask for recommendations of shareware to do a job.  It seems to
me that some piece of commercial software might do the job also.  For
example, "Please point me at a PD Fortran compiler".  Now I don't know
of too many PD Fortran compilers, certainly no free ones, but I'm sure
there are at least several in the commercial market.  So why ask only
about PD Fortran compilers?  Either the person has another source of
information about commercial software (strange, since I'm sure a lot
of us have experience in that area, and could offer good opinions), or
is unwilling to consider commercial software for some reason.  I was
just trying to understand the reasons that PD software (including
Freewrae and Shareware) is sought after, above and beyond commercial
software.  To me, given equal functionality and comparable prices, the
only difference I can see is that one doesn't necessarily have to pay
for shareware in order to use it, but one does have to pay for
commerical software.

My comment about 'buying the best software, regardless of its origin'
just means that if I have a need (like an address book, for example),
I want software that will perform the task in the way that is most
suitable for me.  In fact, I have registered two shareware packages
(Names & Dates, and NameBase) just for this purpose (N&D won't run
under OS/2).  I don't have tons of money to spend on software either.
But I'd rather buy one good $100 commercial package than spend a lot
of time evaluating a bunch of crappy ones (yes, time *is* money to
some people).

- Jim

--
James J. Reisert                Internet:  reisert@sttng.enet.dec.com
Digital Equipment Corp.         UUCP:      ...decwrl!sttng.enet!reisert
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