🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <3262@umn-d-ub.D.UMN.EDU> halam@umnd-cpe-cola.d.umn.edu (haseen 
alam) writes:
> I have a few questions.  Some shareware (SW) programs are really neat
> and are worth their price.  But at times I run accross programs that in
> my own opinion are a little over priced.

I suspect everyone's going to get their two cents in on this. Here's mine. 
Fair warning: what follows are ethical, not technical, opinions!  :-)

> 1) If I think a program is over priced, then what price should I pay for
>    it?
Some products specifically say "$XX, or whatever you think it's worth". 
For any others, pay the asking price or do without. This rule applies to 
ANY property offered for sale: the owner decides the price he'll sell at, 
not the buyer.

> 2) How would you determine wheather a SW product is over priced?
If you'd rather have the money than the product, it's overpriced. At least 
with shareware you can make this decision *after* trying the product.

> 3) Is there a time limit on the SW fee?
No. If you're willing to pay the fee to have the product, and your check 
mailed to the author doesn't return marked "Addressee Unknown", then you 
have to pay.

> 4) If the SW (or even commertial) program is not supported by the author
>    (or company), am I still obligated to pay for it?
Yes. You can elect not to use an unsupported product if the lack of 
support concerns you, but if you use it then you must pay.

Can you see a common thread in my answers? The rule is very simple: If a 
product's worth the asking price to you, pay the fee; if not, don't use 
the product. It's a boolean question, to be answered "yes" or "no". All 
the other issues you raised -- compatibility, support, age, version, bugs, 
documentation, color, and the rest -- are not criteria for forcing the fee 
down; they're criteria for deciding "yes" or "no".

You should treat a shareware product the same way you'd treat any other 
product: commercial software, cars, food, TV sets. You can't walk into a 
dealer's shop and say "Here's $45 for a Sony 27-inch color TV - I want one 
and that's what I think it's worth, so give me one." (Maybe I'm wrong. If 
so, can you please tell me where that shop is? :-)

> 5) If a company goes bankrupt or out of business, is it illegal to get
>    copies of their product?
Well, there you've got me. I don't know. Any lawyers out there?

There's more to this issue, such as the moral obligations of shareware 
*authors*, but I'll keep this short (quit snickering out there) and to the 
point (I said, QUIT SNICKERING :-) and stop here.

> Haseen.
> email:   halam@umnd-cpe-cola.d.umn.edu
>          halam@ub.d.umn.edu

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