This file contains a statement issued by the ASP Ombudsman, and is enclosed with the NAG-BUSTER package to illustrate why the shareware concept isn't quite working as it is used today. The statement does not imply that I'm a member of ASP. I'm NOT. In particular, take a look at the comparison between the shareware concept and test driving a car! Hasn't the ASP Ombudsman missed something vital here?? Erik Famm ------------------------------------------------------------ _______ ____|__ | (R) --| | |------------------- | ____|__ | Association of | | |_| Shareware |__| o | Professionals -----| | |--------------------- |___|___| MEMBER ======================== ASP Ombudsman Statement: ======================== This program is produced by a member of the Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP). ASP wants to make sure that the shareware principle works for you. If you are unable to resolve a shareware-related problem with an ASP member by contacting the member directly, ASP may be able to help. The ASP Ombudsman can help you resolve a dispute or problem with an ASP member, but does not provide technical support for members' products. Please write to the ASP Ombudsman at 545 Grover Road Muskegon, MI 49442 or send a CompuServe message via CompuServe Mail to ASP Ombudsman 70007,3536." +---------------------------------------+ | W H A T I S S H A R E W A R E ? | +---------------------------------------+ If you are familiar with the idea behind Shareware, then you know that Shareware is the ultimate in money back guarantees. Most money back guarantees work like this: You pay for the product and then have some period of time to try it out and see whether or not you like it. If you don't like it or find that it doesn't do what you need, you return it (undamaged) and at some point - which might take months - you get your money back. Some software companies won't even let you try their product! In order to qualify for a refund, the diskette envelope must have an unbroken seal. With these "licensing" agreements, you only qualify for your money back if you haven't tried the product. How absurd! Shareware is very different. With Shareware you get to try it for a limited time, without spending a penny. If you decide not to continue using it, you throw it away and forget all about it. No paperwork, phone calls, or correspondence to waste your valuable time. Software authors who use the Shareware method of distribution feel that Shareware is the best way to try a product. You are able to try it on your own system(s), in your own special work environment, with no sales people looking over your shoulder. Have you ever purchased a car and realized that if you could have test driven it for 30 days your purchase decision might have been different? With Shareware these problems can be avoided - you DO have a 30 day test-drive! After trying a Shareware product and deciding to continue to use it, then - and only then - do you pay for it. Not only that, but Shareware is traditionally MUCH less expensive simply because you are paying for the software, not the advertising and marketing that comprises the majority of the cost of most software (a one page ad in PC Magazine, one time, can cost upwards of $20,000). If the try-before-you-buy concept sounds like an ideal way to make your purchase decisions, you're right! Some companies burden their products with annoying copy protection schemes because they don't trust their users. Shareware developers not only don't use copy protection, they freely distribute their products because they DO trust their users. Someone once said that you should never trust software which doesn't trust you. This makes a lot of sense - no wonder Shareware is becoming so popular among users and developers. Shareware is a distribution method, NOT a type of software. Shareware is produced by accomplished programmers, just like retail software. There is good and bad Shareware, just as there is good and bad retail software. The primary difference between Shareware and retail software is that with Shareware you know if it's good or bad BEFORE you pay for it. Registration of Shareware products, in addition to being required, is also an incentive for programmers to continue to produce quality software for the Shareware market. There is another significant advantage to Shareware - it allows small companies (like Just Excellent Software) to make software available without the hundreds of thousands of dollars in expenses that it takes to launch a traditional retail software product. There are many programs on the market today which would never have become available without the Shareware marketing method. Please show your support for Shareware by registering those programs you actually use and by passing them on to others. Thank you for your support! ======================= Author Address Changes: ======================= People move. Forwarding orders expire. What can you do? "I got a copy of a Shareware program written by an ASP Member. I sent in the registration fee and the post office returned my letter saying that it was undeliverable. Now what do I do?" If the author has moved then chances are very good that you have an old version of the program. This is another situation that the ASP can help you to resolve. ASP Members are required to keep the ASP informed of address changes. If you need to obtain the current address for a member, simply write to the following address: ASP Executive Director 545 Grover Road Muskegon MI 49442-9427 U.S.A. or send a CompuServe message via CompuServe MAIL to ASP Executive Director 71327,2051.