Chapter 11: The What and Why of Wares

Overview

There are several different ways developers can market and distribute the applications they develop. As developers of custom software we are most familiar with distributing custom applications. But, what about the really cool tool you just developed and want to share with the world. Is it better to distribute it as freeware, shareware, or a vertical market tool? This chapter helps you decide the right method for your application.

One of our pet peeves is going to client sites and witnessing them using unregistered software. We mostly see this in the case of shareware applications such as WinZip. Why is this such a prevalent phenomenon among the masses? It ‚ s more than likely a lack of understanding the terminology and cost cutting measures. Many feel they can download it for free and it works for what they need. They don ‚ t care if a nag screen reminds them to register the product or the action buttons are in different positions each time they use the program. They are saving the company money. It ‚ s a minor annoyance compared to the really big annoyance of paying a whole $29 to get the full-featured , documented, and supported version. We agree it can be a bit confusing. Our parents taught us to share. There was no cost associated with sharing our toys. Why then are there costs associated with software deployed as shareware?

You are developers and you love to develop software. You want to distribute your really cool tools to the masses, but you would like to be compensated for it. You ‚ ve been told shareware is a great way to distribute software and get paid for it. However, citing the example in the previous paragraph, why would a developer want to choose this method to distribute their software? What about freeware, demoware , crippleware , and nagware ? How are these different than shareware? The first part of this chapter answers these questions. The next half of the chapter focuses on the remaining marketing and distribution methods ‚ vertical market, custom, and limited licensing.