Do you buy shareware?

[SimplyCosmic]

There's tons of shareware out there for downloading, some of it immensely useful, some pure crap.

So, the question is, do you ever actually buy any of it? And at what point does any of these small programs become worth the price asked for? Are those 3D screensavers worth the $9.95 the author asks? Is that side scroller game worth paying for? How about that program that does what nearly every other NTP client does, just with a little bit nicer interface?

 

[the~oreca]

I would do it if I had the money, for instance Terragan, I use it and I would like to support it but I don't have the money.

 

[Lizard Of Oz]

I am the proud and legal owner of Paint Shop Pro, ACDsee, and WS_FTP.

I also am the not-so-proud but legal owner of BlackIce (junK).

 

[icest0rm]

Shareware is dead.

Does "shareware" even exist anymore?

Usually software programs that you have to pay for give out demos or "trial versions" so you can test out the software. Then if you like it, you buy the full version with all features unlocked.

I remember PaintShop Pro used to be "shareware." I'd use the full version of PaintShop Pro [version 2], but I didn't pay for it. Since all the features were unlocked, all I had to put up with was a startup window asking me to "register" this shareware. If I didn't want to register, I'd click cancel and it would still open the full program.

There may be some shareware still out there, but I truly think that shareware is dead. The only kind of real software out there is:

1) freeware
2) demos
3) full versions

 

[ZenPirate]

The only problem I have with shareware is that I do not want an unknown company,or individual,to have my credit card number.Maybe I'm just paranoid,but I only get stuff online from a few select vendors.

 

[(BoD) nepenthe]

I've got a friend who literally has thousands of dollars in software he didn't pay for. I remember when the Sims came out... he had it THAT DAY from someone on a mIRC channel...

It leaves a bad taste in my mouth to see that. He also has this theory on Photoshop: "they price it that high because they FULLY expect everyone to pirate their first copy of Photoshop. The average new user can't afford $500, but after that, using the future products professionally, the user will stick with Adobe and pay full price..." <---------- that's my friend Jesse, NOT me; I've tried to argue against that many times to no avail...

I use rFTP and WinZip, both of which I've never registered and paid for. I've opened maybe 2000 files in WinZip thus far.

I also have Paint Shop Pro 3.something which I never registered, but we bought and paid for Paint Shop Pro 7 and that's what I use 90 percent of the time. I've paid for 95 percent of the games I've ever had and I paid for all the 3D programs I used to use. Everything else has been something I bought or technically a 'trial' version or disabled in some way, not shareware.

On the other hand, I've been a Napster user for over a year. The bulk of my collection is stuff I couldn't buy in a store, but yes, I do also have copyrighted, readily available material. Call me a hypocrite, whatever...

 

[Lizard Of Oz]

Oh yeah, I also have a registered copy of Winzip.

But I'm perfect angel either.

I one had a copy of 3D Studio Max. It was incomplete, and after messing with for a time, I figured out that I had no clue about how to use it do anything useful.
It was taking up 110+ mb of HD Space, so I deleted it.

I figure I saved myself $3500.00, but then again if I actually paid $3500.00 I would have put in tiny bit more effort into learning it.

 

[SimplyCosmic]

Not that it's a very good argument, but severak Adobe executives have stated off the record that they expect a large percentage of piracy of their products at an individual level, and that they intend to only prosecute businesses that do so.

This is probably where the rumor behind the reason got started.

As for shareware being dead, far from it. Just go to any of the major download sites, such as Download.com or TuCows and a major portion of the software will be shareware titles. Additionally, I'd say about 70% of the screensavers at 3DFiles.com are such.

 

[gramps]

no.

 

[hal]

Ws_FTP-LE is freeware. I have a copy.

WinZip - paid
Gamespy 3D - paid
CookiePal - paid

Everything else I use is free or a full verson. I'm not one for thousands of utilities sitting on my HD, cluttering up things.

 

[Merlin|BuF]

I never really thought of it and to tell you the truth I don't think any of my software is legal

I even had a pirated copy of UT for the longest time but I couldn't stand not being able to update

I don't have credit cards so its hard for me to buy stuff and my parents wouldn't pay for any of that stuff at all

sorry SC I don support the shareware community.

 

[Blistering_Pants]

I have a few
Get Right
Cute FTP
Gamespy!

I used WinZip for a while but then I got McCaffy zipper witch totally kicks ass. I feel that WinZip is like Windows popular because it's easily available but not the best at what it does. Also I have to admit that I didn't pay for getright I just played with the register numbers and after only three trys it was mine.

 

[DeeperShade]

after only three trys it was mine.

No, its not yours. You stole it, there fore it belongs to someone else..

 

[Blistering_Pants]

You are right but do you want to know the big difference between the free and registered version? With the reg. you can remove the one adbanner. This doesn't make it right I know but we all have skeletons and if that is the worst thing that I ever do I think I'll be okay

 

[the~oreca]

Hmmm let's see...
Full version of pirated games I've got:
Quake3
Half-Life
UT (sorry)
Rainbow6: Rogue Spear
Photoshop5.5
PaintShopPro7
TonyHawkProSkater2
SimCity3000
SimTower
The Sims
RollerCoasterTycoon
Diablo2 (I used to have it but I sold it)

I think that's it...
Total amout of money I have in bank account: est.100$CAD...
Say what you want, it's just out of my league to go and buy games...
My computer was bought refurbished, if they wouldn't of have any I would still be with a 486DX...
Don't tell me to go get a job, I have one, I have to pay my food, I make about 5$CAD per week after buying food...

 

[Lizard Of Oz]

WS_FTP PRO Cost 40 smackaroos!

 

[OshadowO]

OK shoot me but I own a lot of pirated software. This would be stuff I bought in Pakistan.
I've pretty much bought a lot of software in the US since I moved here, mostly games....but at the same time I've gotten copies of some programs I use for school from friends, or DLed them when I was in the dorms such as Autocad, FormZ, MS Word 2k, Photoshop, etc. Some of these programs are exorbitantly expensive even at student prices...anyways the point is that nope never paid for shareware stuff either. Most of the time somebody in the dorm would just DL a crack and we'd spread it amongst us. Say what you will but that's the way things are these days...we're the MP3 generation.

 

[LordKhaine]

I dont have any pirated games (well I have a pirated version of UT, but I also have a legit version, so go fig. I also havent paid for any shareware, and I doubt I ever will. I barely have the money as it is, im not paying stupid amounts of money on shareware. Shareware normally isnt worth the price.

 

[namu]

Shareware RuLeZ
I paid over 100$ of shareware in the last for years, while i didn't have Internet access. I would have access to all these useful softwares by CDs included in magazines. Trying before buying is one hell of an advantage, since it lets you separate the crap from the must-have.

Uh just thought of that: as both a mac-user and a software developer, my opinion may be biaised compared to the "average user"'s opinion.
Also i believe having a fast connexion encourages piracy, but this is more a moral issue. I could have downloaded Mac OS X from Hotline, but i prefer supporting Apple and i bought the copy i have in my hand right now.

 

[darx]

Originally posted by LordKhaine
I dont have any pirated games (well I have a pirated version of UT, but I also have a legit version, so go fig

well if you bought the legit version of UT, then the copy is not pirated, its a "back up"
but, if you had the copied first, well who cares? you bought the game anyway, right?