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DonationCoder.com Article - One Year Report on our Experiments with Donationware

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phitsc:
What is wrong with giving non-donating users an expiring license key? I think it's not asked too much to go and get a new license key every 60 days (for the 'Conscientious Objector' group, which would then not be needed any more as it would be the same as the 'Just Curious!' group), or a one year license key if you want for the 'Educational / Non-profit Organization' group. For someone who can't afford (or doesn't want) to donate but still wants to use a program, going to the web site to get a new license key once in a while shouldn't be a problem. You would also not loose the chance to remind them that they could donate if they wanted to. Maybe someone can't afford to donate right now, but could later. Or maybe someone is part of an educational organization right now, but won't be in a year. I doubt that they would go and donate later if only just because they forgot that what they're using is donation ware.

brotherS:
This idea would change the donation page into more of a multi-step wizard, where the first step asks the person to "self identify" themselves into a number of categories with nice images and short descriptions like:

Please choose the description that best matches you:

Just Curious!
Commercial User
Reluctant/Skeptical Donator
Limited Income Supporter
Deluxe Supporting Member
...
-mouser (October 24, 2008, 04:20 AM)
--- End quote ---
Nice idea :)

If you do it, I just want to urge you to use a descending order for the descriptions, starting with the most expensive one. I'm willing to bet your money it will make a positive impact!

czb:
mouser:
an issue which is not resolved by your solution is that donating users are punished as well by necessity to input serial number everytime they install some of your programs which is annoying.

So I suggest:
maintain two versions of each program, one with nagging baloon, one without. The first one would be publicly available, the second one only after registration/20 posts/donation etc.

Advantages:

* no serial number => no punishing of donating/active users or even users willing to donate
* users will be motivated to be active
* no "stamp" of baad serial number software
* no need to maintain serial number procedureDisadvantes:

* need to maintain two version, but from my point of view it would not be time consuming at all if designed properly
* Download servers might offer the "pro" version, but this can be resolved in the licence
My idea can easily be incorporated into your wizzard idea. But to the wizzards I would say they are to plenty. Two max three would be enough.

mouser:
czb,

what if instead of two versions of each program, which would really be painful given all the programs and all the different releases, we could make the license key thing a lot easier.

for example:
on the license key page could provide:
1) a file you could download for portable use of any of the programs (just put it in the program directory)
2) or a tiny exe you could run on your pc to create and store your universal license key on your computer or a registry .reg file you could double click to register all donationcoder programs forever after.

czb:
2) sounds good  :Thmbsup:

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