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moral behaviour in the shareware industry

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urlwolf:
Hi,

Since we all know how wrong it is to pirate soft,  and the media keep reminding us of the poor little software companies that get harmed when each human being fires a P2P program... let me try to put the argument upside down.

I don't want to badmouth any company publicly right now... But here are a few examples of bad behavior from a company towards a user (me).

(1) company X sells a product that requires server interaction. After selling the software and supporting it properly for a year or so, the server doesn't respond, rendering the software useless.

(2) Company Y sells a product. You can get a much better one in all aspects for free, but of course it's too late for a refund.

(3) Company Z has a webpage that looks like not being updated much. User tries the app, and it's good. It smells like deadware, but there are no alternatives. He buys the product... or at least pays for it. The code to unlock the app (license) never gets delivered. The company that deals with CC transactions is contacted, but doesn't respond either.

Of course, sending mails to support was tried and got no answer.

One funny advantage of ecommerce is that you can set up shop, then die, and the merchandise may still be selling for a while :)

What do you think?
What is the correct action in each of these cases?

Since DC proudly helps users make good software decisions, I may think about disclosing company X, Y, and Z's names. But I want to know what your feeling about it is first.

mrainey:
Need more details about scenario #2 before I can evaluate it.

urlwolf:
Well, since "better" is subjective, let's say that the free product cover the same needs. This is a tough one to ellaborate without talking about an specific example.

mrainey:
You paid for program A, then discovered freeware program B that worked better for you and tried to get a refund for program A?

Josh:
Thats just it, with software there is no real way to "return it". Yes, you can return a physical medium, however, you could still have a copy of the program along with the serial number. The serial number will still work (unless server validation is required, which isnt totally mainstream yet) and you can continue using it for as long as the current serial hashing algorithm works.

This is why most software companies wont offer a refund and offer you a 30 day trial of their software. Users should check out the program, its support options, and whether the program is in active development still. I am all for the "If it works dont fix it" policy, however, a company should still exist and its developers show an interest in improving it if a way is found to improve it, however, some communities would have you believe a program that still works that was made in 02 is just as good as one that does what the 02 product does and is under more active development.

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