Author Topic: About signing up to download freeware license keys - READ IN PLEASE (Read 253065 times)

wreckedcarzz · « **Reply #75 on:** January 31, 2010, 11:29 AM »

Yes, it would probably be a lot easier with a simple Payware-button and $49.95 for each of mouser's programs... $:-\$
-TucknDar (January 31, 2010, 03:44 AM)

At that price it would still be well worth it, though

leetj · « **Reply #76 on:** December 25, 2010, 05:29 AM »

this free program process tamer I thought was good?? until I came here, just to jump threw hoops, is just waste of bloody time!

wreckedcarzz · « **Reply #77 on:** December 25, 2010, 07:59 AM »

this free program process tamer I thought was good?? until I came here, just to jump threw hoops, is just waste of bloody time!
-leetj (December 25, 2010, 05:29 AM)

Please explain how this is a waste of time to get high-quality software for absolutely FREE (you don't have to donate):

1) login to the forum
2) go to they Software Keys page, here https://www.donation...r.com/Keys/index.php (also accessible via Downloads, left side of the page, right next to the big padlock)
3) copy the key for the application you downloaded (find app, highlight text, right click highlighted text, Copy)
4) right click the application's icon in your taskbar notification area, next to the clock
5) click Enter License Key (or something to that effect)
6) click Paste From Clipboard
7) click OK
Done!

If you had gone out and purchased a commercial app for say, $29.99, you would do the EXACT SAME PROCESS but instead of having to do steps 1 & 2, you would get an email with your key, effectively making those steps theoretically...

1) open email application or login to webmail
2) locate email with key, and key within email message

So please, elaborate on how taking, at most, 2 minutes of time, is any more inconvenient than a similar commercial application. Mouser (the DC administrator and coder of Process Tamer, along with most apps found on the Downloads page) works hard to make this process as simple as possible, even keeping his applications free with optional donation, and you surely won't find anything comparable, from a nice and friendly developer, whom actually cares about feedback and end-user experience, anywhere else.

I do apologize about the rant, but this simple post annoyed me enough to type all this out on my cell phone. It angers me that people expect so much for nothing, and then when they get stuck, don't ask for help and simply try to take something they didn't understand or want to put effort into and make it someone elses fault. Ask for help, that's what we on the forum are here for! Please don't go off because you didn't understand something and did not seek assistance.

mouser · « **Reply #78 on:** December 25, 2010, 08:47 AM »

The only thing to add to what wreckedcarzz has said is that:

I know it can be frustrating to have to do the extra stuff, and I know we need to do a better job of making things easier to understand.

This is an imperfect site. We are trying our best to navigate a path to survival that is not simple. It involves raising enough money directly from our users to be a long term sustainable project while keeping all of our software freely available to everyone, who can choose whether or not to donate, and how much.

While many other sites have embraced the idea of creating free content and focusing on trying to drive traffic to make money on serving ads, we have decided instead to be an experiment in direct funding by users. [see the article I wrote about DonationCoder here].

Some of the steps we've taken to follow through with this idea (the free license keys) make life more complicated for new users who aren't yet familiar with the site and the ideas, and cause frustration.

But I think on the flip side of this, it has created within our community a closer bond of shared participation -- and that's a big part of why we encourage people to sign up at the forum -- we really enjoy being a family here and feeling like we are all in this together.

Darwin · « **Reply #79 on:** December 25, 2010, 08:52 AM »

[Sigh] I think the issue has more to do with being asked to do anything, wreckedcarzz... Similar complaints are made in this forum thread at least once a year and at least once a year someone, like yourself, patiently expalins the process. My impression reading the post you're responding to and others through the years is that the posters are mad at being expected to do anything at all. I infer that these are people who absolutely will not pay for software, pirating shareware when they can (dealing with a cracks and hacks and keygens - now THERE'S a PITA, not to mention the legality!), and scouring the internet for what they feel is truly FREE software.

Essentially, their software "world-view" goes like this: coder works his or her butt off to write and maintain software and does the legwork to either pay to host the application or find hosting for free while they (the end-user) downloads and uses the application.

EDIT: clarity

40hz · « **Reply #80 on:** December 25, 2010, 09:16 AM »

If you had gone out and purchased a commercial app for say, $29.99, you would do the EXACT SAME PROCESS..
-wreckedcarzz (December 25, 2010, 07:59 AM)

@wreckedcarzz - you left out the part where he'd also have to key in all his credit card information.

@Darwin - have you ever met anybody that still uses a variation of "leet" in their handle that doesn't act like that?

mouser · « **Reply #81 on:** December 25, 2010, 09:20 AM »

All true, but we need to remember ourselves how we sometimes feel when being told we have to sign up somewhere to post a comment to a blog or whatever -- it can seem like a huge hassle at the time, enough to frustrate you and put you in an angry state of mind.

Once people understand what we are like they tend to feel great about the site -- but let's just try to be sympathetic to those just encountering the site and feeling like they have to jump through some annoying hoops.

IMPORTANT:
It also pays to remind people that even the programs on this site that require a license key (and a lot of the software on DC does not) can be downloaded, installed, and run right away without having to sign up or do anything unusual -- and they work with all their features. They just will eventually after a couple of weeks start popping up a message instructing you to visit the site to get a free license key.

Inevitably some percentage of people contact me wanting to know how they can "try" the software first before donating. I always explain that everyone can download, install, and use fully any of the programs on DC that use license keys just like any other piece of freeware on the web -- they don't have to sign up for anything or donate, etc.

Only if you decide to keep the program after a week or so will you be asked to visit the site to request a free license key, and then you can choose whether to sign up at the forum to get a long term free license key, or bypass that and download immediately one that lasts for a month or so without signing up. This process, whether you find it annoying or not, is so that we can at least have a chance to ask you to consider donating to the site to help fund our work.

40hz · « **Reply #82 on:** December 25, 2010, 09:25 AM »

All true, but we need to remember ourselves how we sometimes feel when being told we have to sign up somewhere to post a comment to a blog or whatever -- it can seem like a huge hassle at the time, enough to frustrate you and put you in an angry state of mind.

Once people understand what we are like they tend to feel great about the site -- but let's just try to be sympathetic to those just encountering the site and feeling like they have to jump through some annoying hoops.

-mouser (December 25, 2010, 09:20 AM)

@"Mouseman" Lucky for some you're kind enough to think that way.

Where I come from, it's generally considered impolite (at best) to walk into somebody's house for the first time and start making demands; or behave in a rude or negative manner. And we don't often suffer fools gladly.

Just my

cleaning32 · « **Reply #83 on:** February 04, 2011, 10:05 PM »

sam1991 · « **Reply #84 on:** June 18, 2011, 05:45 AM »

this dosent works i yhink so

conceptwm · « **Reply #85 on:** July 06, 2011, 03:17 AM »

thanks.

waynep · « **Reply #86 on:** October 20, 2011, 01:16 AM »

am looking for license key for ErrorWiz 1.4

40hz · « **Reply #87 on:** October 20, 2011, 02:45 AM »

am looking for license key for ErrorWiz 1.4
-waynep (October 20, 2011, 01:16 AM)

ErrorWiz is a commercial program. You can't get a key for that here. And you won't want ErrorWiz on your PC anyway. (see below). If you do have it, you'll want to remove it.

What is ErrorWiz?

The Malwarebytes research team has determined that ErrorWiz is a fake anti-malware application. These so-called "rogues" use intentional false positives to convince users that their systems have been compromised. Then they try to sell you their software, claiming it will remove these threats. In extreme cases the false threats are actually the very trojans that advertise or even directly install the rogue.

Link to removal instructions and additional info here.

Geej · « **Reply #88 on:** December 16, 2011, 11:02 PM »

Hi encounter error while pasting key
I have been using FARR for > 6 month. 2nd time input lic key from https://www.donation...ppcode=dragdroprobot failed

Error: Bad License Key syntax. Error in License Key text syntax -- please check that you copied+pasted the entire license key begining with *r.

The code I paste for the lic key already started with *r but still receive error msg
My current version is v2.98.01
I notice the code I pasted has 2 carriage return at the end of line. Tried removing the 2 x CR still won't help.

mouser · « **Reply #89 on:** December 16, 2011, 11:12 PM »

Hi Geej,

The problem you are having is not too uncommon.. you can see in the link you pasted, that you clicked the link to get a free license key for "Drag and Drop Robot" instead of "Find and Run Robot".. different program.

The problem is because it's not so clear that you have to make sure to click on the specific link to the program you want the key for. Try going back to the license key page and carefully clicking the link for Find and Run Robot license key.

Let us know if that works for you!

Geej · « **Reply #90 on:** December 19, 2011, 09:36 PM »

Hi Geej,

Let us know if that works for you!
-mouser (December 16, 2011, 11:12 PM)

Sure, it works for me, thanks.

Didn't know there is Drag and Drop program too.
Just curious what programming language is FARR using?

mouser · « **Reply #91 on:** December 19, 2011, 09:39 PM »

FARR is coded in C++.

To be specific, it's C++ Builder, which is a commercial C++ IDE made by Embarcadero (formerly CodeGear, formerly Borland) -- which supports a large collection of 3rd party user interface components (shared by its sister tool, Delphi).

anzorshu · « **Reply #92 on:** August 20, 2012, 02:34 PM »

hi,can i get my key now?

tomos · « **Reply #93 on:** August 20, 2012, 03:26 PM »

hi,can i get my key now?
-anzorshu (August 20, 2012, 02:34 PM)

https://www.donation...r.com/Keys/index.php

ronjf · « **Reply #94 on:** November 29, 2013, 07:15 PM »

You make yourself appear very untrustworthy with all your hoops and road blocks. People want the opportunity to see if the site is worth while before considering upgrades. I give up and am not going to waste any more time trying. Please tell me how to cancel.

IainB · « **Reply #95 on:** November 29, 2013, 09:00 PM »

You make yourself appear very untrustworthy with all your hoops and road blocks. People want the opportunity to see if the site is worth while before considering upgrades. I give up and am not going to waste any more time trying. Please tell me how to cancel.
-ronjf (November 29, 2013, 07:15 PM)

Come off it. I would have been the first to object about unethical practices if I thought there were these "hoops and road blocks" that you allege. In fact, I would not have become a member.
I would suggest that they are a figment of your imagination - and a figment which is apparently not shared in the imaginations of the majority of the users of this forum.

However, I admit that is an appeal to the consensus, and thus doesn't necessarily prove anything. For example, we could all be mad, I suppose, and thus blind to the reality that you speak of.

mouser · « **Reply #96 on:** November 29, 2013, 11:26 PM »

I appreciate your vigorous defense of the website Iain.

However, when people take the time to register a forum account and post that they are unhappy about the process here, I do think it's important that we acknowledge their frustration with the steps involved.

ronjf -- as someone with a fairly low tolerance for jumping through hoops, if i try to be objective and put myself in the shoes of someone visiting the site and just wanting to use the software, i think i might be annoyed as well. and certainly the trend these days is to just make everything free and easy, and then either shove ads down your throat, or sneak in adware in the software, or find other sneaky ways to make money off of users downloading the software. either that or have no intention of supporting the software for more than a year or so. we're trying to do something a little different here, and it's not without it's awkwardness. See this article for more on some of the ideas about behind site.

However, i do want to take issue with one thing. When you say:

People want the opportunity to see if the site is worth while before considering upgrades

This statement is like the emails I sometimes receive from people who say they are uncomfortable donating before trying the software and want to know if we would be willing to let them download it and try it before paying anything. I think some people have a misunderstanding that they need to sign up and/or donate in order to download/install/try the software..

But the thing is -- even the software on this site that requires a license key has always been freely available to download and use without a license key, without donating, without signing up. The worst you'll see if you can't be bothered to get a free license key from us is a message when you start the program asking you to consider donating; there are no other restrictions or limitation of features, etc.

Feel free to email me ([email protected]) if you'd like your account deleted. And if you or anyone else is reading this has decided they can not or will not donate, but still want a non-expiring license key, you can always email me to tell me so and i will send you a license key.

TaoPhoenix · « **Reply #97 on:** November 30, 2013, 01:11 AM »

You gotta just be wary of these people who post 1 note and no followup. Even if they are having trouble, that's sorta the new way of the net.

No easy answer to that. I'll get a bit bold and say that anyone who *replies* to a 1-shot post is who we want. If they don't bother to reply anything at all, that's not who we are. It's not what we do. Sorry, but we basically don't do 1-shot forum posts that never ever get responded to.

IainB · « **Reply #98 on:** November 30, 2013, 01:13 AM »

I appreciate your vigorous defense of the website Iain. ...
-mouser (November 29, 2013, 11:26 PM)

Actually, I was categorically not intending to "defend the website" per se, but rather addressing what was said, and protesting the seemingly preposterous and somewhat offensive (I thought) suggestions being made about the donation/registration processes.
It was impugning their legitimacy, and whatever one might personally think about those processes, as a member one would naturally like to see reason prevail and thus challenge absurd claims that they were not legitimate in some regard. It's not a matter of difference of opinion.

Anyway, it exceeded my relatively low tolerance threshold for absurdity, otherwise I would not have made any comment.

TaoPhoenix · « **Reply #99 on:** November 30, 2013, 01:15 AM »

Anyway, it exceeded my relatively low tolerance threshold for absurdity, otherwise I would not have made any comment.
-IainB (November 30, 2013, 01:13 AM)

Iain, we both just learned to increase our tolerance for absurdity! (Yikes!)