Ideas i want to bounce off you guys

[alecjw]

already some people would argue that requiring people to renew their freeware license key every 6 months is pushing the definition of freeware.

-mouser (November 15, 2005, 04:53 AM)

I would call any program which you don't have pay for freewae, no matter how many annying nags and ads you got. (that's why I call winr RAR freeware aulthough It's actually shareware)

[mouser]

i wouldn't go that far.

i would say if a program unyieldingly and obtrusively nags you in an attempt to get you to buy a commercial version, then i wouldn't call it freeware (even though it is technically free).

i think such programs exact a psychic cost on your personality

however, i do believe that asking someone to go through a couple of extra steps on a one-time basis, and thereafter be left alone, is not unreasonable.

[superboyac]

i have written a lot on this forum about the philosophy and theory that this site was started with - it was my belief that the chief obstacle to people donating was not that they weren't willing to make a financial contribution, but rather that they just didn't follow through with an initial impulse to donate because it was too much effort.  and that if you could convince them to go through the steps of donating, most would donate more than the minimum.

that was a theory 9 months ago.  i don't know if there have been published studies of this issue in the past, but after 9 months i can tell you that the question has been clearly answered: almost no one donates the minimum.  probably less than 1% of donators have donated $1 or less.  quite a few donate $5, and quite a few donate more than $25.  some have donated very generously.

it is a testament to people's good will that they have been willing to donate more than the minimum they had to, and this is an extremely significant result - it suggests that as donating becomes easier and more secure, it becomes a more and more viable approach to ethically funding projects.

-mouser (January 02, 2006, 02:08 PM)

Well, that's good to hear, I was wondering about that.  A few months ago, I was having a discussion with a programmer at work about open source programs, and how amazed I was of the quality of some of these programs vs ones you have to pay for.  I just couldn't imagine how someone can spend that much time doing that and not expect to get paid.  I live in California and just to buy an average house you have to be pulling in at least 100k, which is not an average salary.  So these open source/freeware applications are just amazing to me. 

[f0dder]

I was of the quality of some of these programs

I'm generally amazed at the LACK of quality (and documentation) of open-source stuff >_<

[Mizraim]

I think donating shows loyalty. Yes some people are going to download everything they want without batting an eye. But there are the others that want to show that they appreciate the work that the programmers put into the requests. Maybe only the members should be able to put special requests for software?

I do see where you are coming from mouser, and regardless of your decision, I think the only people who would take offense to your donate / freeware are those who haven't donated. Good luck.

[nevf]

Mouser, how about having a separate members area for folks that donate. This could have the special discounts you offer for programs like my Surfulater, instead of these being available to all members. The bottom line is to deliver greater benefits to folks that donate.

I've not had time to read this entire thread thoroughly, so apologies if this has already discussed.

[app103]

Mouser, how about having a separate members area for folks that donate. This could have the special discounts you offer for programs like my Surfulater, instead of these being available to all members. The bottom line is to deliver greater benefits to folks that donate.

-nevf (October 04, 2006, 06:45 AM)

I was under the impression that this is how it currently is.

And please keep in mind that there is more than 1 way to donate to the site.

Some donate with money...some with content....some with their expert knowledge & experience...some with discounts and free copies of their software for the giveaways.

All of these are very important to this site.

And what about those that didn't make an initial cash donation but did donate back to the site a portion of the DonationCredits that were donated to them?

[mouser]

Mouser, how about having a separate members area for folks that donate. This could have the special discounts you offer for programs like my Surfulater, instead of these being available to all members. The bottom line is to deliver greater benefits to folks that donate.

as app says, that's how we do it now
the discount section:
https://www.donation...index.php?board=85.0

can only be viewed by supporting/honorary members.

[nevf]

Sorry folks. I thought anyone could sign up to be a member, whether they'd donated etc. or not. Probably skewed because I'm an honorary member. Maybe the benefits of Membership need to be sold better.

[dlagesse1992]

I used dc software before donating, and the current nag screen setup (no license key at all - too lazy to get one) didn't bother me too much. When I got an update, I decided to donate a little to get the perpetual key and because of the huge amount of excellent software =].
I'll donate more when I get money, so that shows how the current system works (at least it did for me).
-Daniel

[mediaguycouk]

Just read this thread and I'd like to make one little request about this.

Think about the companies that use your software. They should donate, but if you make it so people have to register, and that registration goes into the program files folder it means that an administrator will have to do it.

If an administrator is forced to log into a pc every 30 days they will soon just say 'no you can't have it'.

I personally have paid for screenshot captor (and therefore everything else on this site) but give it to other people for free as it is useful, nag screens intact. I'm sure that there will be 2-3% of those people will take it home and donate to get rid of the messages.

Companies love freeware but you've either got to say no to them, or allow them to .msi up the file and use it until the next major revision.

[Ralf Maximus]

Companies love freeware but you've either got to say no to them, or allow them to .msi up the file and use it until the next major revision.

-mediaguycouk (December 17, 2007, 05:42 AM)

This makes a lot of sense.  "Corporate IT Departments click here to request your free non-expiring corporate license".

Somebody in IT fills out a form, submits it to DC, some kind of approval cycle happens, and they get an email with a link to a downloadable version of the requested app, ready to use without a key. 

As a special bonus the name of the company is displayed in a startup splash screen, with a special "Thank you from Donation Coder" message and in invitation from users to click Help inside the program to learn how to obtain their own, free copy.

It'd mean some work to manage these requests (and recompile each time, or engineer a new "corporate" mechanism, or something else) but until it's known how many corporations would take advantage of such a thing, it's hard to say if the juice is worth the squeeze.  If mouser gets bombed with 500 requests a month that'd be undesireable; but what if it's 1 or 2? 

Interesting idea, regardless. 

And it's fun to see a 2-year-old thread come back to life.  They're sometimes a handful at that age.  :-)

[Carol Haynes]

There is a simple solution to the license being installed on individual machines across a corporate network ... how about a single ini file (say in C:\Windows or C:\Program Files\Donation Coder License) that contains the license key (or a registry key if preferred). That single key file (or registry key) would apply to all DC apps installed on a workstation and that way a system admin could simply distribute the key file or registry key remotely. When apps are installed (or run) they just check there is a properly installed central key.

It would also mean that individual users would only have to install a key once and then any app that is downloaded and installed is automatically registered without any further user intervention - it would even work for apps that used portably on a USB stick.

[mediaguycouk]

HKLM would be a better place for it, then it can be set in Group Policy as well as Windows Installer. And people wouldn't just steal the key to take home.

And didn't see the date, but it looks like this thread is just as relevant now as a year ago.

[Ralf Maximus]

And didn't see the date, but it looks like this thread is just as relevant now as a year ago.

-mediaguycouk (December 17, 2007, 08:26 AM)

You're right, and it is still relevant.  No disrespect intended.  I was just tickled to see something "new" pop up with 30+ preloaded responses.