DonationCoder.com Software > Mouser's Zone

Ideas i want to bounce off you guys

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mouser:
i've been thinking about some ideas to encourage people to make donations to the site if they are mainly here for the software.
i know this is a sensitive issue but i wanted to bounce some ideas off you guys and see what you think.

the first basic requirement is that the software should always remain free to use. and the second is that members should not be inconvenienced.

one thing i've been trying with process tamer is to make the newest beta release available to members only.
there is something unsatisfying about this, because it means people cant try/use the latest beta unless they are members, and they must either wait for it to come out of beta or else donate (or email me in which case i give out the link).

maybe i should just not worry about this issue at all.. but i was thinking about some other ideas.

here is one idea i had:
use a very simple efficient license keyfile, which would operate like this:
if you a member of the site, you will be able to create a keyfile (as many as you want really), that will go in the directory of the program (in process tamer directory for example), or in some other directory.  this key file will tell the program that it will never expire, and would let you customize the about box and maybe titlebar caption for the program.  so members should experience not the slightest inconvenience other than downloading (only once) a keyfile to put into the program directory.

if you are NOT a member of the site, and just download the program,
it will install and run fine without a license keyfile, but in 30 days you will have to come back to the site to get a new freeware license keyfile.
so a freeware license keyfile will last for 30 days before it needs you to come back and get another one.
but there will be no limit to the time you can get new freeware keyfiles, and there will be no limits to the freeware version.
the only point is to make freeware users come back occasionally to the site where we can ask them to consider donating.

to me this captures the spirit of making the software free and not limited in features, or posessing nags when using the program, while still adding a bit of inconvenience and encouragement to register.

it also means i can make the latest versions normal downloads for everyone, without doing a members only download section.

after some thought about this approach i'm really starting to like it, but i want to hear your opinions.

as always, people who contact me and cannot afford to make a donation would be given member keyfiles.

opinions?
please keep in mind that in an ideal world none of this would be necesary, and i've spend most of my life not worrying about such things, but if I'm to continue spending so much time on this site, I have to figure out some way to encourage people to donate.

mouser:
clarification:

i think the main issue that i need to figure out is whether such a thing would upset people who download the software and make them say that this was not real freeware/donationware.

dom424:
The 64 dollar question is how to do that.  Seems like everybody wants everything for free.  Real world that doesn't work to good for the the guy who is giving the product or whatever it may be away for free.  If the software works well for them some kind of donation ( appreciation) would be in order.   

tenseiken:
It sounds like that could work.  If the only inconvenience will be having to come back to the site to get another key, I really don't think anyone would have a right to complain.  That's a lot more than most programmers offer.  However, I'm not sure if the idea of giving a member key to someone who can't pay is a good one.  At the very least, you shouldn't point out publically that you do that.

Another possibility is that you could make your work open source.  I personally wouldn't be much help, but you might be able to get others to help you correct bugs and add features to your programs.  That should decrease the amount of time you spend working on them.  And, obviously, these two wouldn't work well together.

mouser:
i have some open source projects, though only one is currently listed at donationcoder.com (mircryption); i will bring the others here too, and i may open source some of my other projects as well.

my approach about this stuff has always been that i want my software to be available to everyone - i'm just trying to encourage those who can donate to donate, and especially encourage people to push past that inertia we all have to not be bothered to take the time to donate if we don't have to; so in this spirit, my attitude has always been that if someone takes the time to contact me and say "i can't donate for this reason" that's good enough for me.  i'm really just trying to reach those people who can donate but can't be bothered to do so unless you motivate them somehow.

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