November 1, 2002
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| Shareware solutions to business challenges |
By Brian Pelletier
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Which came first, the software solution or the business problem? While techno-philosophers debate that issue, more software titles continue to find their way to stores, fighting for shelf space at CompUSA and mindshare amongst software-boggled professionals.
But many businesses are finding that the best software available isn’t for sale – it’s available for free on the Internet, in the form of shareware. While not all shareware is free (see chart below), savvy professionals find it to be an extremely cost-effective means of addressing business problems, or even simply identifying what those problems are and how they might be solved with commercial or custom-built software.
Two main portals provide searchable shareware databases. Download.com, sponsored by IT conglomerate CNET, and tucows.com, provider of Internet services to Internet service providers (ISPs) and web hosting companies, both offer a virtual treasure trove of software, nicely organized by operating system and function. Both also track downloads to allow users to see what’s hot at any given moment.
Shareware offerings include popular commercial programs often used by businesses, such as WinZip, a file compression utility that handles .zip and other compression formats; Adobe Acrobat Reader, which allows users to view and print .pdf files; QuickTime movie viewer from Apple, which plays a variety of in formats like .mov; and Microsoft programs to view – but not edit – PowerPoint, Word and Excel files.
Other shareware is really demonstration software, allowing users to test drive an evaluation version of the program for a limited period of time. Popular demo programs include anti-virus scanners from Norton and Symantec, graphics programs like Paint Shop Pro and Adobe Photoshop, and fax programs like WinFax Pro.
Some shareware approaches commercial software in functionality and features, at a significantly lower price. But buyer beware – while the price might be right, it may also be indicative of the level of support available for technical assistance. Yet even considering the drawbacks, many shareware programs provide excellent solutions to business problems.
| Shareware Types |
| While the concept of shareware may seem a paradise for users and a developer hell, many software authors find shareware to be an extremely viable means of distributing software. Authors can write programs, distribute them for little to nothing, and simply accept the cash as it comes in – if the program is well written and becomes widely used, that is.
But not all shareware costs money. Below are a few types of shareware and their associated “costs.” |
| Shareware: | Free to try, but authors request payment if the software is used regularly; frequently employs reminders to pay, and sometimes even shuts down after a specified period of time |
| Freeware: | Free to use for any purpose or length of time |
| Evaluation: | A limited use evaluation software that might not include full functionality of the full commercial program; employs the same “blocks” as shareware |
| Careware: | Free to use, but usually attached to a commitment from the user that the product will be used in a positive manner |
| Postcardware: | Odd as it sounds, this is shareware that only requires that the user send the author a postcard as payment; it helps the author track usage and enables a low-tech but high-touch contact between user and author |
| Demonstration: | Similar to evaluations software, but often only a non-functioning demo built as a slide show or animated movie |
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Brian Pelletier is a freelance writer specializing in
high-tech and business-to-business communications. He can be reached
at blp@chi1.com.
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