Re: [MacPerl] Distributables?

[Chris Nandor <pudge@pobox.com>]

At 10.33 -0500 1999.01.29, Raffael Cavallaro wrote:
>>From: Chris Nandor <pudge@pobox.com>
>
>> 3.  If you do ask a fee, most people who would pay will pay regardless
>>of how
>>     hidden the code is, because people who would pay are those who pay not
>>     because they have to but because they want to, and those that don't want
>>     to will pirate it if they can, which usually is not too hard
>
>This last bit is simply not true.

Sure it is.  Simply.


>Most people who actually buy
>software don't even know what a "warez site" is.

pirate != warez


>They come from people borrowing their friends or
>co-workers' installation disks. If you make this harder, (with a password,
>or by requiring the CD be in the drive while running) then you lose fewer
>sales.

CDs are not relevant to this discussion, I don't think, so let's stick to
reality.  OK, one guy pays for the password.  Then he gives you the
software and the password.  What good has a password done?  None.


>You need to be more aware of the target market for most software. It isn't
>people who can compile from code, or who frequent wares sites. It's people
>like your aunt, who consider it a great accomplishment that they can use a
>computer at all without crashing it, or losing important data.

And my aunt was given the software key by her daughter when it was all
installed for her.

I think it is a nearly universal truth that with all but the most expensive
niche software, people who want to pay will, and those that don't won't.

--
Chris Nandor          mailto:pudge@pobox.com         http://pudge.net/
%PGPKey = ('B76E72AD', [1024, '0824090B CE73CA10  1FF77F13 8180B6B6'])

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