Newer, Windows-aware shareware developers are reaping the benefits. Early this year, Seattle-based shareware pioneer Quicksoft, maker of that venerable DOS favorite PC-Write, went belly up. Moreover, the broad acceptance of the Microsoft Windows operating environment has changed the marketplace, throwing some old-line DOS authors on hard times. That has put the pinch on some shareware authors, even as others moved to take advantage of the new outlet by releasing their products as low-priced commercial packages.
For instance, discount stores such as Wal-Mart have begun carrying super-low-priced software, often as low as $10. That compares to $24.2 million in 1989.īut the business is changing so fast that many shareware writers have had to scramble to survive.
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In 1992 (the latest year for which figures are available), shareware authors took in $46.8 million in registration fees, says Steve Hudgik, a shareware author who does an annual survey. Thanks mainly to booming PC sales and the increasing prevalence of modems, which make it easy to get shareware, the industry as a whole appears to be thriving. The good news is that despite all the turmoil, a new generation of shareware developers has stepped up to accommodate the changing needs of computer users.
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Nowadays, though, with commercial programs such as Lotus’ Approach database and Borland’s Quattro Pro spreadsheet selling for less than $100, many shareware authors-often one-person shops operating on a shoestring-can’t compete. With shareware, you get to try a program, then pay for it only if you like it. Savvy personal computer users have always relied on “shareware” as a cheap way to get good software.
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