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Shareware User Survey

This survey covers details of Shareware.
Do people register programs and to what degree?
What are your thoughts on various Shareware programs & policies?

* All references to currency in this survey are in US Dollars; if you are outside of the US estimate the US dollar amounts if possible.

1. Have you ever registered a Shareware program?
   No Answer Yes No
   
   
2. If Yes, how many programs have you registered:
   None 1 2 3-5 6-10 11-20 More than 20
   
   
3. What is your primary source for obtaining Shareware?
   No Answer Download from a BBS Internet FTP Compuserve America Online Other major service (Prodigy, Delphi, etc.) Mail order catalog CDROM From a friend/copying disks Point of sale display in a store A subscription service/publication disk Some other source
   
   
4. Have you ever payed a fee to receive a Shareware program (from a vendor)?
   No Answer Yes No
   
   
5. If Yes, how much was this charge (per disk)?
   No Answer Under $1 $1.00-$1.50 $1.51-$2.00 $2.01-$3.00 $3.01-$4.00 $4.01-$5.00 More than $5 per disk
   
   
6. Have you ever "purchased" a product not knowing it was Shareware, only to find out later?
   No Answer Yes No
   
   
7. What do you consider a reasonable average fee to charge to register a Shareware program?
   No Answer There should be no fee at all. A postcard or some other non monetary item. Under $10 $10-$20 $20-$30 $30-$40 $40-$50 $50 or more
   
   
8. What is the highest amount you have paid to register a single Shareware program?
   No Answer Never registered A postcard or some other non-monetary item. Under $10 $10-$20 $20-$30 $30-$40 $40-$50 $50-$60 $60-$100 more than $100
   
   
9. When you register a program, what do you usually receive in return?
   No Answer I haven't registered a program so I don't know I've never received any reply from my registration A legtimate license and a clear concience An "official", registered version of the same program A newer/commercial version with more features Additional "modules", chapters or parts The right to obtain technical support
   
   
10. Have you ever registered: (check all that apply)
    
    - Never registered/can't answer
    - A fully-operational program
    - An operational program with a title page/unregistered label
    - A program that only worked for a limited time/had a timeout
    - A program that was operational but had some features disabled
    
    
11. Have you registered programs from any of the following sources? (check all that apply)
    
    - A program puchased from a vendor.
    - A program downloaded from a major information service
    - A program downloaded from a BBS
    - A program obtained from a CDROM collection
    - A program that came with your PC/hardware
    - A program that was recommended by a friend
    
    
12. Honestly, what is the main motivation for you to register a Shareware program?
    No Answer Because, morally it's the "right" thing to do Because, legally it's the "right" thing to do My company/I could get in big trouble if we're caught with unlicensed software In order to receive technical support In order to receive a fully-operational version In order to get a printed manual/package In order to get rid of annoying nag screens In order to receive the next version when it is released Because I want the author to implement a suggestion in a future release I've distributed so many copies that I might as well have a registered version Because I want to support the author in his/her efforts
    
    
13. Do you believe registering a product makes a difference? Does it improve the chances of the program being supported and updated?
    No Answer Yes No
    
    
14. Are you currently using a Shareware program that is unregistered? (not necessarily at this exact moment, but in general are there some programs on your PC that you run that are not currently registered)
    No Answer Yes No
    
    
15. Approximately what percentage of the Shareware programs you use is registered:
    No Answer None/0 1% 5% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
    
    
16. For what main reason would you NOT register an otherwise useful Shareware program:
    No Answer It it's good, I'll register it I generally don't register regardless The method of registration is not convienent If I cannot get in touch with the author/developer I refuse to register a crippled program, even if I get a fully-operational ver. free If the program is too old; I'm afraid it's no longer supported The registration fee it too high The program contained some bugs There are too many licensing restrictions It makes no difference so I'll keep my money
    
    
17. Was there any Shareware pre-installed on your PC when you purchased it?
    No Answer Yes No
    
    
18. Are you using any Shareware internet utilities (Trumpet Winsock, WinIRC, Eudora, etc. - this does not apply to commercial/registered versions of the same programs)?
    No Answer Yes No
    
    
19. Did you receive internet Shareware when you applied for an Internet account?
    No Answer Yes No
    
    
20. Did you know that the software was Shareware and was unregistered at the time?
    No Answer Yes No
    
    

21. What programs have you registered (if any)? List as many as you can, separated by commas:
    
    
    
22. In your opinion, what is the most successful Shareware product?
    - None/NoAnswer
    - Doom
    - ProComm
    - Epic Pinball
    - Descent
    - PKZip
    - McAffee's Virus Utilities
    - Netscape
    - Eudora
    - Trumpet Winsock
    - Stuffit [Mac]
    - Greg's Buttons [Mac]
    - Other:

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