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Trying to navigate through the freely distributable sea will no longer be a problem after this Wally Dug guide |
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| In my vast experience of the Amiga, I
have stumbled many times into the realm of the public domain - that sector of the market
where disks are cheap and programs even cheaper. The public domain is the outlet for programmers who will not, or cannot, sell their latest product commercially and prefer instead for it to be given away "free" to all and sundry. There are various categories of public domain software and these are as follows: Freeware - Take it, it's yours. This is completely free. Shareware - Take it, it's yours - for US$10. (Why do most authors, especially Scandinavians, insist that their fees are received in US dollars?) This fee allows you to become a "registered user" and, as such, you will constantly receive upgrades to the program (theoretically). Charityware - Take it, it's yours - for US$10 to a charity of your choice or Charity x. This is a nice gesture on behalf of the programmer to encourage charity giving. Beerware - Take it, it's yours - for a six-pack. This is popular with Australian authors... However, even "freeware" is not free. Every public domain library is allowed to charge a "nominal fee" for duplication charges. This "nominal fee" ranges from 89p per disk to £3.00+ for the same software, so shop around! That aside, it can be very rewarding being a public domain collector (check out this month's Freely Distributable column for ideas) as you can often find that elusive programming utility, or you may prefer the simplicity of the many games, animation and music disks that are available. Unfortunately, owners of public domain libraries rank only above estate agents and double glazing salesmen. Here, then, is Wally Dug's Guide to Public Domain-Speak, as found in the adverts. Public Domain - This is shareware and requires you to send US$50 to an unknown being in Ulan-Bator in order to get a fully-working version of the program. Megademo - This is a demonstration of the Amiga's sound and graphics capabilities. Ace Megademo - This is a slightly better demonstration of the Amiga's sound and graphics capabilities. Lengthy Cartoon Animation - Five seconds of blurred movements by big chunky blobs. Warning: Some Risqué Material - X-Certificate. Catalogue Disk - A disk-based catalogue compiled by the library showcasing their collection and containing some risqué material which pops out unexpectedly. Easy to Use - Who are they trying to kid? Really Useful Utilities - Oh yeah? Helpful Documentation - Four hundred pages of copyright warnings, addresses, program histories and bug reports and two pages of program help. A Must For Your Collection! - Please take it off our hands. Latest Release - A gamma release from two years ago. Only 99p a Disk - Only 99p a disk, plus £1.50 per disk p&p.
A good tip when buying public domain software is to stick with the one library. The one that I use is the best I've found - the service is always so prompt and polite and it contains all the latest releases - and I would recommend it to anyone. It is:
Wally Dug's PDL - It's collection is as deep and dirty as the Clyde |
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