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Posted: Wed Aug 25, 2004 1:55 pm
by Karbon
We've been discussing this at length on one of the ASP (
www.asp-shareware.org) lists.
It is significant, but might be a good thing. If you aren't developing business software I think you can safely ignore the need. If you are developing software to be used by businesses it is a fairly inexpensive way to further reinforce their trust in your software. There is a pretty nasty warning wth SP2 for software that don't have signed certificates so I'm going to be getting onf for kBilling pretty soon. You can find them as low as $99.
If you think M$ is losing it's grip, you need to look again. They came to play and it doesn't look as if they are going anywhere.
Posted: Thu Oct 27, 2005 2:10 pm
by Dare2
Hi Karbon,
You've mentioned ASP several times (in various posts).
I'm wondering if you have and can spare the time to advise us about the benefits you personally get from this organisation. Also the cost or investment - not just $ - needed to be an effective and/or benefiting member.
For example, how much of your time is invested into ASP? What sorts of gains or advantages has membership given you? Tangibles, intangibles, etc etc.
It might be especially useful to those of us who are starting to get some real traction and are looking for an extra little edge. I am sure it would be appreciated by a few people here.
Regardless of your ability to respond to this, thanks for referring to this community.
Edit: I have visited the site. Personally I am just looking for some info from someone who has some respect here.
Posted: Thu Oct 27, 2005 3:28 pm
by thefool
wondering why i havent seen just 1 warning though i have installed tons of software. Tons of games and other stuff, freeware, shareware demo's anything!
Posted: Thu Oct 27, 2005 6:06 pm
by Brice Manuel
I'm wondering if you have and can spare the time to advise us about the benefits you personally get from this organisation.
ASP and STAR were great back in the 90s. Being an ASP member carried prestige. No longer the case today as Shareware distribution methods have changed to online distribution.
In the old days, us Shareware Vendors had racks in many major retail locations and we worked our butts off to promote Shareware titles, and any serious indie developer was an ASP member. The prestige of being an ASP member has no impact on your EUs today.
I do recommend joining ASP though if you are truly serious. Rubbing elbows with people who pioneered the Shareware industry has its rewards, and there is a lot to learn from people who are more experienced in programming and marketing.
I dunno if the EuroShare group is still together, but their discussion list was awesome.
wondering why i havent seen just 1 warning though i have installed tons of software. Tons of games and other stuff, freeware, shareware demo's anything!
It only affects people using XP SP2.
Paul posted this on the IB forums, this solution seemed to work for my users:
Windows XP SP2 has been released to OEM's and is available from their download servers. SP2 contains numerous new security features designed to help stop the spread of trojans, spyware, viruses, etc.
Unfortunately it also makes it very inconvenient to send, receive, or download a legitimate executable. Downloading an executable and attempting to double click will result in a security warning:
"The publisher could not be verified. Are you sure you want to run this file"
On every attempt to execute a non-signed executable downloaded with Internet Explorer. While you can uncheck a box "Always ask before openeing this file" it still is an inconvenience to every small software publisher out there.
Signing executables requires a $200 - $300 fee for a certificate. Not a solution for most of us.
There is hope though and by placing your programs in a zip file it can be downloaded, extracted on the users machine and then run without XP getting in their face. If they double click on the executable from within the zip file they will still get the security warning. So make sure to instruct your users to extract completely first before running.
Posted: Tue Jan 03, 2006 12:00 am
by Karbon
This just goes to show how long it has been since I logged on to this forum!
In general let me say that I still think being an ASP member carries prestige. It is still a fairly small organization (1300ish members) and there is a LOT of information available through the ASP newsgroups. There are many experienced shareware authors and many just starting out - it's a great mix!
If you are looking for direct financial benefits you can look at the discounts offered to ASP members. I personally offer Comodo code signing certificates at $75 and probably have $500 worth of other shareware that has been given to me through the ASP.
Anyway, check it out - it's well worth the tiny $100 investment if you are serious about selling your software using the shareware method.