I have presented here what I think is a new way to publish shareware software which should make available great software freely available to single users, but which will also permit shareware authors to get their due and be able to finance other software projects. By targeting the companies, the same companies who defend so intensely copyrights and privacy rights when it comes to their stuff, but are more "flexible" when it comes to other people's stuff, everyone should benefit (even the companies, who will have no choice than to put themselves in legality). If this model deliver its promises, it could turn into a cornerstone event in computing history.
Of course, it's not perfect, and probably will not get all illegal copies, but it should still get a whole lot more than previous shareware models (except maybe for trialware releases). Getting the company name from its DNS is only one way to get the information. If someone thinks of another way that is more efficient/accurate/simple to achieve the same (or better) result, or have some input that would benefit this model, I'd like to hear from it at [email protected]. If you're a shareware author and you plan trying this model, I'd like to hear about it as well, to see if it lives up to its promises.
4. Turning corporate guns against itself: share-aware
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