I'm rather new to the TI comunity. I first started programming simple applications about 5 years ago, but didn't find out about how extensive the TI compunity really is until a few mintsh ago. Since this time, I have truly been disapointed in the things that I have been seeing. First I read an article by a guy that wsa upset that someone else might program a game better than he, and now I see all of this arguing about shareware.
I disagree with shareware, first of all there will be legal ramifications invoved for those programming Zelda, Mario, etc. Secondly, I think that the TI community wold destroy itself. One of the reasons people like the TI calcs, is that they know that they can find a game of application to help them out, with out having to pay alot of money. They don't expect some revolutionary productions. If some one is that good, why don't they take thier work to Nintendo, and get a job, it sure would be a lot more money, if that is what they are worried about.

What would the use be of having TI-Shareware? If someone were to write the program and try to sell it, they wouldn't make a hell of a lot of money. Maybe some sucker would pay, but why would anyone else? There is no reason to pay for something that would normally be free. If you want money that bad, GET A BETTER JOB! There are other ways of making money. However, I must agree by saying that it would be interesting to see the TI be able to lock programs that way. Unfortunatly, there is no real reason for it.

capitialism isn't inherently bad. It creates competition and motivation to create a better product.

A very good site telling people why free is better. GNU GPL sounds much better than MS EULA.


A Linux user - Linux Powered

You may say you prefer peole pay you in assisting the production of your blahblahbhah program or if they like it, I don't think in anyway it's possible to get shareware on a calculator.

To TetriNET player, if anyone actually paid the author please reply this comment.

Shareware is the stupidest idea to come to the Ti Calculator World...It simply wont work at all! After reading almost a hundred of complaints of the idea...I think you can guess what would happen if programs did move out of FreeWare mode.
SO ALL YOU SHAREWARE PEOPLE OUT THERE! GIVE IT UP!

:) See Ya
Chase

It might be interesting to look at how shareware affected a similar handheld programmable device: the PalmPilot.

Entire companies have sprung up creating Palm freeware and selling Palm shareware. Palm shareware hasn't crushed Palm freeware; they co-exist peacefully.

IMO, there are some Palm shareware programs that i wish were free, but there are also some really incredible shareware programs that truely don't think would exist if the programmers weren't motivated by money.

Well, with computer shareware, they usually send disks. Lemme spell it out D I S K S, well, i dont know about you, but my calc crashing is not an incredibly rare occurance, and my hard disk crashing, although not as common, well, what do i have to say.. S(censored)t happens! Im sorry, but if i were ever to buy a shareware program... i would need a disk with it on, with the full version on it, and they wouldnt do that, because if they included a generic version, then it'd be spread like a wildfire, if they required you to type the serial, then too many people would throw it (the # ) by accident, and if they created one for each calc... that would be too much constant work for the programmers to tackle for the small registration fee they would recieve. So clac shareware isnt just stupid, its impractical too.

I have a TI-85 calculator with ZTetris, a shareware program. The 1-player mode is fine, free of bugs, and free of costs. The 2-player mode, the shareware mode that's supposed to be an accurate evaluation. The mode times out, with a message "shareware timeout", which ends the game. It also has a message before you can play, but you can press a key to go through it without reading it. It asks you to register it. But what really bugs me is that the evaluation 2-player mode often crashes your calculator, and the calculator can't "reboot" without losing its memory. It's a waste of time and money to use shareware.

I've seen a computer programmer that was also a TI-calc owner. He got the idea that shareware would be a great way to make money. He made a calculator game that he said would cost $20 to get the "full version." I tried the full version on his calculator. It was buggy, huge, and definitely not good quality. He was a good programmer , but he was making the program for money, not so that there would be a good game. The "full version" was worse than the "shareware version"! If we start making "shareware", everyone and his dog would think that their game was "good enough" to charge money. It would turn out that the games on your calculator would add up to more than the expensive machine it runs on!

Please! Keep the calculator free!

I got my first TI somewhere around sept-oct last year. It was an 86. Since then I've purchased an 85 and just recently an 89. Programing them has become one of my most favorite hobbies, and I spend much of my free time doing it (even more time than I spend playing video games, and surfing the internet put together). I program primaraly for fun, the only thing I hope to gain is mental strength and maybe a little recognition. I have a job to cover my monetary needs. If I ever stared to charge for my programs it would decrease the fun and it would start to seem like work and I would probably grow to dislike it like my homework and my manual labor job.
But on the other hand I can see where the challenge of creating a shareware system could be fun and interesting.

Hey Benjamin, you don't happen to work for Microsoft, do you?? After evilly dominating PCs OS, Business, Internet, etc, now even Palmtops and starting in on Macs, they are closing in on CALCULATORS!?!? NOOOO!!! REBEL!!! STOP THE INSANITY!!!

There. I feel much better now.

In case you didn't realize it, I am against shareware for calcs.

One question for all of you who think that programmers should be paid for their programs...

Isn't giving programs away for free a bit like paying for others?
if everyone sold their programs, very few people would ever come out ahead, because as soon as a programmer made any money on his programs he would then have to spend it to buy others, thereby never really turning a profit. all that money changing hands just enriches whatever middle man handles the transactions.
think about it.
just my $.02

I know this thread is old, I just want to toss my thoughts into the mix. I for one do not think the idea of calc-shareware is evil incarnate. But I think that the implementation of such as market will be tremendously difficult.
Consider another medium of creation, such as music. The "source code" of music is much easier to crack than that of many programming languages. But there is a market because people are willing to pay for the music. If EVERYBODY would suddenly abhor the idea of paying for music, then those who were only seeking profit would leave. Only those creating music for the sake of music would remain.
The same can be said for the calc-shareware concept. As the myriad posters before me have contended, they wouldn't pay a dime for calc-software. There just isn't a sufficient demand to create a successful market.
To those who intend to prove me wrong, and produce calc-shareware, good luck. You'll find a long and difficult path awaits. To those who hate the idea: don't worry. As long as there is no demand, there is no reason for a supply.

first off, my calc. the 89, has 512k and im not going to fill it up with stupid shareware encryption assembly code which i would end up just cracking in the first place. its a waste of memory and time for both parties, the programmer and the end-user. making shareware for the calc shows how low we have come, to charge cash for a stupid little proggy. I think this is pathetic. whats even more pathetic is the dink that wasted his time thinking this up and how to go about it... geez.. The TI users community works together.. not charges each other...

There are a few things I would pay maybe up to $5 for:

- A good "Office" program including text editor, spreadsheet, and grayscale picture editor. The text/picture viewers, of course, would be free.
- A good, bug-free compilation of games, including Galaxian, Frogger, Tetris, etc. with shared libraries. The possible size savings might be worth the $5 alone.
- A true "masterpiece", like maybe a great RTS or "Sim" game. It would have to be grayscale, very optimized, and totally bug free, as in "no way in hell you can crash it" bug free.
- A calc browser that allowed you to surf special CTPL (Calculator Text/Picture Language) page, which would be basically like HTML with a few differences (pictures limited to 16x16 black & white, etc) and file downloading capabilities (no need for a download to computer.)

Other than these, and maybe a few other ideas, calc shareware is totally preposterous. The reason the calc software "industry" is thriving now is because no one is charging for anything. If we lose sight of this principle, the "industry" will become stagnant because people will stop caring about it. Who wants to pay even a dollar for Tetris? Even though it is $20 on a GameBoy? No one, because it is on a CALCULATOR.

Rob Hornick

Ive seen certain sites SELLING Algraba/Geometry programs for the use on the SAT. I believe it was for $40.00. The programs didnt even sound revolutionary, just your standard plug-in to get answer. Easyway of getting 50-150 points my @$$.

Jeez... These obnoxious replies to an otherwise valid thread are so stupid I don't even know where to begin. So, for your convenience, I have numbered my beefs:

1) REAL PEOPLE MAKE THESE PROGRAMS. Yes, indeed! People create these games that you download.

2) PROGRAMMERS OWN THEIR PROGRAMMERS. Through the marvels of an ancient and arcane art of making games (known to its participants as "programming"), people are able to develop complex software for your enjoyment. They make the programs. The programs belong to them. Nobody else. Because they made them. Duh.

3) PROGRAMMERS CAN DO WHATEVER THEY D@MN WELL PLEASE WITH THEIR PROGRAMS. REmember? It's their program. They can do whatever they want with it. If it includes distributing it for free, charging for it, crippling it, or doing a kirby dance around it, its THEIR PROGRAM. If you still don't get it, read #2. Again. And then, one more time for good measure.

So what if a shareware structure doesn't work? So what if it isn't feasible? If it doesn't work, people won't do it. Simple as that.

So what if "all programmers program for fun?" It's still their program. They can do whatever they want with it. You are not "entitled" to their work. You do not have a "right" to download it. It's THEIR work.

Yet, even with these attitudes, programmers still develop. They still release games for you to download, free of charge. If nothing else, respect them. Don't buy into this "entitlement" crap.

But, above everything, remember that the people posting against the idea of shareware slowly degraded into proving a point by correcting each other's "grammers."

Get over it.

Shareware was the worst article idea ever?

IGNORE THE LAST POST
Shareware was the worst article idea ever. You should never SELL programs. Anyway, many people will rebel against shareware techniques. I, for one, will eagerly create a website called "www.tiunderground.com", posting crackz, appz, warez, gamez, and mp3z. I am sure that many people will join me...

Some people here might very well be able to create shareware uncrackable by those making claims that they would crack it. But my question is, why bother? Ultimately, one could write the same program for the PC (or a PDA) & probably get much more money from it. PC's have a greater audience, some of whom would be willing to pay for a good program, even if cracked versions exist, unlike most calculator users. I, for one, have not bought a program in a long time, but I would if it was good enough & I needed it (& I could not rewrite it myself).

AFAIK there is one that seems good(will try soon) named Circuit4.