Hello,
Like most of you, I hope, I like free software and can't stand the people
that whine without giving a good reason. Also, like most people, I don't like
being lied to. The front page of today's GAOYD states that
"Zoner Draw 4 is available for $49, but it will be free for our visitors as
a time-limited offer. You can download and install it now. Please note that
you have to install it before the Giveaway offer for Zoner Draw 4 is
over.
This statement, unfortunately is not true. Many veterans here will dismiss
my statement as nitpicking due to the fact that the company is giving a good
reason for not making available the latest version. To tell you the truth, I
know close to nothing about royalties. I think it has to do with making sure
that all the people that 'own' a portion of the money made by selling it does
in fact get it. They say the program is new or something like that. Dies that
mean that all the software and games we have been getting were old?
Everybody has accepted this reason and my little knowledge must rely on
your better judgment. I only want to remind everybody that the last time we
had a situation like this, that is, when we were given the value of a program
that could not even be bought, was when Inconmedia pulled that spamming
stunt.
I realize that this time the developers are not requesting e-mails and we
will not be spammed, but they come right out and say that we can buy the
full, latest program at a discount, thus defeating the giveaway part of
GAOTD. I don't doubt that they have royalty issues, but I also don't doubt
that those can be overcome. Otherwise, GAOTD would have never been able to
give latest versions of software.
I believe that right now there are some software company advertising
departments, who witnessed how we reacted when Inconmedia tried to use GAOTD
as a very efficient shareware outlet AND spam us, who are thinking ways to
avoid that response and still achieve the same effect. It seems that somebody
has been able to do it
Today it is a sad day for GAOTD. The publishers have found a way to post
false statements on the front page of GAOTD ( You really can't buy version 4
at all and the quoted price of $50 is for the version 5 which you can buy for
$25), and get away with it without anybody complaining too much.
All people that go to GAOTD should come out with the program they want at no
cost, period. That's the way it started and it is changing little by little.
If they can't post the last release because of royalties, then fix it so you
can or don't offer the product here. Now people can get version 5 for $25,
but that's not affecting the royalties at all, but it also make GAOTD not a
giveaway, just some other way to get publicity AND money at the same time.
There are people in the know that will explain to me why it has to be this
way or how all this works and can't be any other way, but I smell a rat. AVS
is giving us betas, we are getting spammed, we get old versions, the
registrations do not work, and now the royalties.
I don't what GAOTD's marketing plan is and I am nobody to question it, but
please, don't lie. The front page should say that the product offered today
is not free. If they want to get it, it will cost you $25. if you don't want
to spend the money, then you can get an older version for free. Is that so
hard?
I know I am being an idiot, I know that I am a paranoid conspiracy theorist
and stupid SOB who doesn't know his mouth form other orifices, but I still
don't like it. All program here should satisfy at least two conditions:
- no personal information being asked
- The value of the program offered and the program given is one and the
same
If those conditions can't be met, then a true statement of what is being
offered should be made. I hope I am not banned for stating the obvious, but I
can't help myself.
-Mario
