Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com\!americast-post Newsgroups: americast.mech From: americast-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: americast-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: Free software for which you are asked to pay is, at first Date: Wed, 4 Nov 92 10:28:41 EST Message-ID: Free software for which you are asked to pay is, at first glance, an oxymoron. Nevertheless, the concept has grown and flourished with the assistance of thousands of programmers, bulletin board operators, and software consumers. It remains the core idea behind a category of software known as Òshareware.Ó Shareware is software that is free to try but requires registration for regular use. Registration fees are paid directly to the software authors and payment is based on an honor system. The cost is truly a registration, not a purchase, because the user normally has the complete program with documentation before he or she pays for it. In contrast to commercial software, where retailers act as distributors and sell the software, bulletin boards distribute shareware for free. Shareware authors depend on bulletin boards for a zero-cost method of marketing and distribution. The authors expect payment only after a user has evaluated the program and decided to use it on a regular basis. Shareware has become nearly as ubiquitous as personal computers themselves, yet many engineers have only a vague idea of what it is, how to obtain it, and what it can do for them. The term shareware also brings to mind an even less understood and more feared problem: the computer virus. While engineers must remain alert to the virus problem, the fact remains that MechEng, the electronic bulletin board of Mechanical Engineering magazine, has distributed more than 100,000 files to its callers and has never sent out a computer virus. Where to Find Shareware Bulletin Boards. A bulletin board system (BBS) is the most common, and for some the easiest, place to find technical shareware. MechEng is probably the best BBS for general mechanical engineering; it features multiple phone lines and more than 4000 files. Art Petrzelka, the operator of the Computer Plumber BBS, maintains an up-to-date list of technical, scientific, and engineering systems. To get the latest copy, look for the file ENGRMMYY.ZIP, where MM is the month and YY is the year. Newly released software migrates from the point of its release. Typically, the author of a program will transfer a new release to one or more bulletin boards, where he or she feels the callers will have an interest in it. Through the informal system of sharing, users will take the files from one BBS and deliver them to others. Much of the software in miscellaneous technical categories has migrated to MechEng in this manner. On the other hand, programs specific to mechanical engineering are more often sent directly to MechEng by the original authors. A number of authors name their BBS of choice in the documentation that is included with their program. This identifies the BBS as the central point of distribution. With this knowledge, a user can be assured that the BBS will not only have the latest version of the software, but also that the version on that BBS has been uploaded by the original author and as such will be complete and without modification. Authors of mechanical engineering software are invited to name MechEng as their point of distribution. As an extension of ASME, MechEng has more permanence than most bulletin boards. Only a handful of systems are run by technical societies; most other systems are operated by hobbyists and have a limited life span. MechEng is supported by five phone lines and a 750-MB file server. It has been answering calls for more than five years. MechEng also serves as a forum for discussion of software issues through both public and private e-mail. The service also provides a way for authors to receive and answer messages without releasing home or work phone numbers. Mail Order. Although the BBS remains at the heart of shareware, it is no longer the only mechanism for distributing it. At least two companies send out shareware on disks for a modest service fee. One of these, New England Software, has even created a catalog on disk that is distributed like shareware. On MechEng, look for the file NESLIB91.ZIP to find a copy of New England SoftwareÕs catalog for mail-order shareware. People who order shareware through mail-order sources must understand that they are paying for duplication and delivery of the software, not for the rights to the program. The disks normally cost $3 to $8, none of which goes to the shareware author. The assumption made by the mail-order firm is that the users will evaluate the software and, if a purchase decision is made, register with the author. Software is only ÒownedÓ once the registration fees are sent to the original author. The registration process is normally specified in the documentation that comes with a program. The costs of mail-order delivery are generally competitive with bulletin boards. MechEng remains a free service of ASME, but the phone company does not feel the same about its services. Callers using slower 1200-baud modems during regular business hours may find themselves with large phone bills. Calling when evening or weekend phone rates are in effect and using a 9600-baud modem will normally be more cost-effective than mail-order software. In any case, a bulletin board is more likely to have the latest version of the program one is seeking. Outreach. While mail order is a worthwhile option for some people, students and educators have the best alternative of all. For the past two years, MechEng has offered the University Outreach Program. The Outreach library is a subset of the MechEng library that consists of several hundred programs on about 70 floppy disks. Any college or university that has an affiliation with ASME can participate in the program. All that is required is a plan for local distribution of the files. After the local distribution plan has been accepted, the school receives the Outreach library on a set of disks. The school makes a copy of the library and returns it so that it can be sent to other schools. There is no charge for participation in this program. The plans for local distribution vary. Some colleges make the files available at their local computer center. Others put the files on a department network or make them available through their engineering library. The University Outreach Program is managed by Alfred Watson, a retired engineer. Watson is currently supporting about 40 schools through Outreach and is looking for more. For details on how to request participation in the program, contact Alfred Watson, 1956 Manor Lane, Park Ridge, IL 60068; or e-mail to Alfred Watson on MechEng. What to Expect in Shareware Format. Shareware normally comes in a compressed format. This is done for two reasons. First, the compression will collect a number of files into one. Otherwise, keeping track of all the files in a program would be troublesome. The second reason for compression is the limited bandwidth of computer communications over phone lines. File-compression schemes will often save 40 to 75 percent of the file size, which creates a significant savings for people transferring files long-distance. On MechEng, most of the files have the .ZIP extension, which tells the user that the Zip system of compression was used. In BBS terminology, they are ÒZipped.Ó To make use of them, the callers first transfer PKZ102.EXE. That file contains, among other things, a basic ÒUnzipper,Ó and it can be executed directly after it is downloaded. Quality, Content, and Cost. Shareware, like more conventional commercial software, varies widely in all respects. For simple solutions to problems of limited scope there are application programs of significant value. One example of this is HPGLVIEW.ZIP. This program will view or print plotter files. Programs such as this are generally not available through commercial software houses. There are thousands of programs like them on most bulletin boards. Authors of smaller programs will often ask for a $5 or $10 ÒdonationÓ and skip the more formal software-registration process. For more complex problems, shareware can offer either a low-cost introduction or a cost-effective solution. One recent addition to MechEng, 4BAR.ZIP, is a good example of the former. Programs for kinematic analysis generally run into thousands of dollars. J. Cook, the author of 4Bar, requires a registration fee of $10 for personal use ($25 for corporate). This is a rather modest cost to get into four-bar mechanism computer analysis. The program will run on monochrome or color graphics. It includes analysis of several types of four-bar linkages and mechanism animation. When the user exits the program, a text screen states that the author is a graduate student in engineering and will be looking for a job soon. DraftChoice is an example of a cost-effective solution. This is a mini-CAD program with many of the features of a full-blown CAD system. This program is well-suited for quick sketches, but is not likely to serve for full machine drawings. (I use this program for creation of diagrams and figures in engineering manuals.) The basic operations can be picked up in a few minutes and, as a vector-based system, it offers none of the limitations of the typical raster-based programs. The registration fee for DraftChoice is $69, which includes a printed and bound copy of the instruction manual. To get an idea of the broad spectrum of software that is available in the MechEng library, the following is a sampling of the hundreds of programs that have been recently added to the software library: · CAM NC.ZIP, computer-aided machining and numerical control. · COMPFLO.ZIP, compressable flow calculator from Lamar University (Beaumont, Tex.). · DROPS300.ZIP, Lagrangian trajectory model for water drops. · EOSPLT20.ZIP, dimensionless plots for equations of state including P-V, T-V, Z-P, F-P, H-P, and S-P. · FLANGES4.ZIP, Flanges version 4.01, a pipe flange analysis program using the rules of the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, Section VIII, Division 1. · GRAPE15.ZIP, three-dimensional beam analysis; updated to version 1.5 (see Software Exchange, page 20). · LAMCLC11.ZIP, composite laminate theory; latest version. · MCG.ZIP, material corrosion guide. · MECHAN91.EXE, dynamic analysis of planar mechanisms; another new version. · PCEST.ZIP, contract estimate and bid program. · PROPS540.ZIP, properties of steam and moist air. · SFPAK3.ZIP, science formula processor for physics, electronics, chemistry, conversions, units, quadratic, vectors, optics, quantum, relativity, matrix rotations, formulas, and more. · S STEEL.ZIP, list of properties of stainless steel. The full software library of MechEng is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. There is no registration or special knowledge necessary. The system is menu-driven and fully self- explanatory. To get started in shareware, simply turn on your modem and dial (608) 233-3378. m Copyright 1992, Mechanical Engineering. For more information, send-email to American Cybercasting Corporation (usa@AmeriCast.COM)