Difference between revisions of "Shareware"

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'''Shareware''' is a software marketing concept where an incomplete or time-limited version of a program is released to entice people into buying the full version. [[Doom]] and [[Heretic]] both have shareware versions, each containing only the first [[:Category:Episodes|episode]] of their respective games, making nine [[level]]s each.
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[[File:DoomShareware 1.2 Floppies.jpg|thumb|right|[[Doom]] [[Versions of Doom and Doom II#v1.2|v1.2]] shareware floppy disks.]]
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'''Shareware''' is a software marketing concept where an incomplete or time-limited version of a program is released free of charge or for a nominal distribution fee, with encouragement to further distribute, in order to entice people into buying the full (registered) version. [[Doom]] and [[Heretic]] were both initially released as shareware, each containing only the first respective nine-level [[:Category:Episodes|episode]] in the unregistered version: [[Knee-Deep in the Dead|Doom: Knee-Deep in the Dead]] and [[City of the Damned|Heretic: City of the Damned]].
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Part of the reason [[Doom II]] was not given a shareware release, according to [[John Carmack]], was that "[a] lot of people consider themselves to have 'finished DOOM' when they just finished the shareware episode."<ref>Doomworld.com (1999), [https://www.doomworld.com/interviews/int7.shtml Interview with John Carmack], (question 15). Retrieved on April 11, 2008.</ref>
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In the same vein, both [[Hexen]] and [[Strife]] received only small three- to four-level demo releases rather than full-blown shareware versions, demonstrating that the concept had more or less completely fallen out of favor with the game industry by 1995.
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==References==
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<references />
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== External links ==
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* {{idgames|file=idstuff/doom/doom19s|title=Doom: Knee-Deep in the Dead v1.9}}
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** Older versions: {{idgames|file=historic/doom1_0|title=v1.0|linkonly=1}}, {{idgames|file=historic/doom1_1|title=v1.1|linkonly=1}}, {{idgames|file=historic/doom1_2|title=v1.2|linkonly=1}}, {{idgames|file=historic/doom1_25|title=v1.25|linkonly=1}}, {{idgames|file=historic/doom14bt|title=v1.4 (beta)|linkonly=1}}, {{idgames|file=historic/doom15bt|title=v1.5 (beta)|linkonly=1}}, {{idgames|file=historic/doom16bt|title=v1.6 (beta)|linkonly=1}}, {{idgames|file=historic/dm1666sw|title=v1.666|linkonly=1}}, {{idgames|file=historic/doom_v18|title=v1.8|linkonly=1}}
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* {{idgames|file=idstuff/heretic/htic_v12|title=Heretic: City of the Damned v1.2}}
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** Older versions: {{idgames|file=historic/ht_beta|title=Wide Area Beta|linkonly=1}}, v1.0 ({{idgames|file=idstuff/heretic/heretic1|title=disk 1|linkonly=1}}/{{idgames|file=idstuff/heretic/heretic2|title=disk 2|linkonly=1}})
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* {{idgames|file=idstuff/hexen/hexndemo|title=Hexen 4-level demo}}
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* {{idgames|file=roguestuff/strife11|title=Strife teaser demo v1.1}}
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** Older version: {{idgames|file=roguestuff/strife10|title=v1.0|linkonly=1}}
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* {{wp|Shareware}} on Wikipedia
  
For more information on [[Wikipedia:Shareware|shareware]], read its Wikipedia article.
 
 
[[Category:Historical]]
 
[[Category:Historical]]

Revision as of 02:49, 27 July 2017

Doom v1.2 shareware floppy disks.

Shareware is a software marketing concept where an incomplete or time-limited version of a program is released free of charge or for a nominal distribution fee, with encouragement to further distribute, in order to entice people into buying the full (registered) version. Doom and Heretic were both initially released as shareware, each containing only the first respective nine-level episode in the unregistered version: Doom: Knee-Deep in the Dead and Heretic: City of the Damned.

Part of the reason Doom II was not given a shareware release, according to John Carmack, was that "[a] lot of people consider themselves to have 'finished DOOM' when they just finished the shareware episode."[1]

In the same vein, both Hexen and Strife received only small three- to four-level demo releases rather than full-blown shareware versions, demonstrating that the concept had more or less completely fallen out of favor with the game industry by 1995.

References

  1. Doomworld.com (1999), Interview with John Carmack, (question 15). Retrieved on April 11, 2008.

External links