Shareware Junction

Is the programming paradigm about to change forever?

2006-09-11T17:14:00.000-07:00

I received a newsletter from ZDNet the other day, talking about Microsoft's upcoming replacement for the (now deceased) Front Page - Expression Web. Ho Hum. I mean, really, it's boring.

Somehow, they missed the story.

Listed on the same page is another upcoming program called Expression Interactive Designer. All I can say is, "Wow!"

Expression Interactive Designer is about to turn programming on its ear. Boasting an unusual mix of programming, 3D interfaces and the ability to design really cool looking apps, Expression Interactive Designer will allow developers to make apps like the world has never before seen.

The sample movies on the Microsoft website show a very nicely designed application using drag and drop databinding, live 3D models, and flowing layouts using images and other assets imported into its library.

The design is a bit of a mix of Flash and Director. But, while those environments have been nothing more than toys due to their trivial development languages, Interactive Designer is backed by some serious muscle - The .NET 3.0 Framework, using C# or VB.NET.

It's difficult to describe this new paradigm with words only. Take a peek at the Microsoft website for the demo movies. You can even download a free trial (though, I would suggest not running it on your development machine, for obvious reasons). I think what you see will blow your mind.

Microsoft Expression Interactive Design Web Page

By the way, their other Expression titles look impressive, especially Expression Graphic Designer. View all three here.

Good Riddance as the DOJ Finally Does Its Job

2006-07-01T00:19:00.000-07:00

Today, the US Department of Justice has announced that two more warez distributors have been jailed. David Lee Pruett, age 35 of Auburn, Washington was sentenced to 18 months in prison, and David Chen Pui, age 27 of Fountain Valley, California (just a few miles from our office) was sentenced to 12 months in prison.

I wouldn't want to publicly hope these guys take it in the same port they've been giving it to us in all these years, but let's just hope their stay isn't "comfortable." Being 1337 haxxors won't help them where they're going.

The arrests were a result of a new FBI sting called "Operation FastLink" that has extended to 12 countries with more than 120 search warrants. The operation has resulted in the impounding of hundreds of computers and the confiscation of more than $50 million USD in illegally copied games, software, movies and music. Two other individuals were also previously convicted as a result of this operation.

Support a Friend, Help fight Multiple Sclerosis

2006-06-21T23:56:00.000-07:00

Our friend, Harold Holmes of Lincoln Beach Software is once again riding in the MS150 bike tour. He is seeking sponsors to donate to the search for a cure for MS.

If you can find it in your heart to donate (I did!), please visit Harold's MS150 website.

If you'd like to read more about Harold and his story, visit his page at http://www.lincolnbeach.com/ms150

eSold

2006-06-15T16:41:00.000-07:00

Just when you thought they couldn't get any bigger, Digital River has announced the acquisition of eSellerate. Long heralded as the one of the last hold-outs, Steve Kiene has eSoldOut, despite many vocal promises to users that would never happen.

What does this mean for shareware developers? Falling sky, impending doom? No, this really has little impact. Sure eSellerate will wither away to a mere shadow of its current self, as many of the other DR acquisisions have, but in the long run, they are only one piece of a very large ecommerce market. There will always be other players like Verisign (the company I use with great success - and only a 2% transaction fee to boot), and there will always be a choice.

The best DR coverage always comes from Sharon Houseley's Software Marketing Resource. Be sure to check it out over the next few days as details emerge.

Update - June 16, 2006:
Steve Kiene, founder of eSellerate, has posted an announcement on his blog explaining his decision and a bit about the acquisition. Read about it here.

Higher Bid = Better Position? Think Again.

2006-06-13T12:12:00.000-07:00

I was just reviewing my AdWords campaigns today for one of my products. It's a popular book, and the conversion rate is usually somewhere between 8% and 12% these days.

In looking things over, I noticed that a few competitors had risen through the ranks and gotten ahead of me in position. So, naturally, since it's converting well, I decided to raise my bid. In one case, I raised the bid from $0.50 to $0.75 and was presented with the following message:

"By increasing your bid, your ad may show more often, and receive more clicks. However, your ad's average position has decreased because it is competing with other ads more frequently."

Huh? I just paid more to move down? Something must be wrong with my logic, but I find that disheartening.

Friend - Are Marketers Really This Unoriginal?

2006-06-13T08:21:00.000-07:00

"Friend." I never thought I could hold disdain for such a word. But, as I scan through my 26 business mail accounts this morning, seeing subjects like "Friend, could you use an extra $1000?" I find myself muttering things like "You're not my friend, #@$hole," as I press the delete key with increasing pressure.

Marketers have really gotten to be annoying. And it's not even the marketing, it's their complete lack of originality.

Does anybody else feel like internet marketing has become synonymous with the "me too!" messages of AOL yore?

Google Takes a Direct Shot at Microsoft

2006-06-08T16:35:00.000-07:00

If anyone had doubts about Google's desire to decimate Microsoft, those doubts should be gone now. Google has released an invitation-only beta to Google Spreadsheet. While it is not (yet) as advanced as Excel, it is likely only a matter of time.

Check out ZDNet's review here.

Make a Profit, Get an iPod at the Same Time

2006-06-05T13:24:00.000-07:00

...Or a new computer, free software and even free advertising!
The Shareware Junction Network is the first archive network to offer you a true rewards points program.

For every one US dollar you spend on campaigns and services, you'll receive one reward point good toward everything from free advertising and promotion to t-shirts, books, electronics and software. Unlike other rewards programs, Shareware Junction Network Rewards are valuable and attainable, with rewards for little as 10 points.

Check out some of the current rewards:

Free Advertising/Promotion Campaigns

Microsoft Visual Studio 2005

Shareware Junction T-Shirts

Your Choice of a Mac Mini or Dell Dimension computer

One year membership to ASP or AISIP professional organizations

Seth Godin's Unleashing the IdeaVirus Paperback

Many More! Login and click the Rewards Points icon to see all available rewards.

Purchase campaigns today to begin earning points.

Do "Advertorials" Work? So Far, Yes...

2006-05-20T23:09:00.000-07:00

While many of you may not know it, in addition to running The Shareware Junction Network and Liquid Mirror Software, I'm also a certified clinical hypnotherapist with a small practice and author of the best-selling book, Learn Hypnosis... Now!

After recently finishing the book, Web Copy That Sells: The Revolutionary Formula for Creating Killer Copy Every Time, I decided to experiment a little and revamp the website at www.learnhypnosisnow.com.

In the book, Maria Veloso's first rule is: Don't make your website look like an ad. She claims that by making your site look like an ad, billboard or brochure, you're simply blending in with the 5000+ advertising messages that the average person sees in one day. She stresses that people really go online for information - even if they're shopping - and that is what we should give them. She gives many examples of editorial-style headlines and teaches how to write body copy. I have to admit, I was skeptical, but the diversity of my product lines allows me to experiment pretty freely with any individual product, so I gave it a shot.

Essentially, what Maria teaches is:
- Identify the problem.
- Find out why it hasn't been solved.
- Determine what is possible.
- Give them some hope.
- Tell them what to do next.

In my case, the problem is, there are a lot of slimebags out there making wild claims about hypnosis and not delivering the facts. People don't know who to trust, and they don't know where to go to quench their curiosity. What is possible is that anybody can learn hypnosis. The hope I give them is in telling them that there are reputable resources that can teach them how to hypnotize themselves and others. Then, I tell them what to do (buy my book, because it solves all the problems described in the editorial)

Here is the original page:
http://www.learnhypnosisnow.com/default-newest.asp

Here is the new "advertorial" style page:
http://www.learnhypnosisnow.com/

One of her instructions is to remove every "buy now" link on the page, except the one at the end of the article. According to her book, if people smell an ad before it's time, your success rate goes right down the tubes.

The results? A solid, steady 420% increase in sales since May 1st. I was initially skeptical, but frankly, I'm blown away. I'll be trying this for one or two of my software titles, next and will report the results when I have them.

Is Your Website Red-Flagged?

2006-03-15T10:32:00.000-08:00

If your users are running a new plug-in called Site Advisor, it just may be. This company has taken it upon themselves to police the internet for us. Isn't that nice?

Well, maybe not. Since this company is making the rules up as they go - in other words, since they single-handedly decide what is "good" and what is "bad" without explicitly telling anyone - your site could be red-flagged at any time without you knowing why before-hand. Just try reading the description of their analysis and you'll find out quickly that they can really ban you for just about anything as subjective as "we don't like your downloads," or "you send too much email," or "you link to bad sites."

The good news is, on their FAQ page they say, "We like to see bad guys get better." How nice. So, if they erroneously mark your site as a "bad guy" based on their nebulous, subjective rules, all you have to do is wait until the next time they come back to your site. If you're not a "bad guy" anymore, they will grace you with a yellow or green flag.

What's that? You want to dispute your red flag, or let them know you've "changed your ways?" You can't. There's no way for you to be re-evaluated, other than to wait, while your livelihood is possibly effected, for them to get around to it. Sorry 'bout that.

So, this probably isn't a big deal, right? I mean, it's not like any of us will be flagged. We're all "good guys," right? Tell that to Kent Briggs of Briggsoft. His site has already been red-flagged. Sorry, Kent - you're a bad guy simply because you linked to winsite.com. RegNow.com is also flagged as "yellow." Sorry "bad guys," you shall all be banished to Exile Island until the next immunity challenge. Have a nice day.

Jeronimoooooo

2005-12-02T10:43:00.000-08:00

I'm taking the plunge. I gave two weeks notice at my day job earlier this week, and will be a self-employed man after December 9th, taking Liquid Mirror Enterprises, SWMirror and the Shareware Junction Network, full-time (along with some contracting from my home office to make the transition to self-employment smoother).

Much of my courage to do this comes from my friends in the shareware industry who have proven to me countless times that this really can be done. In a weird, sort of corny way, you're all my heroes.

Of course, now I'll be begging you all for business. ;-)

For reference, my new business address is:

Liquid Mirror Enterprises
The Shareware Junction Network
10073 Valley View St #121
Cypress, CA 90630 USA

My phone numbers are toll free (800) 516-9167 and direct (714) 408-4280. As of Monday, December 12th, I'll be answering these phones full-time to serve your needs.

Congratulations!
Today is your day!
You're off to Great Places!
You're off and away!

You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes
You can steer yourself,
Any direction you choose.

-Dr. Seuss
Oh, The Places You'll Go

So much for Pay Pal being "safe"

2005-10-17T07:41:00.000-07:00

At the recommendation of dozens of shareware authors whom have all told me that Pay Pal increases business and is "totally safe," I decided to add Pay Pal payments to one of my sites. Within hours I actually had a Pay Pal order. I fulfilled it, and went along my happy way. About a week went by, resulting in one more order from the online payments giant - not really a surge in business, but acceptable. Overall, I was happy that I had integrated Pay Pal support.

Today, I received an email from the Pay Pal team. My first order - the one I received within hours of implementation - was apparently linked to a bogus bank account. My fraud rate is now 50%.

Pay Pal closed the email with a friendly, uplifting note: my sale was not covered by Seller's Protection and the funds were deducted from my balance. So, now, not only did Pay Pal help someone steal my product, but I'm out twenty bucks, as well. Nice.

If you read Pay Pal's Seller's "Protection" policy, you'll find out that it's only valid for physical goods:

2. Coverage.
    b. The Seller Protection Policy does not cover:
    i. Intangible goods, services and sales or licenses of digital content.
      Only the sale of physical goods is covered.

And people wonder why I stayed away from them for so long... So much for Pay Pal being "safe."

Flash animated demos at just the right price (free!)

2005-10-12T07:01:00.000-07:00

For those of you contemplating tools like Captivate, Camtasia Studio or Turbo Demo, put your credit card down for a moment and look at Wink. While it doesn't have all the nifty features of some of the other "demo" products (i.e., audio, video, quizzes and interactivity), it does what it does very well.

Just set it to record your screen, then demo your product and add captions. Once you're done, you can export the movie to Flash/HTML, standalone EXE and other formats.

Wink works by taking static screenshots of your windows on mouse and keyboard events and simulating mouse movements between frames to make the presentation look like "video." All this results in a tiny Flash file or EXE that your users can download and view in just seconds. You can even export your screen captures and captions to PDF as a "manual."

Tools like this typically cost hundreds of dollars, but Wink is free (if you feel absolutely compelled to pay something, I'd be happy to take your money <g>). Wink runs on Windows and Linux and is only available for download. Get it while you can at http://www.debugmode.com/wink/

Where have I been?!?

2005-09-27T19:21:00.000-07:00

I'm getting a lot of people asking me where I've been lately. I've been moving to a new home in a different city. Things have been really crazy and hectic for me the last six weeks or so. I'm behind on work, behind on email, and basically absent from the newsgroups. If you've sent me a message and haven't heard back from me - please forgive me. I'm getting to every email as quickly as I can.

If you're interested, pictures of our new home can be found below the floorplan picture, here (external pic all the way at the bottom). I'll post some pictures of it furnished, once day, if I can ever find some free time again. ;-)

-Mike

Singing the praises of shareware

2005-08-23T06:42:00.000-07:00

Hoovers Online has an interesting story today about using shareware to integrate the Sony PSP with a Mac. It's the first positive story I've seen in a while that mentions the "s" word, so it's newsworthy to me. :-) Read it here.

Another great review of SIC '05

2005-08-15T22:16:00.000-07:00

Sharon Housely of Notepage and Software Marketing Resource has posted a great review of SIC '05 in her SMR - SIC Issue. A collection of links to various SIC photo galleries is also available in the newsletter.

This issue has a good review of SIC, and the newsletter is always a great read. You can view the special SIC edition of SMR in html format at:

http://www.softwaremarketingresource.com/author-resource-newsletter57.html

Thanks Sharon!

Warning: Your company identity has been stolen. Seriously.

2005-08-14T19:13:00.000-07:00

The owners of publish-me.com have taken it upon themselves to modify our (as in, the shareware industry, as a whole) PAD files. They have replaced all of the contact info and links to point to their site instead of yours.

The worst part is that they are reportedly submitting these PAD files to other shareware archives in an effort to draw traffic away from your site, to theirs. The ads on their site seem to be mostly porn-related, meaning that innocent visitors to their site may now associate your program with their less-than-innocent advertising.

Look up your program there. If you find it, you'll see a PAD link just below the listing. Check it out and you just might see who has stolen your company identity. Three of my programs are already listed on this site, and I'm sure their bot will get to the rest, soon.

Personally, I'm mad as hell, and I hope I'm not the only one. Not only is this underhanded and scummy, it's also quite possibly copyright infringement. If you find your programs listed on this site, this is the contact info listed on their page: Email the webmaster Stephen Huff at WebMaster@Publish-me.com.

Update - 8/15/05
Presumably due to the several phone calls Stephen Huff received throughout the night, and the several calls and emails to easycgi.com, Huff's web host, it seems that most of the offending content has been either removed from his site, or hidden. However, there is still the issue of the derivative PAD files that have been submitted to several shareware sites. Hopefully, we can spread the word to archives that have accepted these bogus PAD submissions and get them to take action.

FYI - publish-me.com and its sister site have a form you can submit to "disable" your PAD on their site. Several authors are reporting that the form does, in fact, disable the PAD on their site, but apparently automatically submits the modified PAD to several other (related?) sites at the same time. This hardly seems like a solution. I'll report more as I know more.

Apparently I spoke just a little too soon...

2005-08-10T23:54:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I asked, "How long will it be before someone tries to force culpability down game-makers' throats?"

Well, apparently, it has happened. I heard on the radio tonight that recently, a suspect in custody grabbed the gun of a policeman, shot three officers and escaped. The man was soon caught, and when interrogated claimed that life is a video game, and at some point in the game, everyone must die. He is now pleading "not guilty" by reason of "mental defect."

The worst part is, the families of the three slain officers are suing RockStar Games, the makers of Grand Theft Auto, whom the alleged killer blames for his actions. Do they realize that if they successfully sue the game-maker, they are possibly relieving the actual murderer of culpability, and likely setting him free? Where is the responsibility? Do these families want justice, or just money?

I have yet to find a written article on this story. As soon as I do, I'll post the link for you to read in detail.

If people can sue McDonalds for making them fat...

2005-08-09T23:20:00.000-07:00

How long will it be before someone tries to force culpability down game-makers' throats?

A 28 year old man died Tuesday in South Korea after playing video games for 50 hours, nearly non-stop. While presumably training to set a game-playing record, Lee tirelessly played battle simulation games, taking only brief breaks to use the restroom and take short naps on a makeshift cot.

After completing his 50 hour run, Lee got up from his chair, began to walk away, and abruptly died. The cause of death is yet unknown, but is expected to be heart failure, due to exhaustion.

Quick! Someone call a lawyer!

Apple gives customers the middle finger

2005-08-03T07:18:00.000-07:00

Or perhaps I should say, Apple gives customers the ability to use the middle finger.

While it looks very much like a standard Mac mouse, the MightyMouse is actually Apple's first attempt at a two button mouse. PC users have long speculated about whether Mac users are smart enough to use a second button, but I think they'll catch on just fine. Personally, I yearn for the day when graphic arts authors can quit repeatedly writing "Right click (Ctrl+Click on the Mac)..."

Not only is the MightyMouse an elegant looking piece of equipment, but Apple has even one-upped other mouse manufacturers by building a tiny trackball into the top of the mouse, instead of the standard, restrictive mouse wheel. It also includes pressure-sensitive side buttons allowing the user to squeeze the mouse to access the Tiger Dashboard, Expose, or other user-defined programs. MightyMouse retails at $49 USD and can be ordered at http://www.apple.com/mightymouse

Open-source goes awry, Part II

2005-08-02T06:51:00.000-07:00

In a previous blog post, I told you about a company called Manay Software, who claims they will send you four free CDs if you just send them $4.95 to help cover the shipping costs. As far as I can tell, the CDs contain only open source software/collections, but it would be nice to have a copy of The GIMP on CD. So, never being one to miss an adventure, I generated a new virtual credit card number and placed my order on Friday using my soon-to-be defunct home address and a throw-away email address.

Monday afternoon, I was pleased to see that I had already received their small cardboard mailer in my mailbox. I was short on time, as I was soon off to see the reknown stage hypnotist, Mark Yuzuik, performing in his one per year, post-fair, 18+ hypnosis show. Even so, I decided to open the cover to see what I got for just $4.99.

Inside were four plainly labeled CDs with names such as Graphics Software, Font Collection, etc. Labeled prominently on the right hand side was a message thanking me for signing up for their CD subscription service. Any two of the CDs were mine to keep, but if I liked all four, I simply had to keep them and I would automatically be charged $39.98 (or $19.99 per CD).

There's only one location on their site where they say that the CDs are $19.99 each. Can you guess? Yes, that's right, in the Terms of Service, in paragraph 7 (you did read that, didn't you?) they explain that you must return two of the four CDs within 10 days, or you'll automatically be charged. Further, they will send you two more CDs every four to five weeks with no trial period, for which you will automatically be billed $19.99 each until you cancel.

Can you say "bait and switch"? Since receiving the package, I have found many complaints on the web (which I probably should have searched for before purchasing, but what fun would that be?) by searching for "Manay scam" on Google. It seems that many have been reporting them to the Better Business Bureau, but I'm thinking the Federal Trade Commission will enjoy hearing about this. If Google can't do something as innocent as selling ad space without prominently displaying "SPONSORED LINKS," how can what Manay is doing be legal? It certainly doesn't seem ethical.

Late as I was for the show, I took a minute to put the entire package in a CD mailer and print out a Priority Mail shipping label with delivery confirmation. Some of the complaints have indicated that Manay doesn't honor the returns. We'll see. Perhaps there will soon be an Open-Source Goes Awry, Part III.

Still Loving You...

2005-08-01T06:25:00.000-07:00

It's too early for business. For a little bit of fun...

Last night, I saw my favorite band from my teenage years, the Scorpions, who played at the county fair with UFO as an opening act (No, Michael Schenker never came out, even though he played for both bands and lives here in The OC).

While I'm not a huge fan of UFO, and didn't really know any of their songs, they put on a great performance. But I've got to say, the Scorps have still got it in a big way. Now in their late 50s, these guys haven't gone the way of most washed up rock bands. Their performance last night was better than when I last saw them in 1990. They've still got a big sound, a lively show and they performed flawlessly.

They played surprisingly few new songs. There was only one song from their relatively-new Eye II Eye album, but for the rest of the show, they stuck with the classics like Rock You Like a Hurricane, No One Like You, Blackout, Bad Boys Running Wild, and Still Loving You and even threw in a few surprise "pre-classics" songs, like In Trance (1975) and He's a Woman - She's a Man (1977). For some reason, they closed out the show with the down-beat ballad, When the Smoke is Going Down. A bit of an anti-climactic ending, but overall it was an amazing concert. If you are (or were) a Scorps fan, this is a fun, must-see show.

Microsoft's new anti-piracy rules cracked within 24 hours

2005-07-30T21:29:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday, Microsoft revamped their Windows Update service to disallow non-critical Windows updates to users of pirated copies of the OS. Yeah, yeah, I know... Old news.

Well, it was really old news by Thursday, when, within 24 hours of its release, hackers had already found a way around the new protection scheme using Internet Explorer and javascript. Read more about it at TheInquirer.net and MSNBC.com.

Giving your apps a more modern look

2005-07-29T07:09:00.000-07:00

One of the more visual aspects of your application is the icon. Many people don't know the basics of icon creation, even though they could easily create their own, likely without any artistic experience.

To get you started, Microsoft has created an article called "Creating Windows XP Icons." It discusses using perspective and shading, and even tells you how to incorporate icons for lesser resolutions and lower OSes into your .ico files. Check it out on the MSDN Library site.

In the article, they recommend using Photoshop and GIF Movie Gear to construct your icons. They're way off base, in my opinion. Rather than blowing several hundred dollars on expensive tools that weren't built for icon design, it makes much more sense to get yourself a copy of Microangelo Creation, which has all the same icon-creation features and more, for just $54.95. Visit www.microangelo.com to download a demo.

Download of Windows Vista now available

2005-07-27T21:31:00.000-07:00

Windows Vista has been released to developers in a private beta. You can download the fledgling operating system, formerly code-named Windows "Longhorn", from the MSDN download site. If you're not yet an MSDN member, you can get a one year subscription for 11% - 13% off the regular price at Amazon.com.

If you'd like to show support for Shareware Junction and the SWJN Blog, please use my Amazon affiliate links when ordering:

MSDN Professional $1069.99 - $129 off
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