Assoc. of Shareware Professionals

     About Shareware

     In  the  early  days  of   Shareware  there  were  no   real
     standards. Independent authors had no efficient way to learn
     from each other or to  work together to improve the  overall
     image of Shareware. There was no system  in place to  ensure
     that users  were treated  fairly and  professionally.  There
     was no way for  users to find an  address for an author  who
     had  moved.    In   short,  the   Shareware  community   was
     disorganized and each  author did things  the way he  or she
     thought was best.  It  was clear that if Shareware  was ever
     to  become  a  viable  and  respected marketing alternative,
     there had to be some standardization.  There had to be  some
     guidelines to best serve the users.

     In  1987  a  handful   of  Shareware  authors  founded   the
     Association of  Shareware Professionals  (ASP).   In forming
     this  industry  association,  these  Shareware  authors  had
     several primary goals in mind, including:

         o  To  inform users about  Shareware programs and  about
            Shareware as a  method of distributing  and marketing
            software.

         o  To  foster  a  high  degree  of professionalism among
            Shareware authors by setting programming,  marketing,
            and support standards for ASP members to follow.

         o  To   encourage  broader  distribution  of   Shareware
            through user  groups and  disk dealers  who agree  to
            identify and explain the nature of Shareware.

         o  To assist members in marketing their software.

         o  To provide  a forum  through  which  ASP members  may
            communicate, share ideas, and learn from each other.

     The  newly  formed  Association  of  Shareware Professionals
     worked together to  draft a code  of ethics for  all present
     and future members.   This code of  ethics included  several
     requirements  that  soon  became  very  popular  among users
     (customers), including:

         o  A member's program (evaluation version) could not  be
            limited (crippled) in  any way.   In the true  spirit
            of  Try-Before-You-Buy,   users  must   be  able   to
            evaluate all the features in a program before  paying
            the registration fee.

         o  Members must respond  to every registration.  At  the
            very least they must send a receipt for the payment.

         o  Members  must  provide  technical  support for  their
            products  for  at  least  90  days  from  the date of
            registration.

     A new  system was  put in  place to  help ensure  that users
     were  treated  fairly  and  professionally.   If  a user was
     unable to resolve  a problem with  a member author  then the
     user could contact the  ASP Ombudsman with their  complaint.
     The Ombudsman would  then try to  help resolve the  dispute.
     For more  complete details  regarding the  Ombudsman, please
     refer to the "ASP Ombudsman Statement" below.

     As of February,  1991, the ASP  had over 300  author members
     and  almost  200  vendor  members,  with new members joining
     every week.


     Contacting ASP Members Via CompuServe:

     There is  an easy  and convenient  way to  speak directly to
     many  ASP  Members  (both  authors  and vendors).  Visit the
     Shareware forum on CompuServe.   Simply type "GO  SHAREWARE"
     - or "GO SHARE" - from any CompuServe ! prompt.

     Here  you  will  be  able  to  talk  to  the authors of your
     favorite  Shareware  programs,  learn  about other programs,
     ask questions,make  suggestions, and  much more.   We'd love
     to meet you on-line,please come visit us today!

     Author Address Changes:

     People move.  Forwarding orders expire.  What can you do?

        "I got a  copy of a  Shareware program written  by an ASP
     Member.  I sent in the registration fee and the post  office
     returned my letter  saying that it  was undeliverable.   Now
     what do I do?"

     If the  author has  moved then  chances are  very good  that
     you have  an old  version of  the program.   This is another
     situation  that  the  ASP  can  help  you  to  resolve.  ASP
     Members are  required to  keep the  ASP informed  of address
     changes.  If  you need to  obtain the current  address for a
     member, simply write to the following address:

        ASP Executive Director
        545 Grover Road
        Muskegon, MI  49442-9427
        U.S.A.


     ASP Ombudsman Statement:

     ASP wants to  make sure that  the Shareware principle  works
     for you.  If you  are unable to resolve a  shareware-related
     problem  with  an  ASP  member  by  contacting  the   member
     directly, ASP may  be able to  help.  The  ASP Ombudsman can
     help you resolve  a dispute or  problem with an  ASP member,
     but  does  not  provide   technical  support  for   members'
     products.

     Please write to the ASP Ombudsman at:

        ASP Ombudsman
        545 Grover Road
        Muskegon, MI  49442-9427
        U.S.A.