A note from Karl Brendel:

My apologies to those who may have paid by the minute for
transferring these files, and may feel that this particular file
does not justify their expense. If you happen to feel that way,
please document your expense and send me a statement with your
registration payment. We should be able to work something out.

Inclusion of this file is an act of my own, not a requirement of
the Association of Shareware Professionals ("ASP"). You've seen
from my documentation and my screens that I publicize my
membership in ASP. I truly believe that ASP has the potential to
revolutionize the quality of Shareware programming, the author/
publisher support of Shareware programs, and the quality of the
relationship between user and supporter. For that potential to be
realized, two things must occur: Capable programmers must join
the ASP or, at least, follow its lead, and users must demand the
quality of product and support that ASP intends to foster.

You are a user, and you may be a programmer. In either, or both,
of those roles, you must be aware of ASP in order to realize its
benefits both for you and the community of Shareware programmers,
publishers, and users. Please take the time to review this file.
Then, if you are interested in programming for the Shareware
market, consider applying for ASP membership. If you are a user,
watch for products of ASP members--and demand ASP standards of
all programmers, all publishers, and all vendors. (Especially
demand our standards of the conventional companies you do
business with. Many of us outperform most of them in the areas of
individual support and value for price.)

Thanks for putting up with my soapbox.

Cheers--

--Karl








Press Release announcing the formation of
the Association of Shareware Professionals



Bellevue, WA, May 18 -- Shareware authors have formed a
professional society, the Association of Shareware Professionals,
or ASP. Co-chairmen of ASP are Jim Button, author of PC File,
and Bob Wallace, author of PC Write. Dozens of additional
programs are represented in the organization, including Automenu,
Newkey, PC Outline, and ProComm.

The distinctive quality of Shareware is that you can copy it
freely. You only have to pay for the program if you try it and
find that you continue to use it.

According to Button: "Shareware is an idea whose time has
come. I wish that Andrew Fluegelman could be here to witness the
blossoming of his early efforts. I get goose bumps when I think
of the creative talent and energy that we've combined into this
group."

ASP's goals are to inform users about the shareware
marketing concept, to set standards for authors, to set
guidelines for disk dealers who elect to follow ASP standards,
and to help authors in marketing their products in a professional
manner. As a minimum requirement, an applicant to ASP must agree
to abide by ASP standards, including full disclosure of any known
incompatibilities in his programs and acknowledgment of
registration.

The organization conducts continuous electronic meetings
on a forum of Compuserve's IBMNET open only to members of ASP.
Membership applications may be downloaded as APPLIC.FRM from Data
Library 8 of the IBM Software Forum or may be obtained by writing
to:

ASP Membership
11058 Main Street, Suite 225
Bellevue, WA 98006

####

Contact:
Barry Simon (213) 935-3739 (MCIMAIL: Barry Simon)
Neil Rubenking (415) 863-1220 (MCIMAIL: Neil
Rubenking)







Attachment 1:

ASP has formulated the following definition of shareware:

Shareware distribution gives users a chance to try software
before buying it. If you try a Shareware program and continue
using it, you are expected to register. Individual programs
differ on details -- some request registration while others
require it, some specify a maximum trial period. With
registration, you get anything from the simple right to continue
using the software to an updated program with printed manual.

Copyright laws apply to both Shareware and commercial software,
and the copyright holder retains all rights, with a few specific
exceptions as stated below. Shareware authors are accomplished
programmers, just like commercial authors, and the programs are
of comparable quality. (In both cases, there are good programs

and bad ones!) The main difference is in the method of
distribution. The author specifically grants the right to copy
and distribute the software, either to all and sundry or to a
specific group. For example, some authors require written
permission before a commercial disk vendor may copy their
Shareware.

SO, Shareware is a distribution method, not a type of software.
You should find software that suits your needs and pocketbook,
whether it's commercial or Shareware. The Shareware system makes
fitting your needs easier, because you can try before you buy.
And because the overhead is low, prices are low also. Shareware
has the ultimate money-back guarantee -- if you don't use the
product, you don't pay for it.








Attachment 2:

It has the following official statement of purpose:

ASP, the Association of Shareware Professionals, was formed
in April 1987 to strengthen the future of shareware (user
supported software) as an alternative to commercial software. Its
members, all of whom are programmers who subscribe to a code of
ethics, are committed to the concept of shareware as a method of
marketing.

ASP's primary goals are:

o To inform users about shareware programs and about
shareware as a method of distributing and marketing software;

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; and

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





Standards of the Association of Shareware Professionals

PROGRAMMING STANDARDS:
The program meets the ASP's definition of "shareware" (i.e.,
it is not a commercial demo with major feature disabled, nor a
time-limited program).
The program has been thoroughly tested by the author and
should not be harmful to other files or hardware if used
properly.


DOCUMENTATION STANDARDS:
Sufficient documentation is provided to allow the average user
to try all the major functions of the program.
Any discussion of the shareware concept and of registration
requirements is done in a professional and positive manner.


SUPPORT STANDARDS:

The member will respond to people who send registration
payments, as promised in the program's documentation. At a
minimum, the member will acknowledge receipt of all payments.
The member will establish a procedure for users to report, and
have acknowledged, matters such as bug reports, and will describe
such means in the documentation accompanying all versions of the
programs.
Known incompatibilities with other software or hardware and
major or unusual program limitations are noted in the
documentation that comes with the shareware (evaluation) program.


GENERAL:
Members will keep the ASP apprised of changes in mailing
address, of which shareware programs they have published and are
currently supporting, and of the current version numbers.
If a user has a dispute with an ASP member-author, the user
may appeal to the ASP to mediate the dispute.





Application for Membership in the
Association of Shareware Professionals


For "slomail," address your application to:

Association of Shareware Professionals
325 118th Ave SE, Suite 200
Bellevue, WA 98005


On CompuServe, address your application to Jim Button [71435,2012].


ASP Membership Application

(Please do not modify the format of the following block of info.)
Your Name........
Company Name.....
Street Address...
P.O. Box.........
City.............
State, Ctry, Zip.
Phone, day.......
Phone, evenings..
CIS PPN..........
MCI & Other......

If you have more than one shareware program, please provide the
following information for your "best" shareware program. (This
information is for the purpose of determining if the criteria of
a "non-trivial, non-demo program" have been met.)

Program name.....
Shareware price..
Type of program..
Major program features and capacities (limits): See below.

Does the "registered version" have features or additional
documentation which the "freely distributable version" does not?
(If so please list differences below or at the end of this form.)







Membership requires that you understand and agree to the following:

I ..................... certify

- that the above information is correct;
- that I will abide by the standards of the ASP;
- that if I should ever decide to no longer abide by those
standards or by new standards which the ASP may adopt in
the future, I will cancel my membership immediately;
- that the ASP has the right to cancel the membership of a
member at any time; and
- that upon cancellation of membership by either party, I will
discontinue using any materials, logos, claims of membership,
or other benefits which are intended solely for members of
the ASP.

Signed,

Date: