[NTLK] Deadware (was stand alone)

From: John Hay (OceanCity_at_mac.com)
Date: Thu Oct 06 2005 - 09:39:16 PDT


Thursday, October 6, 2005 at 12:39:11 PM Eastern Standard Time

Re: Newton packages no longer supported but users need license codes
....in response to Paul Jerry's post:

As for the "deadware" issue, it's a witches brew to be sure.

Funny you mention this. I had searched for and found an expense
reporting Newton application called ExpensePlus [which BTW is EXCELLENT]
for entering line item costs to manage and manipulate them on my Newton
and after having run the demo version for about 10 minutes I knew I
wanted to register and pay for the commercial full version so I went
back to the <http://www.walletware.com/newton/ExpensePlus.htm> page to
order which instructed me to CALL by PHONE [no on line automated
licensing for this package, you have to download it, then call or email
them] to do so, which I did. The funny thing was that the people at
WalletWare did not even KNOW the aforreferenced URL page for ExpensePlus
for Newton even existed on their own site, LOLOLOL. I had to tell read
the URL, letter for letter, and they were surprised when it came up on
their screen. Anyway they finally gave me the phone number for their
tech support department and I spoke with a VERY helpful tech named Gary
who knew immediately of the Newton ExpensePlus software as he had
originally been on the coding team. He personally put together a
compressed folder of all the files I would need [it took him almost an
hour to do all this at his end] and he emailed it all to me. Gary was
busy, but he did me the favor and got me up and running, for which I am
grateful. His only caveat was that I needed to be aware that no
conventional phone or email "support exists for this truly amazing
application, which I totally agreed to and understand from a business
perspective. I thanked him. He also processed the payment and
registration. But this points out a problem which will only worsen in
the future, i.e. as time goes on less and less support will exist for
Newton applications, thank God for UNNA, what a wealth of information
all in one place and well archived for all of us to benefit from. I
donated financially to the cause and all of us should do the same as
there's no free lunch and we need UNNA to stay strong and remain in
healthy in perpetuity.

But back to the question at hand, I guess you just need to do your
homework up front and do a little research on whatever the app is that
you are testing out. e.g. Does the vendor still have a Web presence?

I think "some" apps have officially been formally granted to the public
domain by their authors as they were aware of just the issue you speak.
Other apps probably have slid off the edge by neglect of their creators
and may languish in the demo-version 4th dimension never to return to
our world, sad. Other vendors such as the developers of TimeTrax at
<http://config.de/> are still up and running their storefronts on the
web and I just ordered and paid for my registration from them. I believe
they are in Rottenback, Germany. Damn Germans <G> .....leave it to them
to make the best damn software for the Newton, or anything for that
matter ;-) What a crafty bunch they are.

To make matters worse, some Newton apps tie their license to the Newton
"owner's" name, yet others tie it to the Newton serial number of the
motherboard. Aaarrggghhh! So where does that leave you if your
motherboard goes south and the vendor does too ? You're sunk.

I am at present in the process of contacting Config Informationstecknik
in Germany over just this very issue as the TimeTrax license is tied to
the motherboard. Not good, for the honest consumer, that is.

I am aware that there is a "universal" license key that one could use in
this specific scenario, with for example TimeTrax which is in this
category, to enter which would unlock the demo version into the
commercial version. It so happened I was in this exact situation. I
have ten newtons. They are all 2000's and 2100's. They all work and I'll
use them as needed for parts until I die, but need to be certain I can
always keep using my Newton for the next 10-20-30 years, or as long as
I'm alive, hence the stockpile of Newtons. As for the universal license
key thing, a friend on this list sent me something to try and I tried it
but it was such that the last four characters were non alpha-numeric,
they were high-ascii or something weird and could not tell visually how
to enter them so I never was able to even see of the key actually worked
or not. I'm not going to say any more about the universal key thing
because even though I'm sure 999 of the 1,000 users on this list are
honest and ethical, there's always that one who wants their free lunch
and leeches off the rest of us. Anyway, you can contact me off list if
you need help in this regard, but I won't give out the key even if you
do as I do not have that right, and would never want to compromise the
developer's business. 'nuf said.

So, Long story short, guess it's the old Caveat Emptor deal. The final
responsibility lies with each one of us.

Maybe it would be a good thing, or perhaps it already exists somewhere
on UNNA or elsewhere, to compile a list of known software which is no
longer supported, nor does the vendor want to or care any more, of
license numbers that could be used in such cases of applications that
are valid, needed, but can't be licensed in perpetuity simply because
the vendor died or went out of business or does not care any more.

If such a list of "deadware" [I herby proclaim my trademark rights to
the word "deadware" if this has any merit] exists would someone please
post it's URL.

If not then someone, maybe me, should start one. Of course, in the
world we live there are also the legal issues of making public such a
list. I know that there is at least one very well informed and capable
legal professional on this list that could clarify the finer points of
the public domain licensing issue for us and please email me off list if
you are willing to help at OceanCity_at_mac.com

If needed, we, me, I, someone, a committee could/can try to track down
and contact the deadware vendors to obtain written legal releases to
post such license codes publicly in a manageable and organized fashion,
without stepping on anyone's toes. If need be, I'll do this myself. On
the other hand I would imagine that UNNA has already addressed this
issue long ago and I just am not aware of where the list would be. The
clock keeps ticking. Entropy, etc.

Cheers,

John

10/6/05 Paul Jerry issued the following and I have taken literary
license to pass it along on a "Need to Know Basis" . . . ?

>Backyard a year ago and it was some of the best $$ spent for my Newt.
>
>My main question was more around hunting through UNNA and seeing a whole
>variety of software types, some freeware, some abandonware, some still
>commercial, some commercial sites no longer offering titles but the UNNA
>files still needing a registration code, long since lost to the ether...
>
>Is there any easy way to tell before installing and taking the time (that
>few of us may have in abundance) only to hit day 30 and have the app lock
>up?

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