May I save you some time? I am impressed that so many people write to ask "May we use...". I would have no problem with them just assuming that any shareware author would be glad for his/her wares to get exposure. By all means write, if you wish, but here are some things that may help you...

I am very happy for my freeware and shareware products to be included in CD collections and online archives. That permission is, may I be explicit, granted for NON-exclusive use, i.e., my permission to you does not preclude me granting it to others, or distributing the software myself. It does not extend to registered Vers ions of my products, nor to unlocking codes for them. Another bit of "why do we have to flap our gums?": Any use you make or encourage of my software is entirely at your own risk. As I use my software on my own machines, I HOPE there is nothing dangerous in or about it. But I will not accept any liability. And lastly: I am not going to pay you any fee.

Before I go on and say more about distributing my software, I want you to know I have another page about distributing my web pages via DVD, your intranet, or in a different language.

You will be pleased, I hope, to know that (as I write this, and as I currently plan to proceed in the future) I do not incorporate "time bombs" in my programs. The "worst" things I do to potential customers... and not every program has all of these... is turn off features (e.g. score tables), incorporate some "nag" screens" or perhaps limit how far they can proceed without re-starting. If there are many nags, I offer a free partial unlock key to anyone who requests one by email.

Many of my programs are installed simply by copying them to a folder of the user's choice. I inflict no .DLLs, no registry tampering, etc. (I write in Delphi and Turbo Pascal) It is unusual for anything to be written to the user's storage during use of the program, and anything that is written goes in the program's folder by default, though in some cases the user can put things elsewhere if he/she wishes. (A few "rough and ready" programs do put things in the root directory, but they are not likely to be of interest to you (yet!) anyway). Some applications involve several files. They still all go in one folder. Such are usually distributed by me as a *.zip or self-extracting *.exe file. Some programs come in InstallShield "wrappers". InstallShield puts a .dll in the program's folder, and, I think, an entry in the registry. Both are connected with the uninstall option, I think.

I'm afraid I don't have many screenshots for you.

By all means, put my stuff in any "wrapper" you wish... just please leave the main *.exe alone, and any *.hlp or similar files. Please leave intact any messages from me to the user on use restrictions, copyright, contacting me, and the like. I include introductory text, software "wrappers" and physical packaging in this license grant.

For the latest Vers ion of any of my programs, you are already in the right place! If you obtained my software elsewhere, you might want to download whatever is here.

I'll be glad to complete your paperwork if there are things you still want to have, even after reading the above.

Thanks for your help to the shareware world!

    Tom Boyd  /  Sheepdog Software (tm)

Ad from page's editor: Yes.. I do enjoy compiling these things for you. I hope they are helpful. However... this doesn't pay my bills!!! Sheepdog Software (tm) is supposed to help do that, so if you found this stuff useful, (and you run a Windows or MS-DOS PC) please visit my freeware and shareware page, download something, and circulate it for me? Links on your page to this page would also be appreciated!

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