International Shareware Day
Back when the internet was a wild frontier, folks used to swap nifty computer programs like trading cards, sparking a digital revolution.
Celebrate independent software creators and drive donations/subscriptions by positioning shareware as the unsung backbone of modern digital life.
- Behind-the-scenes: Meet the programmers who built your favorite apps
- Tip your dev: Why supporting indie software makers matters this December
- From freeware to funded: How shareware creators keep the internet running
Everyone can probably agree that International Shareware Day, a day dedicated to the programmers typing their lives away to make yours easier, is a day that needed to happen!
You may not think of it this way, but almost every little thing that you use in your 21st century life is operated by some sort of computer chip running on some sort of computer program that one or more computer programmers spent days on to make sure it worked so it could make your life easier.
The windows in your car you can’t remember what life what like before, the blender you use so religiously to make all of your healthy shakes every single day, and that smartphone taxi app that prevents you from getting ripped off every time you come back from a party – these are all based on more or less complicated computer programs that people do their best to avoid paying for, thus stifling the programmers’ efforts.
The first piece of software called ‘freeware’ was PC-Talk, a telecommunications program created by Andrew Fleugelman in 1982, who called the undertaking “an experiment in economics more than altruism”. The term ‘shareware’ was first used with the program PC-Write (a word processing tool), created and released by Bob Wallace in early 1983.
Few shareware and freeware downloads are ever paid for, which means that the chances of supporting yourself on shareware income as a programmer remains fairly slim. This is particularly unfortunate because this mode of software production has resulted in some wonderful software tools being made available to users around the globe, such as virus protection software, audio or video file players, and much more.
A lack of financial returns also means that many shareware and freeware projects are abandoned instead of being updated; after all, everyone needs to eat and pay rent, and software development is generally not charity work.International Shareware Day was founded in 1995 by actor and tech talk show host, David Lawrence.
Support a Shareware Maker
And to perhaps inspire them, in the spirit of the upcoming festive season especially, to send off a few payments to the authors of their favorite shareware apps. Has a certain antivirus saved you from malware on a number of different occasions? Have you been using the same program that has never failed you to watch videos or listen to music for the last few years? Find out who makes them and send them a tip!
Show Appreciation to Shareware Programmers
Show some appreciation! Just as you would leave a tip in a restaurant where the waiter or waitress was courteous, informative and brought your order quickly, so should you reward the efforts of the designers and creators of your favorite programs with a donation, however small. We should remember never to take anything for granted, or we may suddenly fin ourselves paying for every little app and program we need, and we definitely need an increasing amount of them!