Completely agree with Paul.
And again, very good product (I have used commercial products,
some well paid, worst than Shrew).
Keep on the good work.
Rui Cordeiro
On 23-05-2013 18:34, Paul Theodoropoulos wrote:
I for one applaud the decision. The Shrew
client is excellent software, it's not a small, one-trick-pony
app. The donationware model can work, but it tends to rely on
relentless reminders to donate, which can be as annoying as
advertising (though typically one *can* shut it up by doing the
right thing). I've donated to the Shrew project in the past, and
was happy to do so (I think I donated $25). But again, the
problem is that you either nag people or you don't make enough
to cover the nut.
I would however encourage that pricing even for the paid version
be low. Why? When an application starts out as free, *and* then
offers a free version in addition to paid, the incentive is
easily obliterated by a price for the paid version that's
dramatically higher than free. Yeah, I know, even a penny is
dramatically higher than free! But let me put it this way: at my
current day job, we have an OpenVPN network (I still use Shrew
with some of my consulting clients). When I first started at
this company, I tried the standard OpenVPN client, and wasn't
pleased. I didn't have time to hassle with it, so I took a look
around and found Viscosity. It was easy, intuitive, and
supported both Mac and PC. But the best part was it's only $9
after a 30 day trial. With a price that low, it was a
no-brainer to management - easier to set up new users, and so
low that finance doesn't care at all. So the result is that I've
deployed many $9 copies of Viscosity, where if it were a $45
application, management would have said 'just make the free one
work'. More sales in relative terms, much easier for even
non-commercial users to justify.
Charge $45 for it, and every once in a while someone will buy
it. Charge $9, (or $12, or $16, whatever) and dozens of people a
month won't think twice about paying for it. You wind up with a
steadier stream of income, and larger income in the long haul.
Those who might only use the application on rare occasion will
use the free version. Folks who would use it a dozen times a
week will happily pay the cost.
Just IMHO.
On 5/22/13 11:00 PM, Matthew Grooms
wrote:
All,
As many of you know, Shrew Soft has been distributing a free
IPsec VPN Client for more than 6 years. What may not be common
knowledge is that during the first 2 years of development, I was
able to work on the VPN client full time. This work was entirely
self funded. As a result, we were able to release version 1.0.0
through version 2.1.4. The software improved at a very rapid
pace with a total of 11 releases between Aug 2006 and Nov 2008.
At that point I was forced to take a full time job. Over the
next 4 and a half years, there have been 4 releases, the last of
which took 2 and a half years to produce. These days I have a
full time job as well as a part time job. In other words, the
development pace has slowed, an issue that directly correlates
with the amount of free time I have available.
There is no shortage of work to be done when it comes to
improving the the VPN Client. Unfortunately, developing and
maintaining a product of this nature that runs on commercial
operating systems is far from free. At one point we had
advertisements and donation links visible on the site.
Unfortunately, the revenue generated barely covered the cost of
co-location. This left all cost related to sanctioned Microsoft
kernel driver certification, Microsoft Developer Network
subscriptions, upgrading Microsoft Development tools and other
software, Class 3 Code signing certificates, hiring an outside
contract developers to improve kernel drivers and perform code
audits, buying lab hardware and other equipment ... the list
goes on. After weighing our options and turning down an offer
from an established VPN client vendor to acquire Shrew Soft Inc,
we concluded that the only way for the product to survive was to
produce a commercial version. This decision was partially
motivated by the fact that the offer wasn't very attractive and
partially by the fear that, if we were acquired, our free
product would be shelved to reduce competition with a high cost
commercial alternative. And as the sole investor in Shrew Soft
Inc, shouldering the continued operational cost was quickly
loosing its appeal. To continue offering a freeware product, we
also need to introduce a premium product that generates a
healthy revenue stream. By doing so, full time development can
resume. The overall product quality will improve at a much
faster pace and the cost of continued development and operations
will be offset.
Who will pay to use the VPN Client and who will use it for free?
After pondering this question for quite some time, we came to
the following conclusion: If you need remote access to connect
to a well funded corporate office, then you can probably afford
to pay a reasonable fee to use our VPN client software. If you
require need remote access to connect to your small home office
or business, then you can probably live with a free VPN client
that offers a moderately reduced feature set. Professional vs
Standard. Beginning with the next release, the Shrew Soft VPN
client will be available in two different editions.
What will be the difference? The Standard Edition will offer
feature parity with the 2.1.0 release. It will be free to use
for both personal commercial use. The Professional Edition will
include all the features available in the Standard Edition, as
well as additional features that would be useful for users
connecting to a corporate LAN. The first Professional release
will reintroduce support for Split DNS. It will also include the
Shrew Soft Security Credentials Provider for Windows 7 and
Windows 8. This feature will allow users to authenticate against
a Microsoft Windows AD/Domain via an IPsec VPN connection,
directly from the Windows login screen.
How do I obtain the Professional edition? Both editions of the
client software will distributed as a single download. You will
be prompted to select the preferred edition during the
installation procedure. If the Professional edition is selected,
the product will be installed in an evaluation mode with a 14
day trial limit. If you decide you don't need the additional
features provided by the Professional edition, you can simply
re-install the client and select the Standard edition. License
keys for the Professional edition will be available for purchase
at our online store.
How much will the Professional edition cost? We are still
finalizing our price model. But I can assure you, it will far
less expensive than other commercial solutions. This is
partially due to the fact that we won't be providing full
support solutions. If your curious how much a Universal IPsec
VPN Client software license is selling for these days, please
visit one of the following web sites ....
http://www.thegreenbow.com/
http://www.ncp-e.com/
Thanks for your time,
-Matthew
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Paul Theodoropoulos
www.anastrophe.com
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