Most shareware in today's market is limited in some way when used in trial mode (i.e. when you haven't paid for it). Depending on the product and the developer, the degree of limitation varies from the gentle to the severe. SkoobySoft's policy is towards the gentle end. We have some key principles:
- NO time limits
All our products can be used for as long as you like. Instead of time limits, we provide usage limits. That means the ability to test the core function of the software a certain number of times. The limit is calculated to allow reasonable, thorough testing. - NO end-of-trial software death
When the trial is over (and you still don't pay), the software can still be used. All that will happen is, the core function of the software will be disabled. Other features will still be usable. Furthermore, with products which are used for creating documents (e.g. viJournal), you will still be able to access your documents after exhausting the usage limit. You won't lose anything; you just won't be able to create any new documents without paying. - NO registration-only features
In trial mode, you can use the whole product. You don't have to pay to test any features.
There's another important principle:
- Trial usage resets with major releases
When one of our products receives a x.x update (i.e. when it goes from, say, 1.4 to 1.5, indicating significant new features), it allows you bonus trial usage, even if you've reached the trial limits with the previous version. That means you get to try out each major release until you find one you want to pay for.
SkoobySoft Versioning Policy: sensible steps
Some software developers are a little over-excitable (that's the polite way of putting it) when it comes to versioning their products. (That's deciding whether the new version should be numbered 1.1.x or 1.2 or 2.0). In some cases even a minor new feature leads to a leap from version 1.x to version 2.0. This can have a confidence-knocking effect when the developer charges money for each major version update. SkoobySoft maintains a strict, sensible approach to product versioning. For example:
- x.x.1 to x.x.2: Minor new features, enhancements of existing features, bug fixes.
- x.1 to x.2: Major new features and/or major enhancements of existing features.
- 1.x to 2.0: Extensive redesign/restructuring of the product, where the quantity of work is equivalent or nearly equivalent to a brand-new product.
Listening to users
SkoobySoft makes a point of listening to what users say. Many of the features included in our products are there because users requested and voted for them. If you would like to request a feature, please visit this page.