We’re asked, every so often, why we don’t offer a time-limited full version of SuperDuper!.
It’s pretty simple, really.
If you’re going to time-limit a program, you have three choices:
- “Cookie" the user’s system in some hidden way so you know when the program was first run, and can therefore calculate when you’re supposed to expire.
- Automatically identify the system and phone home, asking some server when the copy should expire, and not allowing execution without internet access
- Force the user to provide personal information, including an email address, so that you can give them a key that expires (and the key, which need not be hidden, can contain the “cookie")
The first, in my opinion, is right out. I hate it when programs hide things on my system, and while I understand why they do it (see above), it’s just the wrong thing to do, especially for a backup program. A backup program that writes hidden stuff to the source volume? I don’t think so.
The second is nasty for obvious reasons.
The third, while doable, forces users to announce themselves to me when they just want to evaluate the software. We’re very conscious of privacy here, and a lot of people are understandably touchy about this kind of thing. The last thing we wanted to do was to alienate them right out of the gate, and force them to register just to take a look.
So, given those not-so-good choices, we decided to:
- Provide useful, free functionality in the unregistered version of SuperDuper!, including technical support and full documentation
- Never “expire” or take away the free functionality we’ve provided, even in future versions
- Offer an evaluation key, on request, for users who want to examine its full capability (all we ask is that you drop us a note and tell us what you thought)
So, now you know! I think this has proven to be a good compromise, and while it doesn’t satisfy everyone… what does?
14 Jul 2005 at 11:34 am | #
I came across your site while looking for backup software for my new Mac.
A fourth option for a full demo version would be a bimonthly build that expires 90 days after the build date. By downloading it within the two month interval, you then get 1-3 months to try it out.
To keep the program full-featured for the demo period, but to reduce long-term utility, you could make the demo version capable of restoring backups from the same build only. The paid version would be capable of restoring from any version, including the trial versions. The settings files could also be rejected for prior free builds so without registering, a person cheap enough to keep grabbing the demo version has to keep recreating his backup jobs.
16 Dec 2006 at 03:58 pm | #
Seems like a good system. Only problem is, how are users supposed to know that there are evaluation keys? I see nothing about them on the website.
16 Dec 2006 at 04:23 pm | #
In general, David, the way to find out is to ask! You can also search Google on “superduper evaluation key” and there it is…
13 Jun 2007 at 11:29 am | #
No it is not!
I did Google “superduper evaluation key”, and there is nothing. No evaluation key can be found anywhere. An announcement on your site, that such a key exists would be nice.
13 Jun 2007 at 12:51 pm | #
That’s strange, because when I google for that, this post comes right up. And, as it indicates, you need only send me some email and request a key.
13 Jun 2007 at 01:07 pm | #
Oh, I did find the post alright.
However, your reply suggested to me, that the evalution key would be there, or at least a link on your web site to it. How would one even know to ask for an evaluation key, if nothing on your site indicates that such a thing even exists?
I only found out, because I sent you a personal email complaining about the fact that the free copy of SD is severely crippled. You then emailed me a link to this blog, where I found out about the existance of the evaluation key.
You have responded to my blog entry, but you have not sent me the evaluation key.
13 Jun 2007 at 01:17 pm | #
Request one via email… each key is personalized for you, which is why there isn’t one posted here.
14 Jun 2007 at 01:29 am | #
I did. I sent you my name and asked you to send me an evaluation key. I have not received anything.
14 Jun 2007 at 02:12 am | #
I sent you one as soon as I read your message. Have to sleep sometime.