John.Wiley.and.Sons.Rapid.Mobile.Enterprise.Development.for.Symbian.OS.An.Introduction.to.OPL.Application.Design.and.Programming.May.2005.eBook-LinG (779881), страница 22
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They do this byregistering the software with you for a fee. This shareware registrationfee is up to you, but generally basic games should start at around$5–$8, and a very detailed application (such as a complex AccountsManager or Financial Planning tool) could go up to $25–$30.
Gettingthe shareware fee right is a balancing act, and you should ask yourtesters what they think is a reasonable price once they’re testing thefinal version. Similarly, deciding what works in the demonstrationversion is a balancing act too. Obviously, you don’t want to putso many features in your demonstration version that people neverregister, but you want to make it attractive and indicative of the fullapplication.4.Commercial: Very similar to shareware, but normally produced bycompanies rather than individual developers.
Commercial applications normally require the user to purchase them before use.7.2 How Distribution Affects your Application DesignTestingOnce you’ve coded your application, you need to test it. This meanstrying every menu option and every hot key, in every combination. Youshould actually try to make the program crash. Not only that, but youshould also try keys that you (as the programmer) know will not work.It’s a good idea to ask some other people to look over the program andtest it as well, because they won’t be as familiar with the application asyou are, and may do things slightly differently. Before you release yourapplication, you need to realize that your program will be running onother people’s phones, and it must not have bugs (errors).BugsThe applications in this book aren’t the most complicated, but eventhen you may have some bugs appearing when you go to expandthe applications to try out your new skills.
Bugs are a fact of life forprogrammers, and even with all your testing, it’s probable that some bugswill be found after you release your application to the public. It’s vitalthat once found, you correct them, and release an updated version of theapplication as soon as possible. It will give people confidence in you as aprogrammer, and ensure that anyone else who downloads and uses yourapplication from then on doesn’t come across the same old problems.HOW DISTRIBUTION AFFECTS YOUR APPLICATION DESIGN115The First 20 SecondsSomething to bear in mind: while you may have the greatest applicationin the history of applications, it will be judged by the average user within20 seconds of running. If it’s not obvious what to do, if it looks horrible,then they won’t continue looking at your program – and the user won’tlook at the program again.
That’s a lost registration or sale.New FeaturesVery often, you will get emails from people saying that they think yourapplication is wonderful, ‘‘but wouldn’t it be great if you could make itdo this. . .’’ For example, in our Othello application, you might want theoption of having two human players, and using the program simply as anelectronic board.While you don’t have to listen to these suggestions, if you get a lotof people asking for the same thing, and you’re trying to promote yourapplication as widely as possible (and gain shareware registrations orsales), then these feature requests are obviously for things in demand, andshould help your sales if you add them.Packaging your ApplicationIt goes without saying that you should use a SIS file to put together allthe files your application will need.
But you shouldn’t just present theend user with a SIS file. At the very least you need to have two files, theSIS and a Readme text file. The latter lets the user know how to installthe SIS file (don’t assume they know), what the application is, and yourcontact details. Both of these files should be placed in a standard ZIP filefor distribution (which keeps the download size as small as possible).Also remember that OPL applications require the OPL Runtime to beinstalled before they will work. At the very least, you should include alink in your Readme file to where users can download this. Alternatively,you can package the Runtime .SIS file as an ‘embedded’ file inside yourown .SIS file – see Chapter 8 for more details.FeedbackWhenever someone emails you, make sure to respond – even if it issimply to acknowledge that they’ve got in touch.
Keeping in touch withpeople using your application will pay dividends in the long run. Keeptrack of all their emails, and ask (in the reply) if you’d like them to beemailed when a new version of the application (or a completely newapplication) is released.In other words, like any business, make sure you keep your customershappy, make sure you can talk to them, and listen to their views.116PUBLISHING YOUR OPL APPLICATION7.3 How to Make your Application Available7.3.1Your Own SiteFinding web space on the Internet nowadays is not difficult. Most ISPhosting packages come with a few megabytes of web space you can useto upload the ZIP file, and host a few information pages about yourself,the application, and how to register or pay for it. At the very minimumyou’ll need to have the following pages:• the main page, with links to all these other pages, and listing yourlatest new product and most recent updates to your applications• one page for each of your applications• a page where users can contact you, by a web form or your emailaddress (be warned, putting an email address here means it will getspammed a lot, so you might not want to use your main email address).7.3.2 Collecting Registration FeesThere are two main ways to collect the money from users.
Both haveadvantages and disadvantages. You don’t need to exclusively choose oneor the other, you can use both. Browse them all and see which suits you.PayPal (www.paypal.com)This is an online service that allows small payments to be made bycredit card between two people. It grew up from the Online Auctionservices, and it’s perfect for collecting small shareware fees. There is alow commission rate, and you get the money almost immediately afteryour user sends it to you. Once you get the money, it is up to you togenerate and send out either a registration code or the full version of yourapplication to that user.RegNet (www.reg.net)Very similar to PayPal, RegNet allows you to create individual ‘accounts’for your applications, each with its own unique link.
Users can then visitthe link you give them and pay by credit card for the product, resulting inan email to you so you can follow-up with them and provide a registrationcode or full version.Handango and Others (www.handango.com/)While there are quite a few online stores that allow you to post yourshareware and freeware games, Handango is the largest and most recognizable.
Once you sign up with them, you can upload to their serverHOW TO MAKE YOUR APPLICATION AVAILABLE117both the demonstration version of your application, and either the fullversion or a registration code generation scheme. The advantage of thisis that once you’ve uploaded everything to Handango, you don’t need todo anything else in the sale process. They will process the money, moveit to your account, and provide the user with what they need for thefull application.
Do note, however, that online stores can take a largerpercentage of any shareware fees (up to 40%) and they may hold backsending you the fees until a certain minimum limit is reached (e.g. $100)or a certain period has elapsed (e.g. one quarter).7.3.3 Programming in Limits for Demonstration VersionsThere are lots of ways to build in limitations in your application, but onesimple method that is easy to employ is to have a constant at the start ofyour source code:CONST KRegistered%=0When you compile your code, if KRegistered% is 0, then you arecreating the demonstration version, and if it is 1, then it is the full version.You can then use this constant in your code to employ the main methodsof limiting your demonstration version.Using this method does mean that you will have two versions ofthe application, and you will need to provide anyone who registers theapplication with the full version.
On sites such as Handango, you canupload a demonstration and a full copy, and they’ll take care of it. Ifyou’re doing everything yourself, you’ll need to email them (or makeavailable) the full version as soon as possible after they register.NaggingYou can make sure that someone using your demonstration version knowsthey are using the demonstration version.
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