Whole New Market

Shareware is a try-before-you-buy software marketing system that works. A number of software packages that started out as shareware have gone on to great success as commercially sold software. Now and then, however, it works the other way. In March, Executive Systems released its popular hard disk management program Xtree Pro to the shareware market, allowing users to try the software free and pay for it if they like it. Now Scandinavian PC Systems has joined the crowd, releasing its popular Readability Plus writing-style analyzer program as shareware.

Sold for $130 in stores and via direct mail until January of this year, Readability Plus is now available through shareware distributors and bulletin boards for a mere $25 registration fee. Like Executive Systems, which released Xtree Pro to the shareware market after the commercial release of advanced Xtree Pro Gold, Scandinavian PC Systems is releasing Readability Plus into the shareware market following the commercial release of Corporate Voice, its advanced writing-style checker. Readability Plus can read documents in WordPerfect, WordStar, Microsoft Word, or ASCII format. Users get to try the software free, but the $25 registration fee nets a hardcover manual, technical support and a $15 rebate coupon toward Corporate Voice.

Readability Plus is available from Public Brand Software, CompuServe, PC-LINK, and all the leading shareware sources, or for a $4.95 shipping fee by calling (301) 294-7450.