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+# Advice for shareware and demo software
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+Disclaimer: this site does not speak for Commander Commputers. Our policies apply strictly to posting files and content on this forum and web site. The following are our opinions and not legal advice. 
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+We've been asked if we have a policy regarding commercial software. To date, we have not seen any commercial programs for the Commander X16, but I fully expect to see someone willing to try to sell games and other apps for this computer. 
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+If nothing else, Copyright law allows you to write your own computer software and other content for any computer, with or without license from 8-Bit Productions. This includes programs you may choose to sell. Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo use technological protection measures to stop you from making unlicensed software for their computers. The Commander X16 does not have any of these tricks. If you can code for the 6502, you can code for the Commander. 
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+However, we have thoughts about commercial demos and shareware previews. We have even more thoughts about "free to play" games and Software As A Service. So [i]when it comes to this forum[/i], we don't allow commercial software. If you upload a program here, it must be free to use, without restriction. This means no time bombs, time-locked dialogs, or other tricks to make the demo version annoying and/or unusable. People should be able to download a program, knowing they have something useful, fun, or entertaining, without being nagged or pressured into spending more money. 
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+This doesn't prohibit demos or shareware previews. It just means you need to be respectful in the way you advertise the full version.
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+So how can you direct people to buy the full version of a demo?
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+You can put a display ad in your program, similar to a banner ad on a web site. We suggest placing a single advertisement in the title screen or load file dialog in such a manner that the ad doesn't require dismissal or waiting, beyond the function of that dialog. You might also place an ad on the "quit" screen, letting the user know there's a larger game they can purchase from you. A single "press any key to exit" prompt there would be acceptable.
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+Another thing we are not going to participate in are the modern "free to play" mechanics, where kids are being asked to spend money to continue to progress in "free" games. Things like gacha, "play crystals", or other pay-to-play mechanics won't sit well with the community and will result in a game being removed from our files section. 
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+What works the best? Go back and look at the shareware demo for Doom. Yes, the first one. We could play the demo all the way through, with the first of 3 acts being available with no real constraints. The game didn't have any blocking messages asking you to buy it, but many of us were [i]eager[/i] to pay for the full game, since we wanted to play the second and third acts. 
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+Consider structuring your demo and shareware efforts similarly, creating a limited "first episode" and providing the rest of the series through your commercial distribution channel. 
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+With a little careful crafting, you can release demos of commercial software that are both usable on their own and also promote the purchase of the commercial version. Find that balance, and everyone wins.