[vpn-help] VPN Client for Windows Editions

Paul Theodoropoulos paul at anastrophe.com
Thu May 23 12:34:46 CDT 2013


I for one applaud the decision. The Shrew client is excellent software, 
it's not a small, one-trick-pony app. The donationware model can work, 
but it tends to rely on relentless reminders to donate, which can be as 
annoying as advertising (though typically one *can* shut it up by doing 
the right thing). I've donated to the Shrew project in the past, and was 
happy to do so (I think I donated $25). But again, the problem is that 
you either nag people or you don't make enough to cover the nut.

I would however encourage that pricing even for the paid version be low. 
Why? When an application starts out as free, *and* then offers a free 
version in addition to paid, the incentive is easily obliterated by a 
price for the paid version that's dramatically higher than free. Yeah, I 
know, even a penny is dramatically higher than free! But let me put it 
this way: at my current day job, we have an OpenVPN network (I still use 
Shrew with some of my consulting clients). When I first started at this 
company, I tried the standard OpenVPN client, and wasn't pleased. I 
didn't have time to hassle with it, so I took a look around and found 
Viscosity. It was easy, intuitive, and supported both Mac and PC. But 
the best part was it's only $9 after a 30 day trial.  With a price that 
low, it was a no-brainer to management - easier to set up new users, and 
so low that finance doesn't care at all. So the result is that I've 
deployed many $9 copies of Viscosity, where if it were a $45 
application, management would have said 'just make the free one work'. 
More sales in relative terms, much easier for even non-commercial users 
to justify.

Charge $45 for it, and every once in a while someone will buy it. Charge 
$9, (or $12, or $16, whatever) and dozens of people a month won't think 
twice about paying for it. You wind up with a steadier stream of income, 
and larger income in the long haul. Those who might only use the 
application on rare occasion will use the free version. Folks who would 
use it a dozen times a week will happily pay the cost.

Just IMHO.


On 5/22/13 11:00 PM, Matthew Grooms wrote:
> All,
>
> As many of you know, Shrew Soft has been distributing a free IPsec VPN 
> Client for more than 6 years. What may not be common knowledge is that 
> during the first 2 years of development, I was able to work on the VPN 
> client full time. This work was entirely self funded. As a result, we 
> were able to release version 1.0.0 through version 2.1.4. The software 
> improved at a very rapid pace with a total of 11 releases between Aug 
> 2006 and Nov 2008. At that point I was forced to take a full time job. 
> Over the next 4 and a half years, there have been 4 releases, the last 
> of which took 2 and a half years to produce. These days I have a full 
> time job as well as a part time job. In other words, the development 
> pace has slowed, an issue that directly correlates with the amount of 
> free time I have available.
>
> There is no shortage of work to be done when it comes to improving the 
> the VPN Client. Unfortunately, developing and maintaining a product of 
> this nature that runs on commercial operating systems is far from 
> free. At one point we had advertisements and donation links visible on 
> the site. Unfortunately, the revenue generated barely covered the cost 
> of co-location. This left all cost related to sanctioned Microsoft 
> kernel driver certification, Microsoft Developer Network 
> subscriptions, upgrading Microsoft Development tools and other 
> software, Class 3 Code signing certificates, hiring an outside 
> contract developers to improve kernel drivers and perform code audits, 
> buying lab hardware and other equipment ... the list goes on. After 
> weighing our options and turning down an offer from an established VPN 
> client vendor to acquire Shrew Soft Inc, we concluded that the only 
> way for the product to survive was to produce a commercial version. 
> This decision was partially motivated by the fact that the offer 
> wasn't very attractive and partially by the fear that, if we were 
> acquired, our free product would be shelved to reduce competition with 
> a high cost commercial alternative. And as the sole investor in Shrew 
> Soft Inc, shouldering the continued operational cost was quickly 
> loosing its appeal. To continue offering a freeware product, we also 
> need to introduce a premium product that generates a healthy revenue 
> stream. By doing so, full time development can resume. The overall 
> product quality will improve at a much faster pace and the cost of 
> continued development and operations will be offset.
>
> Who will pay to use the VPN Client and who will use it for free? After 
> pondering this question for quite some time, we came to the following 
> conclusion: If you need remote access to connect to a well funded 
> corporate office, then you can probably afford to pay a reasonable fee 
> to use our VPN client software. If you require need remote access to 
> connect to your small home office or business, then you can probably 
> live with a free VPN client that offers a moderately reduced feature 
> set. Professional vs Standard. Beginning with the next release, the 
> Shrew Soft VPN client will be available in two different editions.
>
> What will be the difference? The Standard Edition will offer feature 
> parity with the 2.1.0 release. It will be free to use for both 
> personal commercial use. The Professional Edition will include all the 
> features available in the Standard Edition, as well as additional 
> features that would be useful for users connecting to a corporate LAN. 
> The first Professional release will reintroduce support for Split DNS. 
> It will also include the Shrew Soft Security Credentials Provider for 
> Windows 7 and Windows 8. This feature will allow users to authenticate 
> against a Microsoft Windows AD/Domain via an IPsec VPN connection, 
> directly from the Windows login screen.
>
> How do I obtain the Professional edition? Both editions of the client 
> software will distributed as a single download. You will be prompted 
> to select the preferred edition during the installation procedure. If 
> the Professional edition is selected, the product will be installed in 
> an evaluation mode with a 14 day trial limit. If you decide you don't 
> need the additional features provided by the Professional edition, you 
> can simply re-install the client and select the Standard edition. 
> License keys for the Professional edition will be available for 
> purchase at our online store.
>
> How much will the Professional edition cost? We are still finalizing 
> our price model. But I can assure you, it will far less expensive than 
> other commercial solutions. This is partially due to the fact that we 
> won't be providing full support solutions. If your curious how much a 
> Universal IPsec VPN Client software license is selling for these days, 
> please visit one of the following web sites ....
>
> http://www.thegreenbow.com/
> http://www.ncp-e.com/
>
> Thanks for your time,
>
> -Matthew
> _______________________________________________
> vpn-help mailing list
> vpn-help at lists.shrew.net
> https://lists.shrew.net/mailman/listinfo/vpn-help

-- 
Paul Theodoropoulos
www.anastrophe.com

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