The future of MagicWB - will there be any?

I would like to use this moment to speak to all MagicWB users as the author of my product.

A lot of users have asked me in the last months when they could expect a new MagicWB version with a new color scheme and more colors. With the release of MagicWB 2.0 I have already agreed that I will continue the development of MagicWB if the response to MagicWB 2.0 would be good.

Unfortunately I am more than disappointed at the lack of readiness of the Amiga users to support good shareware (that they use every day). In the last months I have well monitored the spreading and establishment of MagicWB and I can almost find it on any Amiga (even in department stores). Various tests prove it again and again that so many users do use MagicWB 2.0 on the one hand, but only few of them actually registered it on the other hand.

Only a fraction has registered MagicWB during the last year (i.e. 0.04% of all potential users have registered it). I would like to express my gratitude here to all those who were honest enough to support this project with their registrations.

But to all those who have used MagicWB unregistered for quite some time now and who read this text, I would like to say the following:

You can not just expect others to register and support the further development of MagicWB, since other people unfortunately think the same way and this thinking has the result that I am no longer willing to invest so much time in a new version when I get so little feedback from the unregistered MagicWB users.

A new MagicWB costs me a lot of time and hard work and I expect to receive a certain incentive to do this by brushing up my pocket money. I am not working on MagicWB to improve it for myself, instead I do this because the users urge me to do it and because they reward me for doing it through their registrations. However it is not worth the energy and time any longer if no one registers MagicWB.

There are already specific plans in existence (since 1995) for a totally new and more colorful MagicWB. But I have frozen this project temporarily because I can not see a sense in it if only a fraction will register it. However I would really prefer to continue the MagicWB project... but for nothing I also won't do a thing!

Why am I writing this text? Well, I intend to address especially those who have not registered MagicWB to this day and give them food for thought: Without your support for MagicWB I will not continue it. One can not always take without giving. Shareware is based on mutuality ("to share").

I will now make this offer to all those who were too lazy to register: The "public release" of MagicWB 2.0 and especially this new website are means for me to test if you are still interested in a further development of MagicWB. I have made the registration process as easy as ever possible through new and very comfortable registration methods. So, from now on there should be no valid reason to say that you would register MagicWB if the registration would be easier. It is now the easiest thing it could get! If you don't register MagicWB now but have it still running on your Amiga, you are indirectly saying "no" to a future version and continued development of MagicWB.

This test is the last opportunity to tell me that you use MagicWB, that you like it and that you are interested in future releases of MagicWB by registering and thereby supporting it. Unfortunately I do not have any other possibilities to find that out:

The test extends over the coming months. The amount of new-registered users in this test period will be decisive of the future of MagicWB and if I will continue my work on it. If the amount of registrations within this period is not going to improve I will interpret this as a "no" to any further development of MagicWB and will eventually have to stop this project (as much as I would regret it).

It is indeed pitiable that I have to write this, but as always the subject "software pirating" also fits here: The more successful a software product is the more is it going to be pirated with the result that more and more users do not recognize the moral sense of duty to purchase a product they use. With this attitude these people will destroy more than they think (or intend). Please don't let me down -- I would love to continue the development of MagicWB and make the Amiga a better computer.

The test begins...




I also encourage you to copy & save this MWB-Now-Button and to place it on your homepage and also convince others to use it. With that you can actively support MagicWB and ensure its future for the Amiga. Thank you!