VENDINFO Usage by ASP Shareware Authors Passes 60%

Parker, Colorado -- May 19, 1995 -- More than 60% of new shareware products
produced by members of the Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP)
now use the VENDINFO Product Information System.

ASP is the largest and most influential trade association in the shareware
industry, and its 1400+ members include a majority of the industry's
serious publishers. The ASP CD-ROM of members' products is therefore a
useful barometer of shareware packaging trends.

Here is a table showing the percentage of ASP member products using
VENDINFO, by product release date. These figures are based on the May 1995
ASP CD-ROM. VENDINFO was introduced in January, 1994.

                           Quarter    %
                          ===============
                           1Q 1994   10%
                           2Q 1994   27%
                           3Q 1994   32%
                           4Q 1994   40%
                           1Q 1995   52%
                           2Q 1995   63%

The substantial and steadily growing use of VENDINFO by these authors
indicates clearly that VENDINFO is becoming the industry standard for
communication of product information and distribution policies.

VENDINFO is a system for conveying software product information and
distribution permissions from the author to distributors and users. A
standard file format allows a VENDINFO.DIZ file to carry extensive
information in a compressed, efficient form. VENDINFO provides
unprecedented capabilities for

   o  Communication of product information and distribution policies
      from author to distributors and users.

   o  Enforceable distribution policies.

   o  Automation of many aspects of package handling by shareware
      distributors of all types, including sysops, disk vendors, and
      CD-ROM publishers.

"No matter how great the merits, acceptance of an industry standard such as
VENDINFO requires patience and perseverance", said Rudy Ramsey, President
of Rams' Island Software. "When a 'critical mass' is reached, the benefits
rapidly increase for everyone. It's clear that the industry is steadily
adopting VENDINFO. With substantial numbers of authors now using VENDINFO,
more and more distributors will be able to automate significant portions
of their operations. ZiffNet, Genie, and the new Microsoft Net are among
those who have already done so, but small disk vendors, CD-ROM publishers,
and even individual BBSes can now benefit from the use of VENDINFO."

VENDINFO information and tools are available by download or FidoNet file
request from the Rams' Island BBS (see below) and from:

      CompuServe ASP (lib 5), UKSHARE (lib 12), and EDFORUM (lib 2)
      Ziff Interactive
      Public Brand Software BBS

They are also available via the ASP CD-ROM, PsL CD-ROM, SDN and ADN BBSes,
and various other sources. Rams' Island Software will also provide them by
direct mail for a small fee.

VENDINFO packages include

    VNDINF10.ZIP -- VENDINFO.DIZ standard and information
    VNDNFO12.ZIP -- VENDINFO Toolkit (editor, processor)
    VNDVUE11.ZIP -- VendView end-user's viewer.
    VNDUTL12.ZIP -- Utilities and frequently-updated data files.

 Rams' Island Software
 7644 E. Lakecliff Way                   _______
 Parker, CO 80134-5904 (USA)        ____|__     |                (R)
                                 --|       |    |-------------------
 Voice:    (303) 841-2848          |   ____|__  |  Association of
 BBS/FAX:  (303) 841-6269          |  |       |_|  Shareware
 CompuServe: 76244,324             |__|   o   |    Professionals
                                 -----|   |   |---------------------
 FidoNet:  1:104/333                  |___|___|    MEMBER
 RIME:     1235
 Internet: 76244.324@compuserve.com

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