Releasing your software

Releasing your software
Please feel free to correct my text and add anything I have missed.

Are you ready to release your program? You properly have not included all the things that a program needs to be successful especially when you are selling it. I have listed things that it is best to include when releasing your program to make it successful.

First off you need to test your program. This is not just simply using running the program and using it to see if it works. You have to do everything and anything the users could do. Also try to break the program by doing things wrong. This way you will eliminate as many bugs as possible. After this you should give your program to other people to test they are likely to find more bugs. Also when the program is released it is best to have a method by which people can tell you about bugs they find.

Now you need to consider what other files are needed by the program make sure all theses are in the right place and they are the right files.

A help file/manual is a must have. In the help file/manual their must be information on whohow to use the program. The help file/ manual will also have steps on what to do if the program is not working properly. Some answers to problems can be included in the help file if they are commonly occurring problems. A question and answer section is also good to include an example is shown below:

Q. How do I open an image file?
A. Click on file in the menu and then click open and select the image file you wish to open.

After you have got all the files together you need to make an installation package. Installation packages make it easy for the files to be put on the users’ computer in the correct place and add a shortcut to the start menu and the desktop. You can get software that creates installation packages for you a free example is Install creator by click team you can get it from [[http://www.clickteam.com/English/install_creator.htm|__http://www.clickteam.com/English/install_creator.htm__]] .

Once you have created the install package you need to copyright your program and its name and your company name. There is nothing worse than having spent years creating a program then someone comes takes its and sells it as there own.

A notable icon for your program is good and if it the program opens and creates files then have the same icon for the files.

Now you must have away to distribute your program lots of programs now are downloaded of the internet this is ok for small programs but if your program is large for example over one gigabyte then it is best to use some other method. CDs and DVDs are good methods buy which to distribute your program if it is large. The CD/DVD must have an attractive box if it is going to be on the shop selves. You must also consider stopping people copying the contents of the CD/DVD on to a new CD/DVD. If they could copy the CD/DVD then they could give out the copies for free or sell them.

You must create a website for you software or place information about it on a website. The website will allow people to look at information about the software. You should include away to buy the software from the website as many purchases are done over the web now. The website could contain screenshots of the program and maybe a demo or trial version which will allow the users to try before they buy attracting more potential customers. If you have a demo you should not include all the features of the program miss out some of the good ones which will encourage the users to get the full version. Also include a popup window ever time the user closes the demo saying what is in the full version and a link to the website where you can buy it. Trial versions should be sort periods of time 60 days is a good time amount or you could limit the number of uses to ten for example.

After you release your program be sure to provide updates if you find bugs in you program after it is released. This is often referred to as patch for a program. You can get a patch making program form [[http://www.clickteam.com/English/patch_maker.htm|__http://www.clickteam.com/English/patch_maker.htm__]]
The patch should contain all the files that have been changed not all of them. The files should also be updated into the correct place and the updated program should have a different version number.

Finally you are ready to realise your program but lastly thinks is my program good enough of not you will not make money and will have wasted money releasing it. If your program is FREE then that’s grate everyone likes free software. Just be sure not to leave your self thinking I should have sold it not made it free.

By Alex Barfoot