How to create a Terms Of Use page

Hi All,

I have developed a small application and wish to make it available as
free download on the internet.

1. On the Home page, when the user clicks on "Download" button, the
Terms Of Use page opens.

2. The Terms Of Use page displays the following :

- The terms of use text in a scrollable area on the page

- I accept/Not accept radio buttons

- "Download Now" button. If "I accept" is not selected,
"Download Now" button remains inactive/disabled.


3. Clicking on the Download Now button (once it becomes active), the
download begins.

Question 1 : Could you put me to some tutorial on the net that shows
how to implement this ? I have scoured the internet and had no luck.

Question 2 : Do you have some example code which I can probably use
and modify a bit for my website ?



Kind Regards
Joseph

Re: How to create a Terms Of Use page

Scripsit jmkc888@yahoo.com:

> I have developed a small application and wish to make it available as
> free download on the internet.

OK. Set up a page that describes it and contains a link to the
application, for loading. Then consider how to create links that point
to that page.

But you seem to ask for help in making the download less attractive and
more foolish-looking.

> 1. On the Home page, when the user clicks on "Download" button, the
> Terms Of Use page opens.

Nobody reads those terms. You cannot prove that someone has read them.
So just think positively: put a few sentences containing the _most
relevant_ (to users) terms on the description page, together with the
terms themselves at the end of that page (or behind a link). And say
something nice and positive, especially if you have something negative
to say after it. Like "You may freely use this software for any purpose
but not modify or redistribute it. Please refer people to this page if
you wish to help others to get the program."

A "Download" button is seldom useful. A link is a link is a link.

> - The terms of use text in a scrollable area on the page

In stamp size, with 9px font size, I guess, to complete the impression
of total foolishness and to add insult to injury.

> Question 2 : Do you have some example code which I can probably use
> and modify a bit for my website ?

Re: How to create a Terms Of Use page

On Wed, 9 Apr 2008 19:34:52 -0700 (PDT), jmkc888@yahoo.com wrote:

>Hi All,
>
>I have developed a small application and wish to make it available as
>free download on the internet.
>
>1. On the Home page, when the user clicks on "Download" button, the
>Terms Of Use page opens.
>
>2. The Terms Of Use page displays the following :
>
> - The terms of use text in a scrollable area on the page
>
> - I accept/Not accept radio buttons
>
> - "Download Now" button. If "I accept" is not selected,
>"Download Now" button remains inactive/disabled.
>
>
>3. Clicking on the Download Now button (once it becomes active), the
>download begins.
>
>Question 1 : Could you put me to some tutorial on the net that shows
>how to implement this ? I have scoured the internet and had no luck.
>
>Question 2 : Do you have some example code which I can probably use
>and modify a bit for my website ?
>
>
You have to write a "form" and work with javascript.
Javascript works before the "download" action.
The javascript command "Alert" will tell the user that he needs to
accept the "Term Of Use" -then abort(so the action download button is
disabled if he did not agree))

Re: How to create a Terms Of Use page

Raymond SCHMIT wrote:

> You have to write a "form" and work with javascript.
> Javascript works before the "download" action.
> The javascript command "Alert" will tell the user that he needs to
> accept the "Term Of Use" -then abort(so the action download button is
> disabled if he did not agree))

And if the visitor has JavaScript disabled, what then?

Jukka is corrected here, you cannot really. Just put a brief statement
as to your conditions and a simple link. If you really want EULA
agreement confirmation then build it into your app's installer. If they
don't agree it won't install.

--
Take care,

Jonathan
-------------------
LITTLE WORKS STUDIO
http://www.LittleWorksStudio.com

Re: How to create a Terms Of Use page

Jukka K. Korpela wrote:
> Scripsit jmkc888@yahoo.com:
>
>> I have developed a small application and wish to make it available as
>> free download on the internet.
>
> OK. Set up a page that describes it and contains a link to the
> application, for loading. Then consider how to create links that point
> to that page.
>
> But you seem to ask for help in making the download less attractive and
> more foolish-looking.
>
>> 1. On the Home page, when the user clicks on "Download" button, the
>> Terms Of Use page opens.
>
> Nobody reads those terms. You cannot prove that someone has read them.

You can't prove someone has read a written contract with his signature
at the bottom either. The issue is not whether one can prove that he's
read it but whether one can prove that he's agreed to follow it, read or
unread. That's where the disparity lies.

Nevertheless, it prevents the argument from coming up later, "But how
was I supposed to know?" There's a difference between the strong
argument, "I didn't know because he didn't inform me," and the lame
argument, "I didn't know because I didn't bother to read it."

> So just think positively: put a few sentences containing the _most
> relevant_ (to users) terms on the description page, together with the
> terms themselves at the end of that page (or behind a link). And say
> something nice and positive, especially if you have something negative
> to say after it. Like "You may freely use this software for any purpose
> but not modify or redistribute it. Please refer people to this page if
> you wish to help others to get the program."

I agree with that. The scrollable div is foolish. Terms of use that
during the course of installing software on a computer appear in a
scrolling text box because the window is a non-scrolling OS-type modal
dialog box. In a browser, the page already scrolls, so it's pointless to
mimic the scrolling text box from the client-side installation design
rather than using normal web-based design.