About Control-G

Making lots of different kinds of things can present some problems. It just so happens that I do make lots of different kinds of things – fonts, sound effect libraries, Mac OS software, databases, books – but getting the things I make into peoples' hands in such a way that they can get used and I can get paid a little has really been a problem.

My solution was to invent Control-G: an umbrella brand and an Internet-based distribution mechanism for my projects, based on the shareware paradigm. This site is now the place where I make my projects available to users. For users, it means the easiest possible 24-hour access to the products, and at lower prices than store-bought copies would have to bear. For me, it means I don't have to maintain a seperate relationship with a software publisher, and a book publisher, and a font publisher, etc.; because I'm selling licenses rather than physical goods I don't have to deal with governmental encumbrances like sales tax; and I really like being able to price the stuff so much lower, because there's no publisher to take such a big cut.

As far as philosophy, Control-G stuff is built and published with these principles in mind:

• The best reason to use a new tool is to save time
• Clear writing and good information design save time
• Tools should be optimized for the most often-used functions
• Specialized tools should interface with standard applications
• The best path from the creator to the consumer is the shortest path
• Products in general tend to be overpriced
• Overprotection of intellectual property generally does more harm
  than copyright infringement

           — Chris Grigg