Free


"Free" means (in this case) that you pay no money to me to use the software. You download it for free, and there is no registration. It can also mean that you are free to copy and redistribute the software under the same terms. See below for the official language.

Almost


"Almost" means that there are still some things I ask you to do if you use the software. These are listed below. It's true that these are not listed in the official license, and I will probably never know if you do not do these things. But if you don't, your conscience will haunt you the rest of your life.
  1. Please include our logo on a prominent place on your site, such as your home page or close to it, with a link to "http://www.mainebrook.com/shoestring/". (You may resize it a bit smaller, if you wish.)
  2. Please make a donation, for any amount you choose, to a non-profit organization of your choice. Since one person's worthy cause may be another's partisan politics, I would ask that you please choose an organization whose work deals with one of the following categories (some of which may reflect my partisan politics, but hey, I'm the author here): child and teen development, conflict resolution, cultural diversity, domestic abuse issues, the environment, homelessness, hunger, substance abuse, or theatre and the arts. In your donation, please note why you are donating, mentioning Shoestring CMS by name. You may wish to use our donation letter template.
  3. Patronize the products and sites I have listed to the left.
  4. Optional: Have a beer (or alternative of your choice) for me! Let me know what your favorite is! (Note: This choice should only be taken in addition to, not instead of, the other choices!)


The Legal Agreement

This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.

This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU General Public License for more details.


Sites we like*:

(All links to other sites will open in a new window)

Bike Forums
A great resource for bicyclists of all sorts, with over a dozen boards on all aspects of cycling: transportation, recreational, mechanics, safety, and advocacy.

Donation Links
This site is dedicated to matching public, private, and corporate donations and resources with community agencies.

Hunger Site
The Hunger Site and its affiliates direct money to worthy causes with the click of a button.

IGC
IGC Interent is about advancing the work of progressive organizations and individuals for peace, social justice, and sustainability through the strategic use of the internet.

IdealsWork
IdealsWork, Inc. is a leading provider of technology and web-based services for individuals and organizations that are thoughtful about social and financial issues. Our mission is to empower individuals and organizations to align their actions with their values.

Modest Needs
At Modest Needs, we work together to help others by pooling our modest resources - our time, our skills, and whatever money we have to spare - in an effort to make a lasting difference in this world, one person's life at a time.

No More AOL CD's
This group is trying to collect 1 million AOL install CD's. When they get them (they have 250,000 so far), they are going to ship them back to AOL to protest their wasteful blanketing of landfills with unsolicited CD's.

Reel Mower
Do you mow a lawn? A reel mower does not use gas, pollute, smell, or make a lot of noise.

Save the Hubble
This is a petition dedicated to showing public support for the Hubble Space Telescope, which NASA recently decreed would no longer be serviced.

Working Assets
Working Assets provides a number of financial services with a percentage of profit going to progressive causes, as well as on-line activism and shopping.

* These sites are offered by Shoestring CMS as worthwhile sites to visit and interact with, to the best of our determination. This does not constitute a legal endorsement, and Shoestring CMS cannot be held liable for any action on the part of these sites, or for their content. Shoestring CMS is not contractually affiliated with any of these sites.