Bowl101

 

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101 Computers Company Profile

Author of Bowl101 Randy Stowe

It wasn’t always such a robust offering. Bowl101 began as a small DOS program, written in Basic, in 1980 to add up the scores for a bowling league Sue was the secretary of. Over the next several years, as Sue became impressed with the time she was saving performing her weekly secretarial functions she began asking for more and more improvements. As long as she was preparing the meals I figured it was in my best interest to comply.

As Sue and I were, and still are, avid bowlers others became aware that Sue was using a program to do the secretary stuff for her leagues, and they asked if they could have a copy and so the trek began.

In 1988 I discovered a thing called "Shareware" whereby a person with a useful program for a small niche market, who didn’t have the resources to advertise and package it in the traditional way for retail sales, could make it available to others with the same need. Shareware was, and still is, a "Try It Before You Buy It" method for people to obtain software and use it before they purchase it. Since Shareware is on the "Honor System", you try it and if you like it you send the author a fee, authors typically protect themselves by holding back some critical pieces of their program until the program is registered by paying the fee. My first Shareware release of Bowl101 was the complete package except for the year-end stuff. Now we give you the full package and have a 5 week time lock on it, this will let you evaluate the full program for 5 weeks. Once the password is entered, you can continue on without interruption.

The response was overwhelming! Most users said, "I really like your program, "BUT"… "We need team handicaps, and you only have individual handicaps", "We need 4 games, you only have 3", "We don't let our handicaps exceed 100", and the list went on and on and on. So I started to add new features as fast as they were being suggested, one by one. Many users wanted to know what I would charge to design a version of the program to meet their specific needs. I couldn't find a fair price, as the modifications would cost more than the price of the program. I decided to charge nothing for modifications, if I could also get other users to use it. This way I could modify the program for Joe, for Mary, and for Jane, and hopefully these modifications would be the same ones others wanted.

At the time I was employed full time in a lumber mill and had been for 29 years, my PC was used strictly as a hobby. The fees for Bowl101 were a nice supplement to my salary from the lumber mill.

As the number of users grew into the hundreds I found it was becoming more and difficult to keep up with the phone calls for technical support, and requests for new functions. Something had to give, so I retired from the lumber mill and bet my financial future on making Bowl101 a success. So far so good we’re still eating. (12 years now)

From that humble beginning Bowl101 is now offered as a full-blown Windows95/98/XP 32-bit Bowling League Management System that addresses all of the functions of a league secretary, and/or treasurer. It is still offered as Shareware, you get the full software package free for a 5-week trial period. After that, if you like it and wish to continue using it, you register it for a nominal fee of $69.95. The CD at no additional charge.

I decided, early on that 101 Computers would not become so professional that we would lose contact with our users. Having had some experience dealing with software vendors I had some ideas on how I "did not want to be treated" as a user, and I figured others had the same feelings. Below are some of precepts we decided we would operate under.

1. Sue and I decided we wanted to make Bowl101 the best program available at any price, and we are still working toward this goal. We are never satisfied.
   
2. We decided that we did not want to become a professional software development business. We decided that we wanted to maintain the down home touch as people interested in bowling who are concerned with problems people have acting as secretaries and treasurers for bowling leagues. We did not want to be consumed with acting like a professional software development business divorced from our users.
   
3. We decided we would offer unlimited free technical support. We decided that this would include issues not directly concerned with Bowl101, such things as Windows95/98/XP problems, general questions on the duties of a league secretary of treasurer. In short if as a secretary or treasurer you encounter a problem while using Bowl101 call us, and we will try to help you.
   
4. We decided not to install an automated phone system, we figure that if you have a problem you want to talk to a person, not punch buttons on your phone, or listen to pretty music.
   
5. We also decided we didn’t want our users speaking with people not totally intimate with problems secretaries and treasurers run into using Bowl101. So Sue or I personally answer all calls. If for some reason we are not at home to take your call (golf or bowling perhaps), we have an answering machine that will take all of the necessary information, if you leave your name and number we will call you back when we return. We work 7 days a week, from 9:am to 9:pm, Pacific Time, instead of 9 to 5 like the professionals do.
   
6. We realized that unless we charged a higher registration fee we could not offer free technical support using an 800 number. So our compromise was; you pay for the call; we provide, unlimited, free technical support time.
   
7. If you require technical support but do not wish to pay long distance phone charges you can Email Randy Stowe at [bowl101@sbcglobal.net]. Include the Version of Bowl101w you are using and a description of the problem you encountered or a suggestion for improvement. We usually read our Emails several times a day so you should not have to wait long for an answer. If we need more information we may call you so please include your phone number.
   
8. We also decided that we didn’t want Bowl101 to be a static product and operate on a fixed release schedule, like the pro’s do. We do not offer new releases that obsolete your investment and force you to start over. Once you register your copy of Bowl101 you are allowed access to free upgrades for rest of the season, summer and winter leagues. If after that period, you wish to continue upgrading you may do so, for the next period, for a nominal fee of $40.00. This includes the latest installation CD. You may skip as many of these update periods as you wish to, and pick up the latest upgrade when you’re ready. As long as you’re happy why upgrade.
   
9. We are constantly making fixes and improvements. As soon as these upgrades are completed and tested, they are immediately made available on our Web Site ["http://www.bowl101.com/" where you may download them. Many of our users check the Web Site for upgrades before they begin their weekly use of Bowl101.
   

As an example of our desire to "make Bowl101 the best program available at any price" we realized that we would have to include the duties of the treasurer in Bowl101 if we were to reach our goal. So for the start of the 2000-2001 Fall Season we included functions for the treasurer in Bowl101, and we thought this addition would get us enough new users to offset the cost so we decided this would be available at no increase in price.

As an example of our responsiveness we realized it was going to be difficult for secretaries to be aware of some of the new average dependant awards put in place by the men’s and women’s sanctioning bodies (ABC/WIBC) for the 2000-2001 Fall Season. So we added the necessary programming to Bowl101 to isolate these from the weekly scores. At the same time we decided it would be nice if Bowl101 would prepare & print ABC, & WIBC awards forms ready to be signed & submitted. So we did this also.

We believe that Bowl101 is the most comprehensive Bowling League Management Package available, it addresses the tasks of both the League Secretary and the League Treasurer. Both of these functions are integrated into a single offering. If you serve in both positions this integrated approach will greatly minimize your weekly efforts. If, these positions are filled by different people and both use Bowl101 we offer a way for the Secretary to share the League Startup Data with the Treasurer so that each start out with common data on the first week.

Even though we have been given the highest possible rating, by the Shareware Professional Society we are not resting on our laurels we are still working hard to make Bowl101 the easiest to use Bowling League Management System, with the richest set of functions, on the planet. To see how we’re doing please go to our Testimonial Page at, [http://www.bowl101.com/testimonials.htm].

Well that’s who we are and where we came from. Even though Bowl101 has the same "touch and feel" of other professional program products purchased retail, we’re still not so professional that we do not deal directly with ours users, and we never will be.

Thanks for visiting!
Randy & Sue Stowe

For technical support please email us at bowl101bowl101@sbcglobal.net or call us at the number below, don't be nervous, I have talked to experts and novices alike and will make you feel at ease while helping you overcome any obstacles you have encountered with Bowl101

101 Computers
250 Annahy Dr.
Fortuna, CA 95540
707-725-9750
Office Hours 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM Pacific Time

Send mail to Randy Stowe bowl101@sbcglobal.net with questions or comments about this web site or Bowl101.
Last modified: 06/21/2007