[fsloth]

ID most certainly did not pioneer the shareware model. Shareware as a model is nearly as old as the personal computer.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shareware

[PhasmaFelis]

Technically correct, but the specific Apogee model of shareware (one free episode, two or more commercial episodes) was much more successful than the original model of distributing everything for free and politely asking people to pay for it; it was pioneered by Id's publisher Apogee.

[fsloth]

Ah, good point. I stand semi-corrected :)