Distributing my programs

[2003 UB313]

The only way to get motivated to do further programming is by marketing the old programs that I did.
There is no point in keeping programs that I did with so much effort to myself.

(I haven't done any big project so far, but I have the ability to do that now.
But before starting any big project, I should get good faith that it will be distributed to public properly)

WHAT IS THE PROCEDURE TO MARKET THE PROGRAMS THAT I DO SO WITH?
I am just 22 years old, and I am completely ignorant of such a phenomenon.
I do lot of programs with so much effort, but everything goes in vain.

I am not interested in going for Job right now. My interest area is in Mathematics,
and my ambition is to do research or teaching in Mathematics. But rather I would prefer that Programming in Visual Basic
should be done as a Hobby, not as a Profession. But it has to be distributed so that anyone can use that.
How to do that?

I don't wish to do programs that someone assigns to me, let alone my own. I respect
creativity. My own programs, done out of my own interest will be much more powerful
than those than routinely at some company.

Please elaborate to me in detail about electronic business, where that can be done so.
My parents are totally ignorant about that.

[Hack]

Are you interested in giving them away as FreeWare, or selling them?

[baja_yu]

If you want to sell, you can look up some affiliate sales program, like eSellerate. They do everything for you in regards to payment processing, all you have to do is integrate their shopping cart code into your website. And you can also set a percentage you want to give to affiliates, so they sign up to sell your software on their own website for a commission.

[2003 UB313]

Are you interested in giving them away as FreeWare, or selling them?

Please explain procedures for both of them. Anything new of your opinion besides eSellerate?

Notice that the first few projects that I do of my own interest will be relatively simple; so they can't be expected to be sold at higher rates. But they will be very interesting to use. I have seen plenty of projects that are being done up today (like 3D games, computer playing chess, etc.) that can no way done by me at this moment. But my programs such as "traditional version of Pachisi" or "Clue" will be new and hard to program as well.

Any program that is done can only be distributed if the customers only like that. How to know which all projects is under demand from customers? Who are the customers over here, by the way? In other words, how can I do so with an electronic business with my programs with that "customers"? I can always choose up that programs that interests me a lot always.

[baja_yu]

To see what applications are in demand you can do light research on sites like www.download.com and www.twocows.net, searching for applicaitons similar to yours, seeing how much downloads they got, are they free or paid. In any ways, especially if you are selling, having your own website would be good.
You can also submit your applications to sites like Download and Twocows so they appear on them, but they have rigorous quality testing, not just any application can get on there.

[2003 UB313]

I noticed that most of the demanding applications are those such as
Anti Virus software, Video format converter, etc.

These system software, I have no idea about their internal encoding,
nor can I do it alone as a single person quickly. As a single person,
I can do applications such as "Snakes" or "Tetris". These are much simple programs that I give up as an example, I can do complicated programs as well, like "Carrom Board" or "Mastermind". These are relatively easy programs to start up with, for a single person like me. Does amateur's applications don't have any demand at all?

As a single person, for the beginning, I can only be able to do so with applications like these. My intention is to distribute them up. Any additional comments upon these much simpler programs as well?

How does a simple program, that has been newly added up at one of those websites that you have mentioned up, catch up with the general attention of that public people?