Freeware (from "free" and "software") is computer software Computer software, or just software, is a general term primarily used for digitally stored data such as computer programs and other kinds of information read and written by computers. Today, this includes data that has not traditionally been associated with computers, such as film, tapes and records. The term was coined in order to contrast to the that is available for use at no cost or for an optional fee.[1] Software referred to as freeware is almost always proprietary The term proprietary software is often used to mean computer software which is neither free nor open source . Terminology for forms of software licensing is not fully standardized and can be controversial. A literal meaning of "proprietary" in relation to software is that it has a copyright owner who can exercise control over what users. Software that is commercial is occasionally referred to as payware Commercial software, or less commonly, payware, is computer software that is produced for sale or that serves commercial purposes.
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History
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The term freeware was coined by Andrew Fluegelman Andrew Cardozo Fluegelman was a publisher, programmer and attorney best known as the inventor of what is now known as the shareware business model for software marketing. He was also the founding editor of both PC World and Macworld and the leader of the 1970s New Games movement which advocated the development of noncompetitive games when he wanted to sell a communications program named PC-Talk PC-Talk was a communications software program. It was one of the first three widely popular software products sold via the marketing method that became known as shareware. It was originally written by Andrew Fluegelman, in late 1982 that he had created but for which he did not wish to use traditional methods of distribution because of their cost.[2] Fluegelman actually distributed PC-Talk via a process now referred to as shareware The term shareware refers to proprietary software that is provided to users without payment on a trial basis and is often limited by any combination of functionality, availability or convenience. Shareware is often offered as a download from an Internet website or as a compact disc included with a periodical such as a newspaper or magazine. The. Current use of the term freeware does not necessarily match the original concept by Andrew Fluegelman.
Criteria
Software classified as freeware is normally fully functional for an unlimited time with no cost, monetary or otherwise. Freeware can be proprietary software The term proprietary software is often used to mean computer software which is neither free nor open source . Terminology for forms of software licensing is not fully standardized and can be controversial. A literal meaning of "proprietary" in relation to software is that it has a copyright owner who can exercise control over what users available at zero price.[3] The author usually restricts one or more rights to copy, distribute, and make derivative works of the software.[4] The software license A software license is a legal instrument (by way of contract law) governing the usage or redistribution of software. All software is copyright protected, except material in the public domain. Contractual confidentiality is another way of protecting software. A typical software license grants an end-user permission to use one or more copies of may impose restrictions on the type of use including personal use, individual use, non-profit use, non-commercial use, academic use, commercial use or any combination of these. For instance, the license may be "free for personal, non-commercial use".
Accordingly, freeware may or may not be free and open source software Free and open source software, also F/OSS, FOSS, or FLOSS is software that is liberally licensed to grant the right of users to use, study, change, and improve its design through the availability of its source code. This approach has gained both momentum and acceptance as the potential benefits have been increasingly recognized by both individuals and, in order to distinguish, the Free Software Foundation The Free Software Foundation is a non-profit corporation founded by Richard Stallman on 4 October 1985 to support the free software movement, a copyleft-based movement which aims to promote the universal freedom to create, distribute and modify computer software. The FSF is incorporated in Massachusetts, USA asks users to avoid calling free software Free software, software libre or libre software is software that can be used, studied, and modified without restriction, and which can be copied and redistributed in modified or unmodified form either without restriction, or with minimal restrictions only to ensure that further recipients can also do these things and that manufacturers of consumer- as "freeware".[5] The principal difference being that free software can be used, studied, and modified without restriction; free software embodies the concept of freedom to use, while freeware that of free-of-charge. Freeware is also different from shareware The term shareware refers to proprietary software that is provided to users without payment on a trial basis and is often limited by any combination of functionality, availability or convenience. Shareware is often offered as a download from an Internet website or as a compact disc included with a periodical such as a newspaper or magazine. The; the latter obliges the user to pay after some trial period or to gain additional functionality.[6]
See also
- Free Software Movement The free software movement is a social movement which aims to enable users to access and modify software free of cost. The alternative terms "software libre", "open source", and "FOSS" are associated with the free software movement. Although drawing on traditions and philosophies among members of the 1970s hacker
- Gratis versus Libre Gratis versus libre is the distinction between two meanings of the English word "free"; namely, "for zero price" and "with few or no restrictions" (libre). The ambiguity of "free" can cause issues where the distinction is important, as it often is in dealing with laws concerning the use of information, such
- List of commercial video games released as freeware Commercial video games released as freeware are games that, in their original license, were not considered freeware, but were re-released at a later date with a freeware license, sometimes as publicity for a forthcoming sequel or compilation release
- List of freeware games This is a list of freeware video games implemented as traditional executable files that must be downloaded and installed. Freeware games are games that are released as freeware and can be downloaded and played, free of charge, for an unlimited amount of time and may be redistributed
- Shareware The term shareware refers to proprietary software that is provided to users without payment on a trial basis and is often limited by any combination of functionality, availability or convenience. Shareware is often offered as a download from an Internet website or as a compact disc included with a periodical such as a newspaper or magazine. The
References
- ^ "Freeware" (2010). Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. Accessed January 13, 2010.
- ^ Fisher.hu
- ^ Dixon, Rod (2004). Open Source Software Law. Artech House. p. 4. ISBN The International Standard Book Number is a unique numeric commercial book identifier based upon the 9-digit Standard Book Numbering (SBN) code created by Gordon Foster, now Emeritus Professor of Statistics at Trinity College, Dublin, for the booksellers and stationers W.H. Smith and others in 1966 9781580537193. http://books.google.com/books?id=9b_vVPf53xcC&pg=PA4&dq=%22free+software%22+freeware#PPA4,M1. Retrieved 2009-03-16. "On the other hand, freeware does not require any payment from the licensee or end-user, but it is not precisely free software, despite the fact that to an end-user the software is acquired in what appears to be an identical manner."
- ^ Graham, Lawrence D (1999). Legal battles that shaped the computer industry. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 175. ISBN The International Standard Book Number is a unique numeric commercial book identifier based upon the 9-digit Standard Book Numbering (SBN) code created by Gordon Foster, now Emeritus Professor of Statistics at Trinity College, Dublin, for the booksellers and stationers W.H. Smith and others in 1966 9781567201789. http://books.google.com/books?id=c6IS3RnN6qAC&pg=PA175&dq=%22Legal+battles+that+shaped+the+computer+industry%22+%22from+the+beginning+of+the+computer+age%22. Retrieved 2009-03-16. "Freeware, however, is generally only free in terms of price; the author typically retains all other rights, including the rights to copy, distribute, and make derivative works from the software."
- ^ FSF.org
- ^ The Linux Information Project (2006-10-22). "Freeware Definition". http://www.linfo.org/freeware.html. Retrieved 2009-06-12.
External links
- Freeware at the Open Directory Project The Open Directory Project , also known as Dmoz (from directory.mozilla.org, its original domain name), is a multilingual open content directory of World Wide Web links. It is owned by Netscape, but it is constructed and maintained by a community of volunteer editors
Categories: Freeware | Software licenses Categories: Software by license | Software distribution | Copyright licenses | Computer law | Contract law
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Mon, 16 Aug 2010 12:39:34 GMT+00:00
Downloadsquad (blog) By the way, while you're there, you should really check out the entire Nattyware site. They have some very nice freeware utilities, other than Feewhee.
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Materias Especial E de gratis freguesia escrito por Rodrigo Martin Macedo em 24 de julho de 2009
Thu, 22 Jan 2009 18:35:54 PST
One of the great things about Youtube is the fact that there are so many great videos. Unfortunately, one of the flaws is it doesn't let you ... youtube.com.
Ishan
hu, 26 Aug 2010 06:00:02 GM
Sofonica Folder Soldier is a free software to hide multiple folders, and password protect them. Download Sofonica Folder Soldier Free.
Q. I have a usb microphone, but it only record voice on my computer, but I need a freeware program that amplifies voice in real-time. Hope someone can help!
Asked by Andrew - Fri Oct 30 17:53:21 2009 - - 1 Answers - 0 Comments
