This content has been archived, and is no longer maintained by Indiana University. Information here may no longer be accurate, and links may no longer be available or reliable. Show Shareware, freeware, and public domain are software categories defined by how programs may be distributed, copied, used, and modified. SharewareShareware software is distributed at low (or sometimes no) cost, but usually requires payment and registration for full legal use. Copies are distributed on a trial basis. You are free to test the software, see if it matches your needs, and decide whether it's a good value. Order forms or advertisements included in the program or on the distribution disk usually tell you how to register the program and what fee is required. Registered users of a shareware program will typically receive a printed manual, an updated copy of the software, often with additional features, and the legal right to use the program in their home or business. Shareware is not free software, since authors of shareware programs expect payment from those who intend to use the programs regularly. However, it does have the advantage over standard commercial software that you may thoroughly test a program to see if it's useful before making a purchase. Shareware is generally written by individuals or small companies, and its quality and level of support vary widely. In some cases, however, shareware packages are actually more capable than corresponding commercial software, and some commercial programs got their start being marketed as shareware. While shareware may be freely copied, companies may not charge fees for copies that significantly exceed their duplication and handling costs. The authors of shareware programs also retain their copyright on the contents, and you may not modify such programs or distribute modified copies. FreewareFreeware is also distributed at minimal cost, but in this case the authors do not expect payment for their work. Typically, freeware programs are small utilities or incomplete programs that authors release for their potential benefit to others, but without support. The author of a freeware program may still retain a copyright on its contents and stipulate that others not modify the program or charge significant fees for its use or distribution. Public domain softwarePublic domain software is not copyrighted. It is released without any conditions upon its use, and may be used without restriction. This type of software generally has the lowest level of support available. Related softwareOpen-source software is jointly developed software that can be used, shared, borrowed, or changed without restriction. For more, see About open source software and the Open Source Initiative Other programs may fall in between or overlap these categories. Some authors may ask for charitable donations in return for the use of their software. Still others may distribute free software as a form of advertising, sometimes called "bannerware". If you purchase large volumes of low cost software for your personal computer, carefully study the accompanying license agreements and terms of use. Such software generally falls into these categories, and programs whose authors expect payment for their use should not be mistaken for free software.
About copyright infringement notices
Freeware is copyrighted computer software which is made available for use free of charge, for an unlimited time. Authors of freeware often want to "give something to the community", but also want to retain control of any future development of the software.
In 1982, Andrew Fluegelman created a telecommunications program for IBM PC and named it PC-Talk. He used the term freeware for PC-Talk and that was how this word was coined. Within a few months of this, Bob Wallace developed a word processor, PC-Write and called it shareware. But Andrew Fluegelman initially did not distribute the software freely, thus making it a shareware. License and copyrightThe Copyright laws are applicable to both Freeware and shareware, and the copyright holder retains all rights. The authors or developers of freeware and shareware are programmers and their programs are of comparable quality. The software license may impose some restrictions on the type of use of software including personal use, individual use, non-profit use, non-commercial use, academic use, commercial use or any combination of these. The license may be "free for personal, non-commercial use." DistributionThe main difference lies with the method of distribution. For freeware, ideally there is no charge for using the software. Under EULA, the author gives the permission to copy and distribute the software, either to all or to a specific group. Freeware distribution gives users a chance to try software and continue to use it for no payment or some acknowledgement (Ex. a thank you note, suggestions, comments, user experience etc.). Shareware distribution gives users a chance to try the software before buying it. If someone wants to use the shareware program for a long time then he may have to buy it. In shareware, the developer omits the normal distribution channel and the retail middleman and directly markets it to the end user. This results in a reduced end-user price. Also users of shareware are encouraged to copy and distribute unregistered versions of the software to friends, colleagues for the purpose of their trying it out with the understanding that they will pay for it if they continue to use it. CriticismThe main problem with freeware is the lack of support if a program does not run properly. Some freeware have inbuilt advertisements, through which adware may get installed in the users system. Time FrameWhile freeware is a no strings attached software with no time limit to it, shareware may just be a limited feature software to be used free for a certain period. After which the user may be asked to purchase it. References
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