FREEWARE

A PRESENTATION ON FREEWARE

1. The term freeware was coined by Andrew Fluegelman , when he wanted to sell in 1982 a communications program named PC-Talk that he had created. Fluegelman actually distributed PC-Talk via a process now referred to as shareware. current use of the term freeware does not necessarily match the original concept by Andrew Fluegelman .

2. According to the Free Software Foundation , "freeware " is a loosely defined category and it has no clear accepted definition, although FSF says it must be distinguished from free software. Popular examples of closed-source freeware include Adobe Reader, Free Studio and Skype , Adobe PDF, Google Talk, yahoo messenger, MSN messenger …. The term freeware was used often in the 1980s and 1990s for programs released , with source code not available. Authors of freeware often want to "give something to the community", but also want to retain control of any future development of the software.

3. software that is available for use at no monetary cost or for an optional fee but usually closed source with one or more restricted usage rights. contrast to commercial software, which is typically sold for profit but might be distributed for a business or commercial purpose in the aim to expand the market share of a "premium" product.

4. FREE SOFTWARE Free Software Foundation defines free software as software that gives its users the freedom to share, study and modify it . It has no copyright or other restrictions for distributing, modifying and using the software in any way. Mozilla Firefox, vim , pidgin, GNU Coreutils , Linux kernel. Copyright GNU General Public License or sometime similar . For example, a software developer may choose to make her software available for download and use on her website. This software may be freeware if downloaded for personal use but commercial use may require a fee. In either case, if it is prohibited to freely distribute (for any purpose) or modify the software, then this freeware is not free software.

5. Freeware v. free software The "free" in "freeware" refers to the price of the software, which is typically proprietary and distributed without source code. the "free" in "free software" refers to freedoms granted users under the software license (for example, to modify and redistribute the program to others), and such software may be sold at a price. freeware is defined only by its price, the term may also refer to public domain software . Some freeware products are released alongside separate paid versions with more or better features. This approach is known as freemium ("free" + "premium"), since the free version is intended as a promotion for the premium version

6. User license or EULA (End User License Agreement) is an important part of freeware. Each license is specific to the freeware. Copyright laws are also applicable to Freeware . freeware is licensed at no cost and is either fully functional for an unlimited time. the author usually restricts one or more rights of the user, including the rights to copy, distribute, modify and make derivative works of the software or extract the source code. The software license may impose additional restrictions on the type of use including personal use , non-commercial use , non – military use etc….

7. Method of distribution Freeware cannot economically rely on commercial promotion. internet is the primary resource for information on which freeware is available, useful, and is not malware. However, there are also many computer magazines or newspapers that provide ratings for freeware and include compact discs or other storage media containing freeware.

8. CRITICISMS 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.

9. Comparison chart PARTICULARS FREEWARE SHAREWARE ABOUT Freeware refers to software that anyone can download from the Internet and use for free. Sharewares give users a chance to try the software before buying it. INCEPTION he term freeware was first used by Andrew Fluegelman in 1982, when he wanted to sell a communications program named PC-Talk. In 1982, Bob Wallace produced PC-Write, a word processor, and distributed it as a shareware. The term was first used in 1970, in InfoWorld magazine.

10. License and Copyright User license or EULA (End User License Agreement) is an important part of freeware. Each license is specific to the freeware. Copyright laws are also applicable to Freeware. Copyright laws also apply to Shareware but the copyright holder or author holds all the rights, with a few specific exceptions. Features All the features are free. Most of the times, all features are not available, or have limited use. To use all the features of the software, user has to purchase the software. Distribution Freeware programs can be distributed free of cost. Shareware may or may not be distributed freely. In many cases, author’s permission is needed, to distribute the shareware.

11. Example Adobe PDF, Google Talk, yahoo messenger, MSN messenger Winzip , Cuteftp , Getright