What is meant by the name "Freeware"?
Freeware is a term that is used freely throughout the internet and fairly regularly incorrectly. Maybe it is the 'Free' part of the title that causes confusion as when someone gives you something for free it is generally yours to use, alter or pass on as you see fit. with 'Freeware' this is not the case.With Freeware the author still retains the rights to the software and the software is still licensed but they allow you the license for an unlimited time with no cost. The software license commonly restricts the usage in some way so that, for example, the core files are not allowed to be modified, or you are not allowed to re-distribute the software or take any payment for making the software available for download. Why the need for a license? Yes you can use this software for free for as long as you like but often the developer would like to attract your attention to their products or better software that you need to pay for. It may be that there is a "pro " version of the software that has much more functionality but that you need to pay for. Alternatively the download link for the Freeware version may be sat along side much better software that they hope to tempt you with.
Does this signify that Freeware is bad? No. It's fantastic!
OK. There may be some marketing behind allowing you to use the software for free but you still get to use it no matter what the ploy is. The bottom line is that if you are using the software and you like it then you can continue for as long as you like without payment. So what software is totally free? Completely free software is know as "Free Software" but this again is a term that has become misused so I would double check by reading any licences or small print before using it as a base to develop your own software. Just to keep you straight, here are a couple of other terms that are used that may lead you to think that the software is "Free" Shareware - This type of software is often very similar to Freeware except that it doesn't have the all important "License with no cost". Normally, this software gives you a licence to use the software for a fixed period (typically 30 days) after which time you need to make a payment to the developer to continue using it.
Open source - This type of software basically allows you to modify it, use it and distribute it as you see fit, the source code is open. What you are never allowed to do is to sell anything that you create from using someone elses open source software. You must also always credit the original author of the software and leave any credit tags embedded within it.
Freeware is a term that is used freely throughout the internet and fairly regularly incorrectly. Maybe it is the 'Free' part of the title that causes confusion as when someone gives you something for free it is generally yours to use, alter or pass on as you see fit. with 'Freeware' this is not the case.With Freeware the author still retains the rights to the software and the software is still licensed but they allow you the license for an unlimited time with no cost. The software license commonly restricts the usage in some way so that, for example, the core files are not allowed to be modified, or you are not allowed to re-distribute the software or take any payment for making the software available for download. Why the need for a license? Yes you can use this software for free for as long as you like but often the developer would like to attract your attention to their products or better software that you need to pay for. It may be that there is a "pro " version of the software that has much more functionality but that you need to pay for. Alternatively the download link for the Freeware version may be sat along side much better software that they hope to tempt you with.
Does this signify that Freeware is bad? No. It's fantastic!
OK. There may be some marketing behind allowing you to use the software for free but you still get to use it no matter what the ploy is. The bottom line is that if you are using the software and you like it then you can continue for as long as you like without payment. So what software is totally free? Completely free software is know as "Free Software" but this again is a term that has become misused so I would double check by reading any licences or small print before using it as a base to develop your own software. Just to keep you straight, here are a couple of other terms that are used that may lead you to think that the software is "Free" Shareware - This type of software is often very similar to Freeware except that it doesn't have the all important "License with no cost". Normally, this software gives you a licence to use the software for a fixed period (typically 30 days) after which time you need to make a payment to the developer to continue using it.
Open source - This type of software basically allows you to modify it, use it and distribute it as you see fit, the source code is open. What you are never allowed to do is to sell anything that you create from using someone elses open source software. You must also always credit the original author of the software and leave any credit tags embedded within it.
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