Over the years, I’ve seen people incorrectly use all sorts of terminology when it comes to computing. Sometimes you feel like you are obligated to point out the mistake but in other cases you might wonder whether or not you are up to the challenge.
One such example is a misunderstanding of the concepts of freeware and shareware as well as the differences between them.
So what’s freeware?
Freeware, in the modern sense, is software that is offered free of charge without time restrictions and may or may not place impositions upon the software, such as:
- academic or commercial use of the software,
- copying or redistributing the software with or without permission from the author (i.e. the reservation of copyright),
- the availability of the source code and the requirement to provide updates to the code,
- making a derivative of the software.
For most users, freeware can be used at no cost but it’s always a good idea to read the license agreement at the point of installation to double check.
So what about shareware?
Shareware (sometimes called trialware) is software that has some sort of limitation (be it time or functionality for example) which can be removed through a form of payment. Otherwise, at the end of the trial period, the software may cease to work completely or increasingly nag you to pay for the full version. Users are able to redistribute and copy the original trial software to other people to allow them the opportunity to try the software for themselves for the potential benefit of the software author through increased purchases of the full software.
So the key difference is that freeware is offered without cost (in most cases) and without time or functionality restrictions whilst shareware will give you a taste of what it has to offer but will require a purchase to unlock the restrictions placed on the trial version. Don’t be caught out in the future!
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