Shareware is a type of proprietary software originally supplied free of charge to users, who are allowed and encouraged to create and share a copy of the program. Shareware is often offered as a download from the website or as a compact disc included with the magazine. Shareware is available with most computer software. The term shareware is used in contrast to open-source software, where source code is available for anyone to review and modify; and freeware, ie software that is distributed at no cost to the user but without the source code available.
There are many types of shareware, and while they may not require advance upfront payment, all are meant to generate income in one way or another. Some limit usage for non-commercial personal purposes only, with the purchase of licenses necessary for use in business enterprises. The software itself may be limited in functionality or time-limited, or it may remind users that payment will be appreciated.
Video Shareware
Adware
Adware, short for "ad-supported software", is any software package that automatically displays ads to generate revenue for its authors. Ads may be in the software user interface or on the screen presented to the user during the installation process. These functions can be designed to analyze which Internet sites a user visits and to serve ads related to the type of goods or services displayed there. This term is sometimes used to refer to software that displays unwanted ads.
Shareware is often packed with adware. During the installation of the software in question, the user is presented with a condition to agree to the terms of click through licenses or similar licenses governing the installation of the software.
Demoware
Demoware is a demonstration version of the software. Generally there are two types of demoware: the paralyzed, and who have a trial period.
Crippleware
In software, crippleware means important features of a program such as printing or the ability to store files disabled until the user purchases the software. This allows users to take a closer look at the features of a program without being able to use it to generate output. The difference between freemium and crippleware is that unlicensed freemium programs have useful functions, while crippleware shows its potential, but is useless by itself.
Trialware
Trialware is software with a time limit installed. Users can try full featured programs until the trial period ends, and then most test devices switch to lower functionality (freemium, nagware, or crippleware) or non-functional mode, unless the user pays the license fee and receives the registration code to unlock program. Trialware has become the norm for Online Software as a Service (SaaS).
The rationale behind the test device is to give potential users the opportunity to try the program to assess its usefulness before purchasing a license. According to industry research firm Softletter, 66% of online companies surveyed had a free-trial-to-pay-customer conversion rate of 25% or less. SaaS providers use various strategies to foster prospects, and turn them into paying customers.
Donasiware
Donationware is a licensing model that supplies unlimited full operational software to users and requests optional contributions paid to the programmer or third party recipients (usually non-profit). The number of donations may also be set by the author, or may be submitted to the user's discretion, based on the individual's perception of the value of the software. Since donationware is fully operational (not crippleware) with payment options, it is a freeware type.
Nagware
Nagware (also known as begware , annoyware or nagscreen ) is a derogatory term for shareware that constantly reminds user to purchase license. Usually this is done by raising the message when the user starts the program, or intermittently when the user is using the app. These messages may appear as a window that obscures the part of the screen, or as a mailbox that can be closed quickly. Some nagware saves messages for a certain period of time, forcing users to wait to continue using the program. Unlicensed programs that support printing can place watermarks on prints, usually stating that the output is generated by unlicensed copies.
Some titles display a dialog box with payment information and paying messages will delete notifications, which are usually displayed either at startup or after the interval when the app is running. This notification is designed to disrupt users to pay.
Freemium
Freemium works by offering free products or services (usually digital offerings such as software, content, games, web services or other) while charging premium for advanced features, functionality, or related products and services. For example, a fully functional limited-feature version can be provided free of charge, with advanced features disabled until licensing fees are paid. The word "freemium" is a portmanteau that combines two aspects of a business model: "free" and "premium". It has become a popular model.
Maps Shareware
History
In 1982, Andrew Fluegelman created a program for an IBM PC called PC-Talk, a telecom program, and used the term "freeware"; he described it "as an experiment in an economy more than altruism". At the same time, Jim "Button" Knopf released the PC-File, the database program, calling it user-supported software . Not long after, Bob Wallace produced PC-Write, a word processor, and called it shareware . Appearing in an episode of Horizon titled Psychedelic Science aired from April 5, 1998, Bob Wallace said the idea for shareware came to him "to some extent as a result of my psychedelic experience."
In 1983 Jerry Pournelle wrote about the "increasingly popular variant" of free software "which has no name, but works thus: 'If you like this, send me (writer) some money I prefer cash.'" On 1984, Softalk-PC has a column, the Public Library , about the software. Public domain is a mistake for shareware, and Freeware is a trademark by Fluegelman and can not be legally used by anyone else, and User Supported Software is too complicated. So Nelson Ford columnist held a contest to get a better name.
The most popular name submitted is Shareware , which is used by Wallace. However, Wallace admitted that he got the term from the InfoWorld magazine column with that name in the 1970s, and that he considered the name to be generic, so its use became stronger than the users of the freeware and device software supported .
Fluegelman, Knopf, and Wallace clearly establish shareware as an active software marketing method. Through the shareware model, Button, Fluegelman, and Wallace became millionaires.
Prior to the popularity of the World Wide Web and widespread Internet access, Shareware has often been the only economical way for independent software authors to incorporate their products into users' desktops. Those with Internet access or BBS can download the software and distribute it among their friends or user groups, which will then be encouraged to send the registration fee to the author, usually by postal mail. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, shareware software was widely distributed through online services, bulletin board systems and on floppy disks. Contrary to commercial developers who spend millions of dollars to urge users to "Do not Copy That Floppy", shareware developers encourage users to upload software and share it to disk.
Commercial shareware distributors such as Educorp and Public Domain Inc. print catalogs depicting thousands of public domains and shareware programs available for a small fee on floppy disks. These companies then make their entire catalog available on CD-ROM. One such distributor, the Public Software Library (PSL), started an order-taking service for programmers who had no way of accepting credit card orders. Then, services like Kagi start offering apps that can be distributed by authors along with their products that will present users with on-screen forms to fill out, print, and email along with their payments. As telecommunications becomes more widespread, the service is also expanded online. Toward the beginning of the Internet era, books that gathered reviews on available shareware were published, sometimes targeting a specific niche such as a small business. These books will usually come with one or more floppy disks or CD-ROMs that contain software from the book.
As the use of the Internet grows, users turn to downloading shareware programs from FTP or websites. It spelled the edges of bulletin board systems and disk shareware distributors. Initially, disk space on the server was hard to come by, so a network such as Info-Mac was developed, which consisted of non-profit mirror sites hosting large shareware libraries accessible via the web or ftp. With the advent of the commercial web hosting industry, shareware program authors started their own sites where the public can learn about their programs and download the latest versions, and even pay for online software. This removes one of the main differences from shareware, as it is now most often downloaded from the central "official" location instead of sharing samizdat styles by its users. To ensure users get the latest bug fixes and installations that are not polluted by viruses or other malware, some authors do not recommend users to give software to their friends, encouraging them to post links instead.
Major download sites such as VersionTracker and Download.com's CNet start ranking titles based on quality, feedback, and downloads. Popular software is sorted into the top of the list, along with products whose authors pay for preferred placements.
Registration
If the feature is disabled in a freely accessible version, payment may provide a license key or code that users can enter into the software to disable notifications and enable full functionality. Some pirated websites publish licensing codes for popular shareware, leading to a kind of arms race between developers and pirates in which developers disable pirated codes and pirate attempts to find or generate new ones. Some software publishers have begun to accept known pirated codes, using the opportunity to educate users about the economics of shareware models.
Some shareware rely solely on user honesty and do not require a password. Simply checking the "I've paid" checkbox in the app is all that's needed to disable registration notifications.
Games
In the early 1990s, the distribution of shareware was a popular method for publishing games for smaller developers, including companies that later appeared Apogee Software (also known as 3D Realms), Epic MegaGames (now Epic Games), Ambrosia Software and id Software. It gives consumers the opportunity to play games before investing money in them, and gives them the exposure that some products will not be able to enter the retail space.
With the Kroz series, Apogee introduced the "episodic" shareware model that became the most popular incentive to buy games. While shareware games will become completely complete games, there will be additional "episodes" of games that are not shareware, and can only be obtained legally by paying for shareware episodes. In some cases, this episode is neatly integrated and will feel like an older version of the game, and in other cases the next episode is a stand-alone game. Sometimes additional content is completely integrated with unregistered games, such as the Ambrosia Speed ​​Withdrawal series, in which characters representing developer pet parrot, equipped with unbeaten ships, will regularly harass and destroy players once they reach a certain level which represents the end of the trial period.
Game rack on a single floppy 5 inches/4 inches and then 3.5 inches is common in retail stores. However, computer events and bulletin board systems (BBS) such as BBS Software Creative are the main distributors of low cost software. Free software from BBS is a driving force for consumers to purchase computers equipped with modems, thereby obtaining software at no cost.
An important differentiator feature between shareware and demo games is that shareware games (at least in theory) are fully functional software programs despite less content than full games, while game demos eliminate significant functionality and content. Shareware games are generally offered both single player and multiplayer modes plus a significant fraction of the full game content as the first of three episodes, while some even offer the entire product as shareware while unlocking additional content for registered users. In contrast, game demos can offer as little as one single-player level or just consist of multiplayer maps, this makes it easier to prepare than shareware games.
Industry standards and technology
There are several widely accepted standards and technologies used in the development and promotion of shareware.
- FILE_ID.DIZ is a descriptive text file that is often included in a downloadable shareware distribution package.
- Portable Application Description (PAD) is used to standardize shareware application descriptions. PAD files are XML documents that describe shareware or freeware products according to PAD specifications.
- DynamicPAD extends the Portable Application Description (PAD) standard by allowing shareware vendors to provide custom PAD XML files for each download site or other PAD-enabled resources. DynamicPAD is a server-side PHP script set that is distributed under the GPL license and the freeware DynamicPAD builder for 32-bit Windows. The main way to consume or transmit DynamicPAD files is through the RoboSoft application by Rudenko Software, the author of DynamicPAD. DynamicPAD is available on the DynamicPAD website.
- Code signing is a technology used by developers to digitally sign their products. The Microsoft Windows version since Windows XP Service Pack 2 shows a warning when users install unsigned software. This is usually offered as a security measure to prevent unauthorized software from potentially infecting devices with malware. However, critics view this technology as part of a tactic to delegitimize independent software development by requiring a large initial cost and review process before the software can be distributed.
See also
- Postcardware
- Careware
- Professional Software Association
- Keygen
References
External links
- Independent Software Developer Forum (ISDEF)
- Webcast to protect test devices
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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