When it comes to the 'cost' of software available for download it can get a bit confusing as your often confronted with terms like Freeware, Adware, Demoware and Shareware to name but a few, so what we've done is thrown some brief descriptions together to give you a general understanding of what you're getting for your money... or in some cases what your getting for NO money!!


FREEWARE
Is FREE software with no strings attached. Or is it? Remember your dear old Gran saying "there's no such thing as free lunch my dear" well dear old Gran wasn't wrong...but nor was she entirely right either because believe it or not there really is genuine free, no strings attached, no money please, software available for download! Don't believe me? Check out [WordWeb] which is a truly awesome program. It's a perfect example of genuine Freeware put out by some simply brilliant, kind hearted, amazingly talented people. Do take care though as not all the freeware your going to come across is of the same high standard or quality. There's a fair amount of freeware floating around out there that is put out by amateur programmers, who while gaining experience in their chosen field/hobby, release software that isn't quite perfect. Some of it is the final version and some is actually clearly labeled as being a 'beta version' meaning that it's a work in progress. Always remember that not all Freeware is marketed under the correct licence...what you thought was geninue Freeware could actually be ADWARE or SHAREWARE.

CARDWARE
Caring and sharing programmers who put together software that you can download for free and all they ask is for their time, trouble and hard work is a postcard from your city/country. I've come across a few of these...a nice idea! Take the same precautions as above in regard to what it is that you could be downloading. Please don't download their programs unless you have every intention of following through with the card as most site owners can track the number of times the software has been loaded and nothing would be more disheartening that seeing you've had 100 downloads but only 1 card has been sent in thanks.

BOOKWARE
I've also seen a couple of these programs around which are based on a similar principle to Cardware in that all the developer asks is that you purchase a copy of a particular book. By sending in a choosen paragraph, page reference or similar you get to be the registered owner of the software at no extra cost. The [Pagan DaybookII] is one such program and it's also available as SHAREWARE if you don't want to purchase the book.


CAREWARE
To quote from the site "To own Arachnophilia, I ask that you stop whining about how hard your life is, at least for a while..." This is a simply brilliant! What an amazing concept and the program is just awesome, it's definately a "Must have" if you're into web page design, construction etc. You can read more about Careware [HERE].

ADWARE (often referred to as Spyware)
'Free' software that is supported by advertising. Opinions about Adware are wide and varied with many people having legitimate security and privacy concerns as 'some' applications do track your surfing habits and store/sell your personal information. Ultimately the decision is yours to make but I would strongly recommend popping along to Steve Gibson's site [Gibson Research Corporation] and read up on it so you can make an informed decision. If you'd like to check your system for Spyware then you can run ***OptOut which is also available from his site or you can check out [Ad-Aware] from Lavasoft.
***NOTE Since we wrote this article please note that OPTOUT is no longer being updated. Please see Steve's [OPTOUT SITE] for full details.

EMAILWARE
Free software that requires email registration..you give them your email address and they give you the software. Take a little care with these as you could end up being 'sold' to a mailing list so take the time to check out the sites Privacy Policy first. If you in any doubt then give them your web based email address that you have set up solely for this purpose.

SHAREWARE
Software that you can download free of charge so that you can take it for a test drive before you buy it. With Shareware that has no time limit you'll find some of the functions disabled, which can be anything from the Spell Checker to the Save function, whereas Time Limit Shareware is often fully functional but will expire after a certain time frame, either days or uses, at which stage you are expected to either pay for and register it, or uninstall it from your system. Shareware is usually registered for a nominal fee at which stage you are given a registration code to enter into the program to stop it from expiring or to enable all the features. When you have done this write the code down and store it in a safe place. If you run into a problem or need to reinstall the software you'll need to re-enter the code.

WAREZ (slang)
Is pirated software that has been 'altered' to prevent the program from expiring....which means it's ILLEGAL so don't touch it as you're just asking for trouble.

DEMO/TRIALWARE or Try n Buy
Exactly that, it's a demo/trial version that after a certain amount of days/uses will expire rendering it useless unless you decide to buy it. It's a brilliant way to check out the more pricey commerical software before you buy it.

{no-combomax}

< Prev		Next >