Exactly what is Freeware?

OK. You say Free but exactly what is mac freeware?

Fairly often the name "Freeware" is used wrongly. It might be the use of the word "Free" in the title that has caused the definition to get confused with most people thinking that they can use this software however they like. Sorry to say "Freeware" doesn't mean Free

You can use Freeware for as long as you like without making any payment but this software still has a license restricting how you can use it. There are usually one or more restricted usage rights, this could be that the software is not modified in any way, that no one else other than themselves are allowed to distribute the software or that you can not make derivative works from the software.

What's the point of this? Why not just give it away?

Yes you can use this software for free for as long as you like but often the developer would like to draw your interest 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 mean that Freeware is a bit of a con? No. How can something that you can use for free be bad?

OK. Maybe there is some kind of marketing agenda going on and maybe they would like you to purchase the pro version but you are still getting to use the software for nothing. 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.

What kind of software is "Free Software"?

I would urge reading any small print before deciding for yourself that you can do as you see fit with someone elses software but the correct term is "Free Software" but this term is also very often misused so check the small print.

Here a a couple or other terms relating to Free Software where the meanings have become misused.

Shareware - This type of software is often very similar to Freeware except that it doesn't have the all important "License with no cost". The big difference between this and Freeware is that the license to use the software only last for a limited time (usually 30 days) after which you need to make a payment 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 can not do is sell this software or any software that you develop from it. Any license information contained within the source code must remain intact along with any credits to the previous developer.