Freeware Directory:
Freeware is computer software that is available for use at no cost or for an optional fee. Freeware is often made available in a binary-only,
proprietary form, thus making it distinct from free software. Proprietary freeware allows authors to contribute something for the benefit of the
community, while at the same time allowing them to retain control of the source code, future direction of development and preserve its business
potential. Freeware is different from shareware, where the user is obliged to pay (e.g. after some trial period or for additional functionality).
The term freeware was coined by Andrew Fluegelman when he wanted to sell a communications program named PC-Talk that he had created but for
which he did not wish to use traditional methods of distribution because of their cost. Fluegelman actually distributed PC-Talk via a
process now referred to as shareware. Current use of the term freeware does not necessarily match the original concept by Andrew Fluegelman.
The only criterion for being classified as freeware is that the software must be fully functional for an unlimited time with no cost,
monetary or otherwise. The software license may impose one or more other restrictions on the type of use including personal use, individual
use, non-profit use, non-commercial use, academic use, commercial use or any combination of these. For instance, the license may be "free for
personal, non-commercial use." Everything created with the freeware programs can be distributed at no cost (for example graphic, documents,
or sounds made by user).
Gratis is the plural ablative and dative form of the first declension noun "gratia" in Latin and used as an adjective in various Romance and Germanic
languages (for example, Italian and German) meaning "for free," in the sense that one does not have to pay for some good or service (free of charge),
even though the good or service has value.
Alternative terms for free software have been a controversial issue among free software users from the late 1990s onwards. Coined in 1983 by Richard
Stallman, "free software" is used to describe software which can be used, modified, and redistributed with little or no restriction. These freedoms
are formally described in The Free Software Definition, first published in February 1986.
Alternatives for "free software" were sought for marketing purposes and because of a perceived "moralizing and confrontational" attitude that had been
associated with the term. In particular, the "available at no cost" ambiguity of the word "free" was seen as discouraging business adoption.
In a 1998 strategy session in California, "open-source software" was selected by Todd Anderson, Larry Augustin, Jon Hall, Sam Ockman, Christine
Peterson, and Eric S. Raymond. Richard Stallman had not been invited. The session was arranged in reaction to Netscape's January 1998
announcement of a source code release for Navigator (as Mozilla). Those at the meeting described "open source" as a "replacement label" for free
software and Open Source Initiative was soon-after founded by Eric Raymond and Bruce Perens to promote the term as part of "a marketing program for
free software" [5]. Stallman and others object to the term "open-source software" because it does not make people notice the freedoms that the
software in question gives users.
Each of the terms "free software" and "open-source software" has both fans and critics. Partly because of the failure to adopt one specific term,
other terms have been proposed. These include "Software Libre" (or libre software), "FLOSS" (Free/Libre/Open-Source Software), and "FOSS"
(or F/OSS, Free and Open Source Software). These terms share almost identical licence criteria and development practices.
El término inglés freeware define un tipo de software de computadora que se distribuye sin costo y por tiempo ilimitado, frente al shareware, en el
que la meta es lograr que un usuario pague, usualmente luego de un tiempo "trial" limitado y con la finalidad de habilitar toda la funcionalidad.
A veces se incluye el código fuente, pero no es lo usual.
El freeware suele incluir una licencia de uso, que permite su redistribución pero con algunas restricciones, como no modificar la aplicación en sí,
ni venderla, y dar cuenta de su autor. También puede desautorizar el uso en una compañía con fines comerciales o en una entidad gubernamental.
El término fue acuñado en 1982 por Andrew Fluegelman, que quería distribuir un programa que había escrito, llamado PC-Talk, pero con el que no
deseaba usar métodos tradicionales de distribución de software. Fluegelman registró el término freeware, pero esos derechos de autor ya han
sido abandonados. De hecho, el método que usó para distribuir PC-Talk hoy se denominaría shareware.
Algunos desarrolladores liberan versiones freeware de sus productos para obtener un número de seguidores que puedan estar dispuestos a pagar
por una versión más completa, o porque es una edición obsoleta de un programa.
Otros lo hacen porque no consideran que ese programa pueda generar una ganancia económica, o porque creen en el valor de ofrecer algo gratis.
Contrariamente a lo que se cree, los programas de software libre no necesariamente son freeware. Esto usualmente deriva de una confusión
sobre el significado de la palabra free en inglés, que puede ser tanto gratis como libre, es decir, un tipo de software cuya licencia autoriza
su uso, modificación y redistribución con y sin cambios.
Otros tipos de licencias de distribución de software son shareware, postcardware, donationware o abandonware, entre otros.
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