A. Killes said:
The sentiment in this group has long been that registerware is on
topic. To quote from my old (and now defunct) F.A.Q. (God help us all
now):
________________________________________________________
Freeware is programming that is offered for your use at no cost,
monetary or otherwise.
You may use freeware for as long as you wish. However, it is
usually copyrighted so that you can't incorporate its programming into
anything you may be developing. The least restrictive examples of
freeware are uncopyrighted programs in the public domain.
Freeware is simply written by generous people whose main rewards
are the satisfaction of knowing that they are both helping other
people and making other people happy!
At one time, "freeware" was a trademark of Andrew Fluegelman, the
author of the well-known MS-DOS communication program PC-TALK III. The
trademark wasn't enforced after his mysterious disappearance and
presumed death in 1984 (how cheery!) However, the name has evolved to
the current meaning above.
Freeware is often distributed via:
* users' groups
* via electronic mail
* local bulletin boards
* Usenet (in a binary post newsgroup like alt.binaries.freeware,
NOT alt.comp.freeware) or other electronic media.
The following are not considered freeware either in the purest sense
or by definition. Note that this does not necessarily mean that
discussion of a non-freeware type is considered "off topic" in
alt.comp.freeware (ACF):
(Indications that discussion of a software type is considered "off
topic" in ACF are in bolded red and are italicized. Indications that
discussion of a software type is considered "on topic" in ACF are in
bolded green and are underlined.)
Adware - Has advertising for other products and/or services built into
it. The "price" you pay for the software is having to give up some of
your screen real estate (and your attention) for the advertising.
Adware is often, in reality, spyware (see below.)
Adware should not be recommended as a solution to a software need
in alt.comp.freeware. It should only be discussed in the context of
whether or not a supposed freeware program is in fact adware.
Otherwise, adware should be discussed in the alt.comp.adware newsgroup.
Betaware - A "rough draft" version of what will be the final version.
You run the risk of having problems with your system when you use such
software. You pay for its use by pointing out bugs to the author and
by otherwise evaluating the program. Sometimes this evaluation is not
optional and when that is the case, the program should not be
recommended as a software solution. Betaware is sometimes recommended
when it is from a reputable and well know author (an example would be
Zone Labs and their program Zone Alarm) and the evaluation is not
mandatory.
Careware - The author wants you to send a sum of money to one or more
of their favorite charities/causes. The honor system applies here: you
must live with your guilt if you don't make a donation. Careware is
infrequently discussed in alt.comp.freeware. You just don't see a lot
of it.
CDWare - Software that is included on CDs that come with magazines. If
the software is freeware that is freely downloadable from the
internet, then it is okay to recommend it as a solution to a software
need. A link to the download site should be provided when recommending
it as a software solution. If there is no download site available,
then it should not be recommended as a solution to a software need in
alt.comp.freeware for two reasons: first, you MUST purchase the
magazine to obtain the CD. Secondly, such software on most "free" CDs
usually may not be freely distributed according to the EULA (end user
licensing agreement.)
Commercial Software - Costs money. The recommendation of commercial
software is not appropriate in alt.comp.freeware. However, sometimes a
commercial program is mentioned in ACF as an example of a type of
freeware being sought.
Demoware - Software that is intended to allow the user to see what the
full version of a program looks like so they will then purchase the
unlimited commercial version. Crippleware, time-limited software and
trialware are all various types of demoware. The recommendation of
demoware is not appropriate in alt.comp.freeware because it is
considered to be either shareware (in the case of crippleware or
time-limited software) or trialware.
Donationware - Payment to the author for the software is completely
optional. Donationware is frequently discussed in alt.comp.freeware.
Liteware - A free, reduced feature version of program that normally
costs money. The missing features are not "grayed out" (disabled) in
the menu and you are not constantly reminded with popups that the
missing feature is only available in the full version. No critical
features like "Save" or "Print" are missing. In other words, the
missing features might be nice to have but are not critical.
The missing features are simply listed where the "pro" or
full-featured version is promoted. If you don't read the promotion,
you will not be aware that any features are missing. Promotion of the
full-featured version in liteware can be done via:
* a "nag" type screen at startup or program closing
* an inclusion in the help file or the "About..." screen
* a link/ad on the main program screen.
If the latter is done, then the program borders on being adware
(see above.) If the ad is too obnoxious, then the program shouldn't be
recommended as anything other than a temporary solution until
something better comes along.
This is as opposed to crippleware, where removed features are
grayed out and you are reminded every time you try to use one that the
feature is only available in the full version.
Liteware is often discussed in alt.comp.freeware. It should not
be confused with demoware (see above) or crippleware (see below, under
"shareware".)
Orphanware - Software that is no longer supported or offered to the
public by the original author or company. Some people have saved the
original compressed download somewhere and occasionally will make it
available if asked.
Sometimes offering it to others is okay to do and sometimes it
isn't. The main instance where offering orphanware is not okay is when
the product has been improved and changed from freeware to shareware.
In this case the freeware version has been made unavailable by the
author because it would compete with the newer non-freeware version.
With the author's permission, orphanware can become freeware.
Orphanware is infrequently discussed in alt.comp.freeware. Be
careful about copyright infringement when using orphanware.
Postcardware - The author wants you to send them a postcard as the
price of using the software. The cost is the postcard. It's not to
much to ask for their effort and usually, it's optional anyway. Thus,
this category is very close to being freeware and discussing it is not
frowned upon in alt.comp.freeware.
Registerware - The cost is that you must provide personal information
via registration. Some people falsify the information which is
requested. However, since the author has asked the price, falsifying
what they are asking for is not ethical. Registerware is often
discussed in alt.comp.freeware.
Shareware - AKA "try before you buy". Obviously not freeware since
ultimately you are supposed to pay for the software. The
recommendation and discussion of shareware is not appropriate in
alt.comp.freeware. There are several kinds of shareware:
* Crippleware - limited in the amount of features available.
Purchasing the software removes these limitations and renders the
software fully functional. Not the same as trialware, since you can
save and print.
* Nagware - there is a popup (nag) screen at program startup,
exhorting you to purchase the software.
* Time limited - also considered by some to be trialware (see
below)- some of the features or the entire program become unusable
after a period of time.
Spyware - Any software that installs components on your computer which
allow companies and/or individuals to access your hard drive or spy on
your surfing habits. The cost you pay is your privacy and/or security.
You can learn more about spyware at
http://www.spychecker.com/spyware.html or
http://www.tom-cat.com/spybase/spylist.html.
Often, after you remove the software, the files that do the
spying remain on your hard drive. An excellent freeware utility for
removing such garbage is AdAware, available at:
www.lavasoft.de/aaw/index.html.
Spyware is almost always Adware and is often discussed in
alt.comp.freeware, always in a negative context and NEVER should be
recommended as a software solution. To see whether or not a suspected
program is spyware, go to:
www.spychecker.com.
Trialware - Usually commercial software that is limited in the ability
to save and/or print. The intention of the author is that you learn
what the program can do and how to use it so that you will then
purchase the unlimited commercial version. The discussion of trialware
is not appropriate in alt.comp.freeware.
Viruses or virus authoring software - Either is or makes malicious
programming. It is highly inappropriate to discuss viruses or virus
authoring software in alt.comp.freeware.
Warez - Stolen software and software for stealing other software.
Stolen software is also known as having been pirated, cracked, etc.
Use of warez is usually a felony, (at least in the U.S.) where you can
be punishable by a large fine and prison time if you are caught. It is
highly inappropriate to discuss warez in alt.comp.freeware. Warez is:
* Commercial software or shareware which has had the registration
codes bypassed (cracked), or other security features breached (time
limits, feature limits, etc.)
* Software designed to be used for cracking.
* Serial numbers for unpurchased shareware or commercial software.
.