What does shareware mean? The history of shareware, the original option for organizing in-app purchases

More meanings of the word and translation of SHAREWARE from English into Russian in English-Russian dictionaries.
What is and translation of SHAREWARE from Russian into English in Russian-English dictionaries.

More meanings of this word and English-Russian, Russian-English translations for SHAREWARE in dictionaries.

• SHAREWARE — noun Date: 1983 software with usually limited capability or incomplete documentation which is available for trial use at little or …
  English Dictionary - Merriam Webster
• SHAREWARE — ˈ ̷ ̷ ˌ ̷ ̷ noun Etymology: share (II) + - ware (as in software — herein) : software with usually limited capability …
  Webster's New International English Dictionary
• SHAREWARE - /shair"wair"/ , n. computer software distributed without initial charge but for which the user is encouraged to pay a nominal …
  Random House Webster's Unabridged English Dictionary
• SHAREWARE - n. software available at no cost over the Internet but for which payment of a nominal registration fee is expected …
  Explanatory Dictionary of the English Language - Editorial bed
• SHAREWARE — noun Date: 1983: software with usually limited capability or incomplete documentation which is available for trial use at little …
  Merriam-Webster's Collegiate English vocabulary
• SHAREWARE — ■ noun Computing software that is available free of charge and often distributed informally for evaluation.
  Concise Oxford English vocab
• SHAREWARE - shareware BrE AmE ˈʃeə weə AmE \ ˈʃer wer ˈʃær wær
  Longman Pronunciation English Dictionary
• SHAREWARE - / ˈʃeəweə(r); NAmE ˈʃerwer/ noun [ U ] (computing) computer software (= programs, etc.) that is available free …
  Oxford Advanced Learner's English Dictionary
• SHAREWARE - share ‧ ware /ˈʃeəweə $ ˈʃerwer/ BrE AmE noun free or cheap computer software, usually produced by …
  Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
• SHAREWARE
  Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner's English Dictionary
• SHAREWARE — Shareware is computer software that you can try before deciding whether or not to buy the legal right to use …
  Collins COBUILD - An English Dictionary for Language Learners
• SHAREWARE — noun EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS ▪ Chet initially distributed the utility as shareware , handing out copies only to members of …
  Longman DOCE5 Extras English vocabulary
• SHAREWARE — [U] - computer programs that you are allowed to use for a short period before you decide whether or …
  Cambridge English vocab
• SHAREWARE - noun
  Oxford Collocations Dictionary Second Edition
• SHAREWARE — noun Shareware is used before these nouns: program
  Oxford Collocations English Dictionary
• SHAREWARE< software >/sheir"weir/ Software that, like freeware, can be usually obtained (download ed) and redistributed for free, …
  FOLDOC Computer English Dictionary
• SHAREWARE
  English Idioms vocab
• SHAREWARE - computer programs that people share Shareware will help us to save money. We"ll share software.
  English Idioms vocabulary
• SHAREWARE — A kind of freeware (sense 1) for which the author requests some payment, usually in the accompanying documentation files or …
  Jargon File English vocabulary
• SHAREWARE – (Science and Technology) see -ware
  English conversational dictionary - New words
• SHAREWARE — This term refers to software that is available on public networks and BBSs. Users are asked to remit a small …
  Jensen's Technology English Glossary
• SHAREWARE — Software that you can obtain for free. The author of the software does request a small fee to pay for …
  English Glossary of Internet and PC Terminology
• SHAREWARE — Software that is offered for free download in hopes that the user will decide to keep it and pay a …
  Internet Terms and Acronyms English vocab
• SHAREWARE - perisian kongsi
  ICT Terminology English vocab
• SHAREWARE — Software, often available through the Internet, that can be used for a trial period without explicit charges or licensing fees. ...
  Internet PR English Glossary
• SHAREWARE
  Large English-Russian Dictionary
• SHAREWARE
  American English-Russian Dictionary
• SHAREWARE
  Russian-American English Dictionary
• SHAREWARE - _n. _comp. trial version of the program
  English-Russian-English dictionary of general vocabulary - Collection of the best dictionaries
• SHAREWARE - info) free access program collective
  English-Russian Dictionary Tiger
• SHAREWARE - noun; computer trial version of the program info) free access program. collective shareware vcht. shareware software products
  New large English-Russian dictionary
• SHAREWARE - n. Pronunciation: - ˌ wer Function: noun Date: 1983: software with usually limited capability or incomplete documentation which is …
  Merriam Webster Collegiate English Dictionary
• SHAREWARE - (a) free
  English-Russian Lingvistika"98 dictionary
• SHAREWARE
  
• SHAREWARE - n. trial version of the program (computer)
  English-Russian-dictionary - Bed release

• Translation

Before the advent of software, sales worked like this: you went into a store, bought an item, and it was yours until it became obsolete or damaged and you threw it away. But the software, taking up much less physical space than any previously sold items, was not limited by these rules. Data was stored in bits and bytes and could be distributed in many different ways.

And the data decreased every day. Floppy disks gave birth to smaller floppy disks, which gave birth to hard disks, which gave birth to CD-ROMs... And if you had a modem, you didn't even need a disk! It is therefore not surprising that shareware, shareware, emerged in the wake of floppy copying because there was a need for a business model that encouraged copying.

Let's talk about how important shareware was to modern business models in the computer world.


This is an explanation of the value of shareware in the introductory catalog of The Software Labs, a mail-order shareware distributor. A fairly good catalog from 1992, which thanks to the Internet Archive can still be enjoyed today (smaller version), offers a huge number of games, educational and graphic programs. On the other hand, there are only seven applications for business - which indicates what kind of programs were created by the authors who made shareware. In the early 90s, such catalogs were common, when people without modems had to buy software in the real world.

Five shareware programs that changed the world of computing

2. McAfee Antivirus. Before mentions of John McAfee began to appear in , he innovated the antivirus market by becoming the first to offer such programs in shareware format. The result was so effective that his program quickly overtook Symantec's Norton Antivirus - especially after creating a successful media campaign about the Michelangelo virus.

3. Wolfenstein 3D. Of course, it was followed by Doom and Quake (and Duke Nukem 3D), but the sales strategy of this famous game - an innovation that surpassed all modern toys - proved to skeptical gamers that shareware games were not second-class software. Doom may have had more influence, but Wolf3D proved the model's viability.

How adware ruined the good name of shareware

The problem is that the altruism built into the model at its launch did not survive until the second generation of developers.

In the early years of Windows XP, the model broke down. The reason for this was several factors, including the identity of the websites that distributed shareware with the sites that distributed programs containing adware - this is a problem.

Sometimes adware turned into programs like Gator, which claimed to have useful properties, and at the same time included an advertising network with pop-up banners. The company that made Gator denied any connection to adware and changed its name many times until its inevitable closure.

But more often than not, adware accompanied programs as an unwanted guest, ready to litter your computer at any second. As if to reflect this shift in shareware's reputation, the Association of Shareware Professionals changed its name in 2010 to the Association of Software Professionals.

In a blog post, the association explained that “the need to distribute software by distributing floppy disks or sending checks by mail has disappeared. Many consumers have come to perceive "shareware" as "amateurishness."

Of course, shareware also has its own niches - Mac software developers, for example, Panic and Rogue Amoeba, have gained a good audience by distributing software using schemes that are essentially shareware. But in general, downloading software has become too dangerous for shareware to thrive. It's unfair, but it's a fact. The decline of shareware has paved the way for other types of software distribution, such as open source software, freemium software, or software as a service (SaaS).

It has also opened up the possibility of approaches similar to the App Store, where there is moderation to prevent junk from entering your digital device. This system is not perfect, and it is not shareware. But we certainly would not have reached the realities of today if several creative developers had not organized cottage industry in the 80s and 90s.

In 1992, when The Software Labs published its excellent catalog, the Software Publishers Association released a video that was the antithesis of the free-for-all world of shareware. The “Don’t Copy That Floppy” video used rap to clumsily promote the idea that software should not be distributed to the younger generation.

This video was quickly forgotten, and in our era people look at it very ironically.

Shareware, backed by hits like Wolfenstein 3D, Doom and Commander Keen, looked a million times cooler, and it didn't even have to resort to lame rap to sell itself.

Today we are even more welcoming to single software developers. Sites like Product Hunt exist solely to celebrate developers who venture into the unknown. It is very difficult to try to make money in such a risky way, but it is possible.

Shareware paved the way for today's independent developers to exist. Today's software culture exists because we decided to copy that floppy disk back then. And that's great, because without independent developers our software would be terrible.

Tags:

• shareware
• adware
• shareware
• software

Social surveys have shown that many PC users have a rather poor understanding of the difference between shareware and freeware licenses, and the choice between them often confuses many. In this article I will try to explain the difference between these types of licenses.

A set of programs and instructions for a computer that is responsible for performing required tasks is known as software. The software has undergone many changes since its inception. There are currently three types of programs available for downloading from the Internet: shareware, freeware and open source.

So, let's talk about each of these types in order to understand their essence. Perhaps this article will help you test your software knowledge.

Shareware

Bob Wallace was the first to coin the term shareware. This term originated even before the advent of personal computers from IBM. Shareware is proprietary software that is provided to users absolutely free for a trial period. The functionality of such programs is usually limited, i.e. in fact, users are not provided with the full version of the software product. Such programs are available for download from many websites, test disks, and CD supplements for many popular magazines. The phrases “trial period” or “free trial period” are directly related to shareware programs. Now such programs are compatible with all computer platforms.

The point of such testing programs is to provide it to a wide range of buyers. A potential buyer gets the right to try the software product and then decide whether to pay for the full version. Many "shareware" have no restrictions in functionality, but have a limitation on the time of use.

At the end of the trial period, the program stops working and in order for it to work again, you must pay for the full version. During the trial period, technical support, updates, and supporting documentation are not available to buyers of shareware programs. All this becomes available after paying for the full version. If you use a shareware program, you cannot make copies of it and distribute it to friends and colleagues while it is in the trial period, which usually lasts from 10 to 60 days. There are also programs with a limit on the number of starts.

The author of a shareware program can make it free to use and develop it through donations. Such programs remain protected by law.
The source code of shareware is usually not available, so that no one else can make their own programs based on it.

Freeware

Andrew Fluegelman is the one who coined the term “freeware”. He was the father of a communications program called PC-Talk. He wanted to distribute his program, but he wanted to do it in a non-traditional way.

Freeware is usually fully functional software that is available in an unlimited number of copies for an unlimited time. These programs are distributed absolutely free of charge. They can also be proprietary and their price, in this case, is set to zero.

One way or another, the author of such a program can retain the rights, for example, to copy, distribute or use the software to create new ones based on it. Also, such programs may have a license that restricts its use. This means that the program will be subject to restrictions on areas of use. For example, the use of the program can be: personal, scientific, commercial and non-commercial, as well as combined. I'm sure you've come across programs whose license says "free for personal, non-commercial use." This would be an example of free software.

If software is freeware, it does not necessarily mean that it is open source and unrestricted, so a distinction must be made between freeware and free software. The Free Software Foundation has even asked software authors to avoid using the word freeware in free software to avoid causing confusion. In fact, freeware differs from free software in that it may have some restrictions on its use.

I hope that after reading this article, you understand the difference between shareware and freeware. To learn more, you should read the materials on the topic “Main Types of Software.”

The license informs the user about the terms under which the software is distributed.
The most common types of licenses are:

FreeWare

ShareWare

• the program will be limited in its capabilities;
• the program will only run a few times;
• the program will process a limited number of files.

Trial

Demo

Commercial

Adware

Ad-supported

A program belongs to the Ad-supported category if it:

• prompts you to change the default home page and/or search engine in your web browser;
• offers to create shortcuts in the Start menu and (or) on the desktop that are not related to the functionality of the program;
• displays advertisements during operation;
• offers to download and install other software, for example, a more functional paid version of the program or a web browser add-on;
• when launched and/or closed, it opens web pages with advertising or other content that allows the program developer to generate income.

Donationware

Postcardware

GPL