Freeware software

Freeware is software that is available for use at no monetary cost. In other words, while freeware may be used without payment it is most often proprietary software, as usually modification, re-distribution or reverse-engineering without the author's permission is prohibited. Two historic examples of freeware include Skype and Adobe Acrobat Reader. There is no agreed set of rights or a license or an EULA which would define "freeware" unambiguously; every Freeware publisher defines their own rules for their Freeware. For instance, redistribution of Freeware by third-parties is often permitted but there is a significant portion of Freeware which prohibits redistribution.

Freeware, although itself free of charge, may be intended to benefit its producer, e.g. by encouraging sales of a more capable version ("Freemium" or Shareware business model). The source code of freeware is typically not available, unlike free and open source software which are also often distributed free of charge.

The term freeware was coined in 1982 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 commercial distribution channels. Fluegelman actually distributed PC-Talk via a process now referred to as shareware, no longer called freeware.

The term freeware was used often in the 1980s and 1990s for programs released without source code.

Software classified as freeware may be used without payment and is typically either fully functional for an unlimited time, or has limited functionality, with a more capable version available commercially or as shareware. In contrast to what the FSF calls free software, the author usually restricts the rights of the user to use, copy, distribute, modify, make derivative works, or reverse-engineer the software. The software license may impose various additional restrictions on the type of use, e.g. only for personal use, private use, individual use, non-profit use, non-commercial use, academic use, educational use, use in charity or humanitarian organizations, non-military use, use by public authorities or various other combinations of these type of restrictions. For instance, the license may be "free for private, non-commercial use". The software license may also impose various other restrictions, such as restricted use over a network, restricted use on a server, restricted use in a combination with some types of other software or with some hardware devices, prohibited distribution over the Internet other than linking to author's website, restricted distribution without author's consent, restricted number of copies, etc. Restrictions may be required by the licence, or enforced by the software (e.g., not usable over a network).

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Wikipedia