A Close Look at Free Software

Software technology is an essential part of information technology. If you happen to possess a Personal Computer or if you are a regular computer user, then you will most certainly require software now and again. This may be for personal use or for business purposes. More often than not, you need to upgrade your software or purchase new software.

The good news is that there are lots of free software on the web that you can use. Unfortunately, the term 'free software' can be very confusing and you may end up getting the wrong software package or wasting your money buying software that you can freely download on the web.

We will consider key definitions of 'free software' so that you can later understand the classification of free software and identify the 'free software' that is most beneficial and useful to you as a 'software user.

The Definition of Free Software by Free Software Foundation 

The term 'free software' according to the Free Software Foundation does not automatically imply 'free of charge' nevertheless 'free software' in this framework suggest you can freely give out software (you may perhaps or may not have purchased with money). You have a right to the source code of the software; you can alter and adapt the software to suit your personal purpose and requirements. This simply means, you have the 'freedom' to modify and change or redistribute software or the source code of the software in whichever format you wish to. Free software may be used any purpose including commercial purposes.

The Definition of Free Software by Open Source Initiative 

Free software is every so often referred to as open-source software (by the Open Source Initiative). You are given the right to sell or give it out freely. You are given the right to modify or redistribute the software as you desire. You should be able to get the source code with no restrictions. The definition of 'Free software' by the Free Software Foundation is somewhat different from the 'free software' definition agreed by the Open Source Initiative; so be careful not to confuse the two. Nevertheless, the distinction is based on 'licensing' and may perhaps not be very distinct. Nearly all free software is also open source software.

Public Domain Software 

Public domain software is software that has no restrictions whatsoever. As soon as software has been put in the public domain, you may use the software anyhow you wish to.

Copylefted software 

Copylefted software is a form of free software. The main difference here is that the license makes it binding that all versions of the software must continue to be 'free software'. This implies that all users of the initial software and the modified or changed versions maintain the 'freedom' to alter or modify the software and the source code as they wish.

Freeware 

Freeware is software that you can use but cannot modify or sell. The author has the sole right to the copyright and users do not have access to the source code. Lots of freeware software are limited or basic versions of a commercial software. However, there are some fully functional freeware that are created by organizations for personal use only.

Shareware

Many people confuse freeware with shareware. Shareware is not free software, neither is it a freeware as defined above. You may use or redistribute shareware. However, a shareware user must pay a license fee if the user wishes to continue to use the software.