December 2001
Computing for the Bewildered. By Bill Hayles
Hello again.
Last month we looked at the way retail software licences are purchased,
and the very restrictive conditions these licences try to impose. I
promised you that this month, we'd look at the alternatives.
As well as retail licenses, software can also be distributed as
Shareware, Freeware or various shades of Public Domain. Previously,
such software has been distributed by floppy disk or CD-ROM, but with
the spread of the Internet, the distribution of software by purely
electronic means has become feasible. Therefore I'm only going to look
at acquiring such software from the Internet.
Before we do, let's look at what the different terms mean.
SHAREWARE
is a "try before you buy" system. When you buy a game or a
utility in a box from a software shop, then you have no way of finding
out whether it's suitable before you part with your money. Also, once
you've broken the seal, you won't be entitled to any sort of refund. If
the disk or CD proves faulty, you are entitled to a good copy, but
that's all. Therefore, you could easily land up with a white elephant.
With Shareware, you will download an evaluation copy from the internet
free of charge (except, of course, your normal Internet connection
charges). The evaluation copy might be a stripped-down version of the
full program, or it may be time limited in that it will run, say, for
30 days from the date of installation. Therefore you can try the
program. If you don't like it, you can delete it and owe nobody
anything. If you decide you like it, then you pay the author or their
agent the registration fee, usually by giving your credit card number
over the Internet - which is, incidentally, far more secure than using
it in a shop! - and receiving some sort of code. This code will either
unlock a time limited version to run indefinitely, or give you access
to a web site where the full version can be found.
Shareware is becoming more and more popular, as it has advantages for
both user and author. For the author, distribution is virtually cost
free, and for the user, they can try things out before parting with
hard earned cash. Often, incentives are given for registration, such
as direct support from authors, many of whom are one-man (or woman)-
bands earning a living from maybe two or three programs. Such people
are far more likely to listen to their customers than a large
multi-national corporation.
FREEWARE
is what its name says. It's software that is free of charge
for you, the end user. Some software is free for non-commercial use -
that's you and me! So, why would anybody choose to distribute their
software for free? Freeware tends to split into two categories, what I
call genuine freeware and another I term commercial freeware.
Genuine freeware is often software that a gifted amateur or hobbyist
has written to solve a particular problem of their own, or simply
because they enjoy writing software. They seek kudos, not money. They
often ask users to send them e-mails so that they know their work is
being enjoyed (or not!) The more their egos are inflated, the more they
like it, but don't knock it - there are some excellent programs
available.
Commercial freeware sounds like a contradiction in terms. How can you
make money out of something that is free? The answer is in the
support. Commercial freeware is very common in the world of the Linux
operating system (which in itself is free), but for the Windows world
an example with which I am very familiar, as it is the package with
which I am writing these notes (although using the Linux version), is
Star Office. Star Office is similar to Microsoft Office in that it
consists of a Word Processor, Spreadsheet, Database, Presentation
Package and other lesser units. However, instead of the vast sums of
money Microsoft want for you to buy an Office licence, you can download
Star Office completely free of charge from the Internet, and use it in
perpetuity. However, if you want a physical copy (CD + Manual), that
will cost you a modest sum. Having bought one copy, though, you are
perfectly entitled to use it for installations on as many machines as
you like. Star Office is a complex and multi-featured product, and you
may feel you want to be able to gain access to the publisher to sort
out any problems, or to hold your hand and give you tuition in the
software. For this you pay the publisher, Star Division, a periodic sum.
That's how they make their money. But if you don't need their support,
the software is free.
With both Shareware and Freeware, the author retains copyright.
Although you can copy the software, you can only pass it on unaltered.
With PUBLIC DOMAIN
software, this isn't usually the case. Public Domain
software is released under several different licences, but for most
purposes they amount to the same thing. The author has released the
software not only to be used but also, if you are a programmer, to be
adapted or improved. To this end, the source code, or how the program
was written, is also released along with the end product. The entire
Linux operating system, now becoming a serious rival to windows, has
been evolved using public domain principals, with many authors adding
contributions of their own, and adapting others. Some of these Linux
programs have been adapted, or ported, to Windows, perhaps the biggest
and best known being The GIMP graphics manipulation program.
So, now I've whetted your appetite, you want to know how to get your
hands on this treasure trove. There are many thousands of download
sites all over the web, including authors' own sites, but there are two
sites which I would recommend for starters, each containing an
excellent cross section of all types of software, and both easy to
navigate. These are the CNet download site at
and the TUCOWS (The Ultimate Collection Of Windows Software) at
The software will be downloaded as an ARCHIVE, a single file
containing, compressed, the program you are wanting. In order to use
it you will need to EXTRACT it. Many downloads are in the form of a
self-extracting executable file; one with the extension .exe. Once it
is downloaded, you simply select and run this, and follow the
instructions. Others are ZIP files, with the extension .ZIP. To
extract these you will need an unzipper. If you don't have one, the
shareware WinZIP and freeware FreeZIP are both available, as
self-extracting archives, at both sites.
If you have a question you'd like me to answer in the column, maybe as
a result of my last two columns, please e-mail it to
questions@billnot.com, If you don't have e-mail, you can
always leave your question at the CopiShop. However, I can't guarantee
to answer questions personally.
My sessions on the Internet continue at the Oasis Centre. The next
session will be on 22nd December, when we'll be discussing what
we should be looking at during the next series of sessions, starting
after Christmas, so if you have any ideas, why not come along.
May I wish you all a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year, and, if
you have been, thanks for reading this.