[LINK] Theft, copyright, larceny...

[Adam Todd]

Shareware is software you can obtain, usually it's suppose to be full 
versions without limitations, you can use it, and after a period of 
time, or if you like the software you pay the author.

I use to get about 20% of the users paying, which was pretty good 
when you consider that there were 250,000 users of the software and I 
didn't expect to make a cent :)  I think if I'd offered my software 
at a fee, I'd have had about 10 users :)

Freeware is just plain free.

Open Source is where the source code is provided with the software, 
however it may be shareware, freeware or fully paid for.

Open Source doesn't necessarily mean "free" however there are very 
few cases where one pays for the software.  And to be honest in the 
three cases I know, you'd WANT to pay for the software, because 
you'll NEED the support!  (Ok maybe you are really paying for 
support, but some people will use a little and some a lot, so it's 
not really user pays.)



At 05:08 PM 27/06/2007, Janet Hawtin wrote:
>On 6/27/07, Stilgherrian <stil at stilgherrian.com> wrote:
>
>> > (most shareware is junk, anyway...and isn't worth using, let alone buying)
>>Well, Sturgeon's Law applies to shareware as much as anything else... ;)
>
>I keep coming across people who choose to define software as closed 
>and shared.
>Shareware being closed code projects which are offered on a
>conditional free basis?
>
>Open source and free software are not 'shareware' they are projects
>based around transparency of code and freedom to participate, they may
>also be cash free.
>
>Not sure which flavour of word use this is but these days the word
>shareware makes my
>word politics filter beep.
>_______________________________________________
>Link mailing list
>Link at mailman.anu.edu.au
>http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link