A quick explanation here. I use a lot of freeware and open-source software. I used to use shareware as well. I also have a very few commercial software packages on my computer. Each one is different in its own way. I had a co-worker (who works in tech support) who didn’t know the difference between freeware and shareware. YIKES! All of us in tech support should know the difference IMHO. Here is a brief explanation of these different types of software:
Commercial software is software that you buy either on line or in a store. It usually has you enter a registration code of some kind when installing. This registration code is usually within the box that the software is packaged in. The installation will not continue without a registration code. It also usually comes with a printed manual (of varying degrees of help) and sometimes even comes with technichal support for the program, either on line or phone support. When you go to WalMart and buy software, this is what you are buying. There are ways around the registration; there are many crack sites where you can pick up codes of commercial software (of course, this is illegal). Typically this software is the most expensive of its type, but not always. Some people seem to think that commercial software is always the best solution — I am not among those people.
Shareware is software that you can download from various sources: the internet, some commercial CDs, etc. It can be called trial software as you get to try the software before you buy it. The supposition is that you will either like the software and send the author their money or you will not like the software and remove it from your computer. In my experience, the software is usually kept and not paid for. The most famous of these programs is WinZip; how many of you downloaded the program and continue to click the “I Agree” button after your official trial period? Quite a few, I’d guess. There are many ways to get around the so-called nag screens (pay for my software or this screen will come up each time!) the most common is like the commercial software: go to a crack site and get a code (of course, again, this is illegal). Sometimes shareware is deliberately crippled commercial software; crippled in hopes that you will buy the more expensive commercial product instead of the shareware. You can get shareware at many web sites, among them Web Attack and CNet’s Download.com.
Freeware is software that is just that: free. There are no shareware notice screens for you to get annoyed with. My favorite site for freeware is NoNags (called that because there are no nag screens in freeware). There are no fees to pay. I have a lot of freeware on my computer. Freeware serves a purpose in that it usually isn’t the complete multi-purpose suite of products but something that is single-purpose and quite specific. The author of the program usually writes it becaus they need this specific task and don’t like the way commercial software does the task. Sometimes freeware can fall into categories like careware or adware. Careware is free software where the author would like an email or a postcard, just to know you care about the software and like it. Adware is software that is ad supported; it usually has a banner somewhere on the screen with advertisements. I personally avoid adware; there are enough ads on the internet, why download software with ads?
Open Source is software that is free, like freeware, but also supplies you with the source code. For me this isn’t really a great advantage of open source. However, if I were a programmer, this would be a good thing. If I wanted to change a small part of some open source program, I could since I get the source code with the compiled program itself. Open source programs are gaining ground every day in all areas. If there is a commercial software package or shareware package or even freeware package, chances are there is a work-alike in open source software. Sourceforge is one of the larger web sited dedicated to open source software.
I don’t rely on any one type of software. I have some commercial software, some shareware, some freeware and some open source. I am leaning more and more toward freeware and open source simply because the products are getting quite good and I don’t want to spend the money for commercial software (and I hate the nag screens in shareware). Choose for yourself which you want to use, but do the research first.