called PC-Write. To further describe his program, Wallace came up with
the term Shareware. Many users in the industry consider Jim Button,
the creator of PC-File - a database program, and Andrew Fluegelman,
the author of PC-Talk - a communication program, are considered to be
the "fathers" of the Shareware concept. However, the three of them
clearly established the Shareware model to be the viable marketing
method for their software.
In the early days of software distribution, it was a standard practice
to share computer programs across a global bulletin board system. This
allowed users to share and exchange them with other users that may
have a need for it to accomplish or simplify daily tasks. As the
progress of the software industry continued to develop, software
authors and vendors started to request small payments for their
software in order to help support continued improvements and offer
technical support of the software.
Computer software was distributed and shared between friends and
colleagues; however, it wasn't until the development of the Internet
and e-commerce, when the concept of Shareware really took off and
became more popular than one could have ever imagined.
As the Internet became more popular, so did the use of Shareware,
Trial Software and Freeware. In the early 90's the Internet lead to a
new software distribution model that revolutionized the software
industry and the way software was distributed. This new found method
of distribution has been so successful over the past 20 years, that
now almost every software development company uses it today to bring
about awareness of their software.
To make this network of Shareware and Freeware distribution even more
powerful, Webmasters began making Website archives based on the
software that was available to download. These massive libraries of
software are commonly known as software download sites.
What is Shareware?
So what exactly is Shareware? Shareware is software that is
distributed on a trial basis with the understanding by the users of
the software, that there may be a small charge by the author to
continue to use it. Most Shareware is delivered free of charge by
downloading it from the Internet; either from the authors Website or
from a software download site. By registering the software and paying
the small fee, you become registered with the author and you can
receive technical support and updates of the software when they become
available.
You can copy Shareware and pass it along to friends and colleagues, as
long as it is the trial version of the software and not the registered
version. They too are expected to pay a registration fee if they
intend on using the software regularly beyond the trial period.
The trial period of the computer software is entirely dependent on the
software author and can vary a great deal. Typically, the trial period
can be anywhere from 10 - 30 days or even 45 - 60 days. I have also
seen some software where the trial period was based on usage and only
allow you to use the program an X number of times. So there are many,
many variations of trial periods and usage time for you to evaluate
the software before you buy.
The functionality of the software can be limited as well; some authors
will release fully functional software and others will offer a limited
or a lite version of the full program. For example, all of our
software here at CoffeeCup is offered to users to try out the fully
functional program for a limited amount of time. You can download
coffeecup software here: http://www.coffeecup.com/software/.
Trial Software vs. Shareware
What is the difference between Trial Software and Shareware? There
really is not much of a difference. Shareware is an older term that is
becoming superseded by the term Trial Software. Back when Shareware
first evolved, it meant that Shareware could be shared freely with
each other, friends and colleagues. Many users started to think that
it was ok to register the software and then share it with others; this
is simply not the case. To avoid this problem the term Trial Software
was introduced. The term Trial Software is more precise and means
exactly what it is - Trial software.
Freeware vs. Trial Software
What exactly is Freeware? Freeware unlike Trial Software, is software
that is completely free for anyone to use or pass along to other to
use. The difference between Freeware and Trial Software is that
Freeware is just that - Free. You never have to pay to use Freeware
and can pass it along for others to use too free of charge. This is a
huge advantage for using Freeware.
There are a few disadvantages of using Freeware as well. One
disadvantage of using Freeware software is that the author may no
longer be developing it and improving it. So if you use a Freeware
program on a regular basis, check with the developer of the software
to see if they are still going to be developing it and offering
updates. Another disadvantage of Freeware is that you may not get the
help or support you are in need of to use the software. Of course,
this is dependent on the developer on what exactly is offered with the
Freeware version of the program, you should check directly with the
company to see what the policy is regarding the software.
Where can you get Trial Software, Shareware and Freeware?
Often times you can download programs that offer Shareware, Trial
Software and Freeware versions directly from the authors Website or
software download sites. Software download sites are archives of
thousands of different programs; such as educational software, web
design software, network software, and so much more. Best of all, it's
available all in one place.
Websites such as www.tucows.com will review the software and make sure
that it works properly, and will also give it a rating based on a set
of criterions that the software must meet to receive a rating. Other
sites such as www.download.com will have their editorial staff review
the software but also allow users to comment and give feedback on the
software. This can be especially useful to get other opinions before
downloading and trying out the software.
Software vendors will often submit the latest version of their
software to these download sites so that the users of these sites can
be sure they are getting the latest version of their software.
The Advantages
So what are the advantages of Shareware, Trial Software and Freeware?
Well, the advantage of Freeware is just that - it's free. For
Shareware and Trial Software, however, the big advantage is that you
can try the software before you buy it. Using Shareware through the
trial period allows you ample time to test out the software before you
buy it.
With Shareware, you can try out several different products and see
which one best suits your needs for the project or task you need it for.
Another advantage of Shareware or Trial Software is that it is usually
a lot less expensive that store bought software. Software authors
don't have to pay the extra overhead for packaging and printed
materials which allows them to sell the software and at much lower cost.
Overall, the distribution of Shareware, Trial Software and Freeware
continue to improve with new methods of marketing and more vendors are
producing software for users to try before they buy. With the support
of users, authors are continually developing Trial Software versions
of their software to make their software even better to meet the
growing needs of their registered users.
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