What is Shareware?
Shareware is software that is readily available to download online for a free trial evaluation. At the end of the trial period the user is bound by the electronic user license agreement (EULA) to either uninstall the software, or pay for its continued use. Shareware trial periods vary from a few days to a month, as stated in the EULA. Some software, including many gaming programs, have a trial period based on the number of times a program is opened, rather than the number of days it has been installed on a computer. For example, if a shareware program has an evaluation scheme that allows 30 uses, the program will continue to work until it has been executed 30 times. This may take one person several months, while another might try the program 30 times in just a few days. Some shareware programs have built-in mechanisms to protect the author’s copyright after the trial period has expired. At this point when the user goes to open the program, an error box or popup screen will appear infor
Shareware is a method of software distribution and marketing, and not a type of program. In fact, try-before-you-buy software has been discovered by traditional “shelfware” companies, and now, nearly every large software company provides some type of free trial version of their software. Some of those trial versions are shareware, and some aren’t. Shareware, traditionally, is software that is published by authors who want you to help with their word-of-mouth advertising. It’s more than a free trial; it’s a free trial that you can share with your friends. When you find a product that does what you need, you’ll buy the full version, usually directly from the author, and nearly always find that if you need product support, you’ll get a fast answer from a programmer who worked on the product, and not some help-desk worker reading from a pre-programmed script. The Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP) was formed in April 1987 to strengthen the future of try-before-you-buy software as
Shareware is basically “try before you buy” software. Unlike software marketed through normal retail channels, where you are forced to pay for the product before you’ve even seen it, the shareware concept lets you try a program for a period of time before you buy it. Once you have tried a shareware program, you know whether it will meet your needs before you pay for it. Shareware programs are just like programs you find in major stores, catalogs, and other places where people purchase software – except you get to use them, on your own computer, before paying for them. Shareware distribution gives users a chance to try software before buying it. If you try a shareware program and continue using it, you are expected to register (purchase) the program. With registration, you get anything from the simple right to continue using the software to an updated program with printed manual. Shareware authors are accomplished programmers, just like commercial authors, and the programs are of compar
Shareware is copyrighted software that the developer encourages you to copy and distribute to others. This permission is explicitly stated in the documentation or displayed on the computer/web page. The developer of the shareware generally asks for a small donation/fee if you like the software and plan to use it. You should be cautious when using shareware to ensure that spyware or malicious software is not contained in or has not been bundled into the shareware.
Shareware is a rather loose term used to define software that is free to try, but must be purchase after a certain amount of time or uses. Shareware email clients include Microsoft Outlook, Ritlabs’ The Bat!, and Corel WordPerfect Mail. Shareware professionals even have their organization: ASP-Shareware.org ” Since 1987, the ASP has been dedicated to the advancement of shareware, also known as try-before-you-buy software, as an alternative to conventional retail software. Today the ASP is a vibrant organization with hundreds of members around the world working together to improve their businesses and making it easier for computer users to find quality software at reasonable prices.
