We must be clear that shareware it is not a free software and open source, so we will not have access to its source code. Developers of this type of program make money from it or by promoting their software products. The more installations are made, the more popular their products become and from there they start to earn money.
Its origin
Shareware was first introduced in the early 1980s, and its popularity increased mainly in the 1990s as personal computing became widespread in both offices and homes. Its creators were Jim Buttonauthor of PC-File (database program) and Andrew Flueglemanauthor of PC-Talk (communication program).
Interestingly, initially the idea emerged to share free software with other users. However, over time they realized that they could not afford to develop the software and update it with new features. It is from then on that they decided to allow users to copy their software, but instead they introduced a line in the program requesting 20 dollars to finance its development.
Although Fluegleman took it upon himself to register free software in the hope of making money, the way it was distributed was different, so this term could not be used. On the other hand, using the term “user-supported software” was felt to be too long and uncommercial. For this reason, a computer magazine organized a contest to find the most appropriate name, and shareware was chosen.
Main reasons for its success
Once it was granted and shareware programs began to emerge, it became a success. Computer magazines began to write good reviews about this new way of distributing software, so this free publicity quickly spread among users.
In this way, users did not have to buy shareware software in stores without knowing if the program was what they really needed. They felt drawn to the fact that they could first test the program, and then if they liked it they could pay a small fee and receive upgrades. At that time, the usual software had very high prices, while the cost of shareware is very low, which favored its distribution
We must also take into account that it would be easier and more efficient for the authors of this software to offer their programs as shareware, instead of investing time and money in selling them through specialized stores. Also, while other programs take care to use copy protections in their products, shareware authors encouraged their users to copy and distribute the programmanaging to increase its popularity.
Types of shareware
Today we can find different types and ways by which shareware software is developed and distributed. The most common are:
- Adware: It is a type of software that is responsible for showing ads and advertising to users, this being the way in which they earn money.
- Freemium: It is a type of software that offers limited functions of a program for free. In the case of wanting to obtain the rest of the functions, it is necessary to pay the corresponding fee.
- Nagware: This type is responsible for displaying alert messages to the user to encourage them to buy the software. It is possible to close the alert message and continue to use the program for free, or purchase it to make the alerts go away.
- Cryptoware: This is a photo and video editing software that adds a watermark to the final images or videos. In order for them to disappear, it will be necessary to acquire their license.
- trialware: It is a trial software which offers a certain time to use it. Once finished, it will not open and you will need to purchase your license key to continue using it.
- postcardware: This type of software forces the user to send an email to the author.
- donationware: Through this type of shareware, the user can use all the functions of the program for free. This has a link so that we can optionally send a donation to the author, being able to continue using the program for free without having to make it.
Surely many of these forms of developing and distributing shareware will be very familiar to us since there are many programs that use any of these types to promote themselves.
Differences with freeware
It is possible that sometimes we can confuse the terms of shareware with freeware, although both have clearly differentiated purposes.
The freeware It is a software that, although it has copyright, is distributed at no cost to the user. The developer himself retains all rights to the program, in addition to being able to control its distribution. It does not include licenses to pay, fees, expiration dates or restrictions on its use. However, not to be confused with “free software”, which allows users the freedom to do what they want with the program since it has no restrictions.
For his part the target of shareware is to encourage users to share the limited version of the software on a trial basis or in a limited format with an expiration date so that it can be tested before purchasing the full version. With this, a greater distribution and sale of this product is promoted.
Not all are advantages, there are also risks
The use of shareware software has several advantages for both the developer and the user, although it also has some risks that are important to be aware of.
Between the advantagesas we have already seen, there is mainly the possibility of trying the software before buying it, which offers user security that it really is what you are looking for. In addition, these programs generally have a lower selling price to other purely commercial software that cannot be tested prior to purchase.
However, there is also drawbacksbecause you have to take into account that some shareware software obtain personal information which they then distribute to other marketing companies. Also some programs, once installed, make the computer slow down and produce installations of other applications unwanted strangers. In addition, we can come across software that begins to display ads or pop-up windows that affect its use, forcing us to pay if we do not want them to be displayed.
Shareware licensed programs
Next, we are going to show you some examples of well-known programs that have a shareware license, because on many occasions a good example is worth a thousand words.
WinRAR
Without a doubt, the most popular and used file compressor and decompressor is a clear example of shareware software. With this program we can create compressed files of the type .rar and .zip and can decompress compressed files .rar, .zip, .arj, .7z, .lzh, .ace, .tar, .tar.gz, .bz2, .uue , .cab, .jar and .iso. RAR and WinRAR are shareware programs, which means that we can try it for free for 40 days. Once this trial period has passed, we will have to buy a license or uninstall them from your computer. Although, it is possible to continue using them while messages are displayed for your record. We can download it from its official website.
Malwarebytes Anti Malware
It was born in 2008 as one of the most complete security options capable of detecting and eliminating all kinds of malware. Its use is especially indicated as a second antivirus, since it does not interfere with the main one, and with which we can carry out both periodic and scheduled analyzes of our computer. With its free version we can perform manual scans of the computer and clean systems that are already infected. This shareware software offers a premium version with additional features for which we must pay. We can download it from the developer’s website.
EaseUS Todo Backup
It is a well-known program to make backup copies of our most precious files. It also allows us to create backup copies that allow data recovery, customize the type of backup we want to perform (full, incremental or differential) and the creation of reports that will notify us of any mishap that may occur in the process. It has a free version that we can download from its website, but it does not include all the available functions. As a good shareware software, it will be necessary to buy some of its paid versions in order to get more features.
