Shareware What is it, what is it for and how do these types of programs work?

You are probably not very familiar with the term. sharewarethe first thing you should know is that it is a distribution model that is applied in the field of software and which has a large number of functions but they are only available for a limited time.

This means that shareware is that software that the user can try for some specific time, but then you must buy it if you want to continue using it, which means that it’s not free. Despite not being a well-known term, it has been used since the early 1980s and has been advancing as technology evolves.

All this is currently used by most companies as a form of power show what they want to sell. Therefore, here we are going to teach you a little more what shareware is about and how these types of programs work.

What is shareware and what are the programs with this distribution for?

Taking into account everything mentioned above, we can see that a shareware It’s about a distribution model that is not free and it is only available for a limited time. In other words, it has become a way for many companies and merchants can offer your products or services. This is how companies offer free trials to publicize your software to consumers and these can try them before buying them.

being only one labor sampleon many occasions these programs do not usually offer all your toolsand are only available for periods of 7, 15 or 30 days maximum. Considered as a sufficient time for users to be able to test all its functions and thus decide if they should make the purchase or not.

Therefore, these distribution programs They serve primarily to publicize consumer software. In this way, the client can know if he really is it worth or not to pay for said programsince before acquiring it you can know how it works, how it is used, its applications and its working speed.

All this turns out to be double-edged sword for most companiessince by presenting your products in this way, you can get good or bad comments. In other words, it is very likely that the product presented will be liked and will help them get more visibility and sales or what is this not really good and be reasons for negative reviews what could damage the company’s reputation.

Who devised this mode of distribution?

This story started in the year 1980and despite having been on the market for so long shareware is still a term not many informants know. At the beginning of 80’s years all this began to be called in an erroneous way as freeware, a term that was already established in the United States. That was how two American programmers called Andrew Fluegelman and Jim Knopf They released one of the most important applications at that time.

However, at that time both were looking for a way to power show your program to consumers but not for freebut they should cancel an amount Therefore, they decided to use bulletin board distribution which was very popular at that time where users had to send money to the author of the software if they wanted to see how the software was developed.

But, another programmer from that time named Bob Wallace created at that time the PC-Write, a little software text processor which became one of most wanted apps. Nevertheless, Bob Wallace I already knew the term freeware, but he was in search of another term that did not express that it was totally freeall this led him to create the term shareware (Sharing) thus managing to eliminate any confusion that existed between these types of programs with those free.

Therefore, this term credited to Bob Wallacewho managed to make this term expand rapidly, so much so that similar applications and programs They started to use it. Currently shareware programs they were just apps MS-DOSbut nowadays they are very common in the operating systems Mac, GNU/Linux, WinCE, Palmamong others.

What are the characteristics of shareware programs?

These applications are a type of license with which some programs are distributed for sale, but it should be mentioned that these softwares usually have some limitations on when to use them. The limitations will depend mainly on the application used.

According to this here we teach you the main characteristics of shareware:

• The shareware They are a software type they offer for free over a period of time and then they must be purchased to continue using them.
• They must be purchased in order to use them for a unlimited time.
• I know distributed similarly to freeware except that after the trial period requires a payment for your license to remain in use.
• In the case of trial periodsSometimes these programs do not include all its functions.
• The maximum time for their free use is usually from 30 days.

What are the main advantages of the software with this distribution license?

Without a doubt, these programs have to have a series of advantages for its distributionn, either for both users as well as for its developers. It’s like this type of license offers some benefits to both parties with the aim that both the author as the client can benefit from all this, That is why below we show you the main advantages offered by this modality:

For the user

So that a person can buy a program this should give you some Benefits to help you improve your work or quality of life. That is why here we teach you the advantages of sharewares for their users:

• Person has the possibility to test the software before buying itthus You will avoid the risk of losing money or unpleasant moments by requesting a refund of your money.
• They offer a easier and more direct communication between client and developer. All of this allows for a feedback that allows to improve the programs thanks to user suggestions.
• In general, these programs tend to have a lower price than those programs that are strictly commercial and that the customer cannot try them before buying them.

For the developer

In the case of the developers of these applicationsthey must have a series of advantages and benefits that allows them to apply this sales method. That is why we present you here the main benefits that authors obtain when using this type of license.

• In this case the developer has complete control over the program, being the same one who decides what happens in the future with him. This is something that does not happen in those he has freeware licenses.
• These programs usually be successfulThey have earned the respect of the software creators. This is because they offer really good programs that are capable of meeting all expectations.
• These programs get a own nameplus the author manages to win a very Good reputation.
• It does not require a legal status, that is, how much small, medium and great programmers they can make use of them including minors. This is because these softwares are not considered illegal.

Examples of shareware license software Which are the most popular on the market?

It is important to mention that the amount of programs available in the market with Shareware license are very few compared to freewaresthis is because not all developers dare to use this type of license mainly because it was considered a very risky act to teach a program to the client before buying it.

However, here we are going to show you what are the best examples of shareware software that you can currently find on the web:

• McAfee Virus Scan: Generally, most antiviruses they usually have shareware licensesthey do this with the aim that their clients can see its potential when fighting any type of threat to your computer or mobile. That is why it allows it to be downloaded and used by a period of time completely free and subsequently a payment must be made in order to continue enjoying its services.

mcafee stands out for being an antivirus that offers a large number of tools and analysis options, allowing you like this perform default or advanced scans. It is currently considered one of the most complete in the web market.

• WinZIP: compressors are other software with this type of license that we will find on the web, which also stand out for offering your free services so that the user can know what are your tools and operating capacity. One of the most important nowadays is WinZIP, a software that has all the necessary tools to compress almost all types of files.

In the same way, it offers the possibility of advanced encryption on files and datacount with one support for antivirus, file splitting and merging, skin and it has a 21-day trial version only.

• Paint Shop Pro: Graphics programs are another the most popular shareware What can we currently find? This is how users have the opportunity to have these programs for a few days and thus be able to know how it works and each of the tools it offers. This will let them know whether or not it is really worth paying for it.

Paint Shop Pro is an application that stands out for offering a great number of tools so that your users can develop animated GIF files, create deformable texts, vector drawings, among many others.

• Online games: If you are a lover internet games Surely you have noticed that many of these softwares offer you a free version so you can enjoy them only for a few days. This will allow knowing the quality of its graphics and soundwhich becomes an ideal option before making this type of purchase.
• Text editors: we finally found text editorsthese being the softwares where all this started. It is important to mention that not all text editors are sharewaresince there are a large number of them However, shareware text editors are usually cataloged as better quality and with more advanced text tools.

Some of the editors with this type of license are JPad ​​Pro, ASPEdit, MapEdit, among many others. These applications usually mostly offer 15 days triala before making the payment so that the user can continue enjoying its services.