Types of software licenses. The history of shareware, the original option for organizing in-app purchases

Modern Russia is a country of contrasts and paradoxes. No university trains programmers in their “pure form”. At the same time, there are a great many programmers in our country, and most often they are busy with other things - they monitor computer fleets, build local area networks, become system administrators and database administrators. The most interesting thing is that programs are still written and in huge quantities. But - on an individual, private basis. That is, a huge amount of work is being done, but it is being done without any material benefit. Why? Yes, because it is too difficult for a single person to try to establish normal sales of his software products (even if these are truly high-quality and in-demand products), not to mention all the difficulties that arise when trying to get any money for his work. It is not for nothing that in our country only very large companies (such as 1C or ParaGraph) independently sell their software. Where can a lone programmer go, who in his free time from his main job has written a small, albeit convenient, utility program, for which it is simply indecent to ask for more than $5 per copy. Do not, in fact, create a network of dealers, open your own company and all that stuff. So, trying to get money for your intellectual work for an ordinary person is a hopeless matter.

In fact, things are not entirely so gloomy. More precisely, everything is not like that at all. You just need to take a closer look at the phenomenon in the modern software business, which is designated by a term generally known to every experienced user, and even more so to a programmer - “shareware”.

Actually, “shareware” is a term that can be interpreted in two ways. On the one hand, from the point of view of the actual production of software products, this is a type of software, and from the point of view of program implementation, this is a method of distributing the software itself. Anyone can receive shareware software, but users follow a certain agreement, which is based on rules for limiting the received software. The main motto of shareware is "try-before-you-buy" (try before you buy). That is, a certain time interval is given during which the user must decide whether he likes the program. If you like the program, then you can pay money for it, gaining the right to further use the program (in shareware terms it is called “register the program”). Otherwise, under a shareware license, the user agrees to stop using the program after a certain period and delete all its files from his computer. In addition, until registration, the program is usually limited in its functionality.

These some restrictions are designed to further encourage the user to purchase the program. Currently, it is customary to impose the following restrictions on shareware products:

– limitation of the validity period of the trial version (the so-called trial version);
– limitation of the functionality of the trial version (the so-called limited version);
– messages reminding you of the need to register the software (nag screen).

Shareware, as a distribution method (i.e., a method of distributing software), is the permission of the author, in accordance with the public license, to copy and transfer the trial version to other users for evaluation. With this approach, programs are distributed not only through the efforts of the author, but also through the efforts of everyone. In addition, there is also freeware - completely free software (registration is not required for it), as well as the rather rare term firmware (these are all kinds of firmware and similar software tightly attached to the hardware).

Of course, the shareware method only works if users are honest and comply with copyright laws. The user is required to register the software (only in this case the author will receive money for his software product).

If there are no legislative and ethical incentives for users to comply with the public shareware license, then receiving money for their intellectual work becomes very problematic. Perhaps this is why all our domestic creators of shareware programs are focused primarily on Western consumers.

So, you've decided to get involved in shareware programs. In this case, a number of problems arise: how and on what principles to create such a program, how to protect it, how to receive money for registration, how to advertise your software product. This article is devoted to these, as well as some other issues.

Experience shows that almost any software product can be successfully sold. The main thing is that it is of high quality and in demand. Otherwise, the initial design of the program is a creative and informal process. The only thing that can be said is that the key to successful sales is reliability, as well as the convenience and simplicity of the interface.

Everything else can be anything, as long as it is complete (which is why it is usually quite small projects that reach the implementation stage). However, it is not necessary to rely solely on Windows 95/98 or NT. There is a much greater chance of creating something exclusive for a less common operating system (for example, Linux, http://www.linux.org/). Although most shareware products are focused on SOHO (Small office, home office) applications, Windows systems still predominate there.

What to do after creating the final product? According to the rules of good form, the package is brought to generally accepted standards, that is, it is issued in the form of a distribution kit (a program that independently installs the program on the user’s computer and configures it in accordance with the available equipment). This is achieved using special installer programs.

An example of such a program is InstallShield Professional/Express (http://www.installshield.com/). This product is one of the most widespread and oldest products of its kind, appearing almost simultaneously with Windows itself, and during its existence it has become a de facto standard. It really has all the necessary capabilities to create installation scenarios as complex as you like.

Installers distributed as shareware are presented on the website http://tucows.online.ru/comp95.html

However, this does not mean that it will be the best choice for shareware authors. Firstly, the cost of the Professional version is quite high (more than $500), although lightweight free Express versions come with Delphi and Visual C++. Secondly, the size of the distribution kit exceeds all other installers, which only creates unnecessary difficulties when distributing the program via the Internet (a feature of such distribution is the direct dependence of the cost of storing and receiving the software product on its volume). And most importantly, there are a sufficient number of other installer programs that are cheaper, but have almost the same functionality. As a result, InstallShield makes sense when installing really large applications, several tens of megabytes in size.

Few people know that Microsoft (http://www.microsoft.com/) has its own product for installing programs. Or rather, its two halves. The first is inf files, widely used in Windows 95/NT for installing drivers and programs.

These files use their own internal language, which allows you to perform all the operations necessary for installation (copy files, create shortcuts, configure various system parameters, install drivers, fonts, printers, etc.). However, unfortunately, the language of INF files is extremely complex, practically undocumented, so its use is extremely difficult. Although this language can serve as an excellent example of an area where shareware creators can apply their efforts (for example, the INF-Tool program at http://Inner-Smile.com/dl_inf.htm).

The other half required to create a complete installation is the Microsoft IExpress program. It is part of the free Internet Explorer Administration Kit, designed for installation of Internet Explorer by an ISP or network administrator, but can also be used separately from it. IExpress creates a self-extracting exe archive containing all the distribution files along with an INF file, which will be launched after unpacking the archive and will actually handle the installation process. The unique property of IExpress is the strongest compression, noticeably better than that of the well-known ZIP or RAR archivers, so it can be recommended even just for creating archives.

When preparing an installation, you should follow a few unwritten rules of good manners or, if you prefer, follow some informal standards for the design of shareware products. These rules, firstly, will make the installation process easier for an inexperienced user and, secondly, will increase the chances that your program will come to the attention of browsers of well-known shareware sites (such as ZDNet, TuCows and others).

These are the rules:

1. Even using installers that convert the entire distribution into one executable file, it is better to compress it using an archiver (especially since many shareware sites still compress executable distributions of shareware programs). In this case, it is best to use the popular ZIP archiver - the de facto standard for shareware archives, which, moreover, provides a completely satisfactory compression ratio (especially since the user may not have archivers).
2. If you make a zip archive, always include a readme file, which should contain detailed information about the program. It must be available to the user even before the installation begins (that is, the readme file must be located, although inside the zip archive, but outside the executable file of the distribution).
3. A normal installer should include the ability to uninstall (the standard way to do this is through the “Add or Remove Programs” item in the Windows Control Panel). A program without this feature is unlikely to receive high praise from reviewers of shareware programs and, most importantly, creates a lot of unnecessary problems for its users.

By the way, it makes sense to familiarize yourself with the shareware programs created in this area, since installers are very often created by shareware authors for use by shareware authors. This can be done, for example, on the most popular shareware site “Two Cows” (http://tucows.online.ru/comp95.html).

Materials on software protection can be viewed, for example, at http://neworder.box.sk/

After the program has been written and the distribution has been created, you can begin the most important process - improving the quality of your software product. We must remember that reputation is important in any business, so you should sell only high-quality products. The quality of a software product can be verified through testing. This is the operation your product should undergo. The first, “raw” version of the software, which is just being tested, is usually not released to the public. This is the so-called alpha version. It is usually quite unreliable and contains many errors undetected by the author. After the software has been in use for some time by the author and authorized representatives, all detected errors are corrected and the next beta version is released. The beta version, as a rule, is already distributed quite widely among special people who are involved in testing such software - beta testers. Beta versions are usually distributed completely free of charge (perhaps only Microsoft allows itself to sell beta versions of its products). The beta version can work quite stably, but it is supplied exclusively under the “AS IS” license, that is, “as is”; the author does not guarantee the high-quality and stable operation of such software. Therefore, if you receive a beta version of a product for your use, you should remember that such versions should not be used for serious work. Beta versions always include information about where to send information about errors encountered in the application. There are several informal testing organizations (or, if you like, “get-togethers”) on the Internet. It is enough to send a beta version of your program to such a get-together so that people will install this product, use it and send you their feedback. In general, high-quality testing can be carried out either by implementing rather complex reliability testing algorithms (and this is a whole science, and not an easy one at that) or by simply having large numbers of testing participants (in this case, the likelihood of recording all non-standard situations greatly increases). One of the oldest and most popular beta testing sites is at http://www.betanews.com/.

The result of all the work done is the release of a “release,” that is, the final version, which can already be sold. All that remains is to build shareware restrictions and a registration procedure into your software.

Here we are stepping on rather slippery ground. The process of organizing registration and verifying the legitimacy of registration is the cornerstone of organizing software protection from illegal copying. Each author has it organized in his own way, this is know-how, the author’s technology. We can only say that outwardly it usually looks like entering the username for which the program is registered and some key that the user receives after paying the registration fee. If the entry of this information is correct, the program is considered registered.

I would also like to say that absolute protection has not yet been created (and, most likely, it never will be). The Internet is flooded with crack programs (from English to crack - “break”), which allow you to bypass the protection of any programs. You should rely more on the honesty of users and the thoroughness of the legislative framework.

Judging by the prevalence of shareware software on the Internet, we can conclude that there are still quite a lot of honest users. Materials on software protection can be viewed, for example, at http://neworder.box.sk/ / (it contains a large database with links to similar resources).

Now that the product is completely and finally ready, designed and tested, the most interesting thing remains - getting money for it.

There is a forum for discussing shareware issues at http://www.softlist.ru/

Most likely, the main influx of funds will still come from Western users (well, we are not yet accustomed to paying money for something that can be obtained by simple copying). Here it is important to remember the futility of trying to get money directly from users. Firstly, there may be problems with our best legislation in the world, and secondly, each single payment is so small that bank commissions or postage and cashing costs can simply absorb all the profit. It is better to use the services of special registrar companies. They take upon themselves the organization of the process of checking (verifying) the user’s payment for registration, and provide services for accumulating (accumulating) money for registration in order to transfer a fairly large amount. Naturally, these companies work for some kind of fixed commission (for example, 10% of the amount, but not less than 3 US dollars). They also provide a different range of services.

Here, for example, are the criteria for choosing a registrar according to the famous Russian shareware author Alexander Katalov. The best thing is to look not where the percentage is a little lower, but where the level of services is higher.

A normal registrar should:

1. Accept credit cards not only online, but also by phone (preferably 800, i.e. free for the caller), as well as by fax and e-mail.
2. Accept checks for payment (at least from American banks), as well as traveler's checks payable to bearer (such as American Express or VISA).
3. Carry out a high-quality check of credit card numbers (at a minimum, do not miss “code generators”, but best of all, have a fraud detection system and online communication with card systems).
4. Do not charge fines for chargebacks (i.e., refunds) and unconfirmed payments.
5. If you wish, do not miss payments from “free” mailboxes like hotmail.com or chat.ru
6. Send you checks or make a transfer to your account - at your choice.
7. Send you money depending on the amount or on a schedule - at your choice.
8. Send serial numbers or registration patches to the buyer - and in the form specified by YOU.
9. Be able to send the program to the buyer on physical media - at the buyer’s expense, of course.
10. Vary and automatically recalculate the cost of the program depending on the number of copies of the program purchased by one client and in accordance with your wishes.
11. Provide you with the opportunity to customize the registration form so that it fits into the design of your site.
12. Help you advertise your program - that is, he must produce discs himself, have his own online store, or serve a large and prestigious shareware site. 13. Send you information about each buyer by e-mail, plus a monthly balance for all sales.
14. Provide you with the opportunity to have online access to your account (i.e., account), and to all purchases and ATTEMPTS to buy (when the payment was not made), indicating what money has already been transferred to you, when, etc. Moreover, information about sales in this database should be saved even after the money has been transferred to you - that is, from the very beginning of your work.

A normal registrar should do at least half of the above. You can use the services of several registrar companies at once (but there is no point in more than two).

The two most popular ways to receive money are by deposit into your account or by check in the mail.

If you choose to transfer to your account, this account must first be opened. It is best to do this at Vneshtorgbank or Sberbank of the Russian Federation (they are more reliable than commercial ones, and for Western partners they are better known than all others). You need to open a foreign currency account, and you need to ask the bank employees about what the details of your account should look like for a foreign bank. The advantage of this solution is the high speed of money transfer (usually one or two weeks). The downside is that you have to fill out documents and red tape. The problem is also what your Western partners will write in the “purpose of payment” column. Some entries, such as “payment under a foreign exchange contract,” may attract close attention from the tax office.

The second method is simpler in that you receive a check in the mail, which you can cash at the bank. The disadvantage of this approach is that the check in the mail takes quite a long time (in the worst case, several months). After submitting the check to the bank, you must wait some more time for the check to be accepted (that is, recognized by the issuing bank) in order to finally receive your money.

Let's consider the work of a registrar company using a specific example - the company RegSoft (http://www.regsoft.com/). After registering your product on their website, you receive a unique identifier number and an account (or invoice) is opened for you. Through a special page on the secure part of the RefSoft website, the user can now place an order to register your product in his name (indicating, for example, his credit card number as a means of payment). You can insert a link to this resource on your page dedicated to the product or, by downloading a special utility for free, include the procedure for ordering registration as part of the distribution of your product.

After receiving the order, RegSoft employees check the entered details for correctness and, if everything is in order, send you a notification about the order. Unless you entrusted this process to RegSot itself, you send an individual key for registering the program and a user name to the address specified in the order. The company receives the money and, after deducting a commission of 10% (or $3 if the product price is less than $30), credits it to your account. At the end of the month, the accumulated money is transferred to your account or a check is sent to you by mail.

If the product is successful, then even at a fairly low price you can earn quite a decent amount per month. This is all the more pleasant because, once created, a software product can generate profit for quite a long time (during which you can write something even more promising). A comparative analysis of the conditions of a large number of registrar firms is presented at http://mini.net/pub/sharegs.html. The last thing I would like to mention is the trading engine. Yes, yes – about that same thing, about advertising. Advertising on the Internet is generally a topic for a separate article. There is just a sea of possibilities. These include mailing press releases and shareware reviews. Placing information on shareware sites, search engines, etc.

The first thing you need to start with and what you can’t do without is creating a special page dedicated to your software product. Promotion of this page will at the same time be promotion of your program.

The page should contain information about the product itself and the author. The opportunity to register the product (or a link to the registration form) and a link to receive the product (the so-called download) must be provided. It would also be a good idea to include a press release about future products or new versions of this program.

It is best if the page is made in English and Russian, and is hosted not on a free server, but by a reliable provider (it is better not to skimp on this). Ideally, it would be nice to have a copy of the site (“mirror”) hosted on the server of some Western provider.

Finally, I would like to recommend a few more domestic resources. At http://www.softshape.%20com/swrus/ you can find a lot of materials collected by members of the Internet Mail List on this topic - Russian Shareware Authors (abbreviation SWRUS). Many links on the issues of creating and protecting shareware programs are presented in the resources section of the most famous domestic shareware site download.ru ().

Another number of domestic shareware sites where you can get additional information and place a link to your programs is SoftList (http://www.softlist.ru/), where there is also a forum for discussing shareware issues, ListSoft (http:/ /www.listsoft.ru/welcome.htm), famous for its design and mailing lists and, of course, Shareware.ru (http://www.shareware.ru/). The author does not at all think that this topic can be considered exhausted. The purpose of this article is different - to interest potential authors by showing them the practical value of programming exercises.

We often hear the word “freeware” or fries related to software. This means that the software is free and does not require the purchase of a license or monthly subscription. What is freeware and why is it so popular? Can I use free software at work?

Benefits of using Freeware.

Using free software allows you to reduce company costs. Many software developers release free versions (called freeware) of their programs, reducing functionality or the ability to upgrade to a new version. This is done with the aim of popularizing software products and in order to lead the user to purchase a full-fledged functional version. Also, some programs have full functionality for a certain time. Then the program is blocked or the program works with limited capabilities.

The advantage of using free software is that there are no software costs. If necessary, you can use free analogues of popular software products that have similar functionality.

What is the difference between Freeware and Trial and Full versions?

Feeware is a full-fledged free program, the use of which does not imply the purchase of a program, license or subscription for the right to use. Developers often insert advertising into free programs in order to make a profit or certain messages and pop-up windows calling for the purchase of an advanced, business, ultimate version, asking to support the developers, or with an agreement to use the program only for personal purposes without financial gain.

Trial version is a fully functional version of the program with restrictions on the number of starts, with a limit on the date of use, or with reduced capabilities until the user buys a key and activates the program, after which all restrictions are removed. Trial versions are released to familiarize users with the current version of the software and to attract a larger customer base, that is, to increase the likelihood of selling a key or license.

Full version of the software is a fully functional software package that includes all features without restrictions. Full versions can also be portable (Portable), that is, you can install the program on a flash drive and it will work on any computer (with a compatible OS, of course) where you connect the drive.

Should I choose Freeware, Trial or Full?

From my own experience, I can say that there are no specific tasks in the daily use of a computer, so you can choose the appropriate Freeware. If this is a workstation and is used for work, then you will have to buy full versions of the programs (with a Business license or similar), since a large portion of Free soft, under the terms of the license, cannot be used in business and work. If you are an ordinary user, you can easily find free programs that will be enough for you.

How do you like it? -

Due to the peculiarities of the distribution of such programs.

Historically, the word denoted programs that were freely distributed by third parties (for example, through FidoNet, in collections of programs on CDs) and containing a request to pay money to the author of the program. However, over time, the meaning has changed and when speaking about shareware, they increasingly began to mean not free distribution (which in our time may not exist - the program can only be accessed from the manufacturer’s website) but the techniques used by the authors of shareware programs in order to entice the user pay for the program they received for free (but not free).

Now shareware is most often also understood as a type, method or method of distributing proprietary software on the market (that is, on the way to the end user), in which the tester is offered a limited functionality (non-fully functional or demo version), validity period (trial version, from the English. trial /ˈtraɪəl/- trial) or a version with a built-in blocker reminder (NAG) about the need to pay for using the program. The license may also prohibit commercial or professional (non-test) use. Sometimes an unregistered program stops running after some time (for example, 30 days). Sometimes some functions become unavailable. Sometimes the functionality remains in full, but the user is occasionally shown a reminder that he is using an unregistered version.

Russian specifics

Where to find shareware

Notes

Forms of software distribution

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See what "Shareware" is in other dictionaries:

Shareware- [ˈʃeə(ɹ)ˌweə(ɹ)] (vom englischen share für „teilen“ und ware für „Ware“ oder „Produkt“) ist eine Vertriebsform von Software, bei der die jeweilige Software vor dem Kauf getestet werden kann. Erfunden wurde der Begriff von Bob Wallace, einem der… … Deutsch Wikipedia

shareware- share‧ware [ˈʆeəweə ǁ ˈʆerwer] noun COMPUTING computer software that is given away free, or given away free for a particular period of time. After that time, people have to pay for it compare freeware * * * shareware UK US… … Financial and business terms

shareware- n. Software that a user may acquire and try free of charge, usually distributed with a request for voluntary payment. See also open source The Essential Law Dictionary. Sphinx Publishing, An imprint of Sourcebooks, Inc. Amy Hackney Blackwell.… …Law dictionary

Shareware- es una clase de software o programas para poder evaluar de forma gratuita pero por un tiempo, uso o características limitadas. Para adquirir el software de manera completa necesita de un pago económico (muchas veces modesto). No confundir con un… … Enciclopedia Universal

shareware- (n.) by 1982, from SHARE (Cf. share) (v.) + WARE (Cf. ware) ... Etymology dictionary

shareware- |chèruére| s. m. Programa informático disponibilizado gratuitamente aos usuários para avaliação durante um limite de tempo. Plural: sharewares. ‣ Etimologia: palavra inglesa, de share, parte, porção + ware, mercadoria … Dicionário da Língua Portuguesa

shareware- /ˈʃɛrwer, ingl. ˈʃɛəˌwɛə/ s. m. inv. (elab.) CFR. freeware... Sinonimi e Contrari. Terza edizione

shareware- (izg. šȇrvēr) m DEFINICIJA inform. program u slobodnoj distribuciji koji se može isprobati prije kupovanja ETIMOLOGIJA engl … Hrvatski jezični portal

shareware- n. copyrighted computer software that typically is available free of charge for trial use but that must be paid for by anyone who uses it regularly … English World dictionary

Shareware- Not to be confused with scareware. The term shareware (also known as trialware or demoware) is a proprietary software that is provided to users without payment on a trial basis and is often limited by any combination of functionality,… … Wikipedia

Shareware- Se denomina shareware a una modalidad de distribución de software, en la que el usuario puede evaluar de forma gratuita el producto, pero con limitaciones en el tiempo de uso o en algunas de las formas de uso o con restricciones en las… … Wikipedia Español

Due to the peculiarities of the distribution of such programs.

Russian specifics

Where to find shareware

Notes

Forms of software distribution

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

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See what "Shareware" is in other dictionaries:

shareware- (n.) by 1982, from SHARE (Cf. share) (v.) + WARE (Cf. ware) ... Etymology dictionary

shareware- /ˈʃɛrwer, ingl. ˈʃɛəˌwɛə/ s. m. inv. (elab.) CFR. freeware... Sinonimi e Contrari. Terza edizione

shareware- (izg. šȇrvēr) m DEFINICIJA inform. program u slobodnoj distribuciji koji se može isprobati prije kupovanja ETIMOLOGIJA engl … Hrvatski jezični portal

shareware- n. copyrighted computer software that typically is available free of charge for trial use but that must be paid for by anyone who uses it regularly … English World dictionary

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

See what "Freeware" is in other dictionaries:

Freeware- ([ˈfɹiːˌwɛə]; von engl. free „kostenlos“ und ware „Ware“) bezeichnet im allgemeinen Sprachgebrauch Software, die vom Urheber zur kostenlosen Nutzung zur Verfügung gestellt wird. Freeware ist meistens proprietär und darf daher nicht mit freier… … Deutsch Wikipedia

Freeware- is computer software that is available for use at no cost or for an optional fee. [ ] Freeware is often made available in a binary only, proprietary form ... Wikipedia

freeware- free‧ware [ˈfriːweə ǁ wer] noun COMPUTING computer software that is given away free: The website is a great place to download freeware. compare shareware * * * freeware UK US /ˈfriːweər/ noun [U] IT … Financial and business terms

Freeware- es un software de computadora que se distribuye sin cargo. A veces se incluye el código fuente, pero no es lo usual. El freeware suele incluir una licencia de uso, que permite su redistribución pero con algunas restricciones, como no modificar la … Enciclopedia Universal

freeware- n. Software made available by its copyright holder for use for an unlimited time free of charge. See also public domain, shareware The Essential Law Dictionary. Sphinx Publishing, An imprint of Sourcebooks, Inc. Amy Hackney Blackwell. 2008 …Law dictionary

freeware- |friuére| s. m. Programa informático disponibilizado gratuitamente aos usuários. Plural: freewares. ‣ Etimologia: palavra inglesa, de free, livre + ware, mercadoria … Dicionário da Língua Portuguesa

freeware- /ˈfriwer, ingl. ˈfriːˌweə(r)/ s. m. inv. (elab.) software gratuito CFR. shareware... Sinonimi e Contrari. Terza edizione

freeware- (izg. frívēr) m DEFINICIJA inform. računalni program ili datoteka dostupna i distribuirana javnim kanalima na korištenje bez naknade, opr. shareware ETIMOLOGIJA engl … Hrvatski jezični portal

freeware- [n] free software public domain software, shareware; concepts 274,660 … New thesaurus