Free software

Freeware (a.k.a., free software) is software that is available at no cost to the user, now or ever. Developers often cover their development costs by running ads on their sites or accepting donations from users via PayPal or other means.

Freeware is generally only available in its final form and cannot be modified by the user, which is what differentiates it from "free software" or open-source software, where users are allowed and often encouraged to make modifications and improvements and redistribute it.

Andrew Fluegelman is credited with first popularizing the term freeware when looking for ways to distribute his communications software PC-Talk without using traditional costly means of distribution. Freeware is commonly available on the Internet for download, and such digital distribution cuts cost of sales down to almost nothing beyond the bandwidth used to transmit it.

Freeware programs can be almost anything, from screensavers to system utilities to media players to security applications.

by Mark Buckingham Are you a writer, passionate about this or any other topic? Join Blogcritics!

Latest blogosphere posts tagged “Free software”

• Free Software – Where Do I Find It?

  
  Internet Marketing and Shopping Resources — Authority: 134
  H ave you got this Yet? We all like something for free, especially software as it can be so costly. So what software is there that doesn’t cost a dime and is legal to use? For your operating system why not choose either Linux or Ubuntu. These are stable, respected and renowned alternatives to Microsoft ...
  4 hours ago

• A simple world without license hell

  
  Free Software Universe — Authority:
  Linux Journal reports about Sun re-licensing its past contributions to the xorg project to its default license, which is very short and simple: Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of this software and associated documentation files (the “Software”), to deal in the ...
  9 hours ago

• Protect Your Computer With Returnil Virtual System 2010

  
  Techie Buzz — Authority: 554
  Now you don’t need a bunch of programs to protect your computer against viruses, malwares and other malicious threats. Today we are presenting an awesome program that can alone protect your entire system. Returnil Virtual System 2010 is a powerful combination of anti-virus, anti-malware and a virtual system that ...
  10 hours ago

• 21st Century Software For Medical Appointment Scheduling

  
  Free Sites Plus — Authority: 138
  by Susan Smith In the health care field, more so than in any other profession, professionalism and attention to detail is of the highest importance, especially in the area of appointment scheduling. Professional and accurate appointment scheduling is the first “touch” of your office with a potential new patient ...
  12 hours ago

• TeamViewer Adds Voice and Video Chat to Screen Sharing

  
  Techie Buzz — Authority: 554
  A screen sharing (remote access) application allows you to view another computer across the internet, and often times, control their mouse and keyboard just as if you were there. Many years ago, I used an application, called VNC, so that my brother-in-law and I could play computer games together on the same computer ...
  18 hours ago

• Free Paragon Total Defrag 2010 SE Download

  
  The Freebie Blogger — Authority: 613
  Paragon is offering a free download of their 32-bit Total Defrag 2010 Special Edition  program between 11/27/09 – 11/29/09.  You must register during the install to get a free serial number.  This offer is available internationally. Related Posts: Free Desktop Icon Organization Software Download Free ...
  19 hours ago

• A Super Fast and Portable PDF Viewer

  
  What's On My PC — Authority: 125
  If you like fast; then you will like Sumatra PDF Viewer (or Reader).  This viewer blows them all of the water when opening and viewing PDF files. Sumatra is open source (FREE), is simplistic in nature (not a lot of bells & whistles), small in file size (<1.2 MB), does not write to the Windows [...]
  19 hours ago

• DOwnload Microsoft Excel And Word For Symbian

  
  MoreGames,Software and Gadget Review — Authority: 123
  Maybe is fun if our can using our symbian phone like office computer like using excel and word aplication. This time i will introduce symbian aplication that can be used for office purpose. This software same like excel and word on computer ,so you can see the image . the cover same like excel and ...
  21 hours ago

• You want to create a copy of your current hard drive without having to reinstall everything: clone it – Solved!

  
  Hands-on Technical Tips — Authority: 126
  I’ve often been asked how to replace a suspect hard drive before it fails completely without having to reinstall all the programs and then copy all the data back onto it… well, here’s a free OpenSource solution that clones your hard drive quickly – no, very quickly!   CloneZilla is a ...
  1 day ago

• Free Stuff, Freebies, Ebay Alternatives & More!

  
  Discover The Best eBay Alternative — Authority: 144
  Check out www.highendcrazy.com today, we are a one stop destination for free classifieds, free auctions, free stores, and more freebies than anywhere else on the internet. We have free samples, free gifts, free clothing, free internet services, free software, free games, free pet stuff, free…
  1 day ago

• Using Free Software And Keeping Your Computer Safe…

  
  Internet Marketing and Shopping Resources — Authority: 134
  H ave you got this Yet? You’ve probably heard the saying, “Nothing in life is free.” Well that statement doesn’t hold true when it comes to choosing free software. For instance, there is a plethora of free software available on the Internet for your enjoyment. However, it is important to realize that along ...
  1 day ago

• Free BlackBerry Weight Loss Assistant

  
  BerryReview.com — Authority: 634
  I am not into calorie counting myself but this app looks interesting. The New York Weight Loss Center released a free BlackBerry Weight Loss Assistant application that lets you lookup food nutritional and caloric information on your BlackBerry. The cool part is that it does not need a data connection since the ...
  1 day ago

• Malware Removal Tips – Experience From the Trenches

  
  Bill Mullins' Weblog - Tech Thoughts — Authority: 139
  Guest writer Mark Schneider gives you the best advice you’ll ever get on malware removal – “when it comes to malware removal, use a shotgun – not a rifle”. Cleaning an infected computer is a challenge. Unfortunately, malware writers are talented, and that translates into real trouble if your machine gets ...
  1 day ago

• $7K Christmas Giveaway!

  
  Windows 7 News — Authority: 563
  Win Over $7K In Free Prizes In Our Christmas Giveaway!! This year we have an amazing Christmas treat for our readers.  Over the last couple of weeks we’ve been working with a select number of partners to create an amazing list of prizes that we will be giving away for free everyday starting Dec 1st and ending on ...
  1 day ago

• xbox burning software – learn where you can get xbox burning software and how to backup xbox games

  
  video game reviews — Authority: 146
  Do you find that your xbox games are easily damaged and can hinder your gameplay? I was in the same situation. My kids would easily damage the xbox games and I would always have to shell out for the same game over and over again. Why couldnâ??t I just make a backup copy of the xbox games with some xbox burning ...
  1 day ago

• How To Remove Preinstalled Software From New System ? PC Decrapifier !

  
  vhxn.com — Authority: 486
  Usually, most of the computer sellers install unwanted software when you buy a machine. Even you might not know about them until the machine gets delivered at your doorstep. In such situations, you can use new software called PC Decrapifier. As its name suggests, it will let you know the unwanted software to remove ...
  1 day ago

• Why Scrapbooking Software Turns A Fun Hobby Better

  
  Free Sites Plus — Authority: 138
  by Marcella Finlay-Ross There are many advantages to using scrapbooking software to preserve your memories. In particular it will save you time and money, especially when you want to scrapbooking many different events. With digital scrapbooking software you can scrapbook your thoughts and events in no time flat. Why ...
  1 day ago

• Translation Servers & Their Capabilities

  
  Free Sites Plus — Authority: 138
  by John Davis The exponential growth in Internet usage has created an equally high growth of content creation and distribution across the world. This has created new opportunities for creation of content in different languages, which has in turn fostered the growth of translation services. There are many challenges ...
  1 day ago

• A Broad Overview: Windows Software

  
  Free Sites Plus — Authority: 138
  by Matthew Kerridge As the foremost computer operating system of the world, Microsoft Windows naturally has an extensive library of software for the user. Software for Windows is can be categorized in many ways. One of which is the price of the software concerned. Because programs for windows were designed for ...
  2 days ago

• TechPP Mega Christmas Giveaway : Rising Internet Security 2009

  
  Technically Personal! — Authority: 537
  After a successful start to the Mega Christmas giveaway with SnagIt 9.1 free licenses, we present to you a very useful Internet Security suite – Rising Internet Security 2009 . True, many of you might not have even heard of this, but trust me its a quality product which does its work efficiently with minimal ...
  2 days ago

Comments about Free software