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”

• Open Subtitles in MKV Player

  
  SoftZilla — Authority: 134
    OpenSubtitles MKV Player 4.2.6.7 Release Date: 2010-02-04 OpenSubtitles MKV Player 4.2.6.7 File Size: 5.83MB Download Free OpenSubtitles MKV Player 4.2.6.7 OpenSubtitles MKV Player Website OpenSubtitles Player opens media files including DivX, MKV, WMV, AVI, Xvid, DVD, MP3, MP4, VOB, ...
  1 day ago

• Free Window Hider via Hotkey

  
  SoftZilla — Authority: 134
  Free Window Hider will allow you to hide and close specified groups of windows just by pressing a single Hotkey (or a combination of Hotkeys). Free Window Hider 1.0 Release Date: 2010-2-4 Free Window Hider 1.0 File Size: 270 KB / Windows All Download Free Free Window Hider 1.0 Free Window Hider Website ...
  1 day ago

• Software 4 Free Download

  
  Praning's Shoutout — Authority: 120
  In a modern world where almost everything are done through the use of computers, users tend to create new folders every now and then, that sometimes our desktop are all covered with these folders. These folders can allow us to separate certain files or data from the other, one program from the other, segregate ...
  1 day ago

• Read This If YOu Computer Run SLowly

  
  MoreGames,Software and Gadget Review — Authority: 121
  What are you computer run slowly ? ,if yes there is many causes why your computer run slowly ... 1.You too many installed Software 2.Antivirus Program 3.Memory CapaCity Low and etc..... If Before I give you trick How to improve memory card problem and Now i will discuss How to Improve your memory capacity ...
  1 day ago

• FileKiller Removes File Permanently

  
  SoftZilla — Authority: 134
  FileKiller Removes File Permanently Removes File Permanently: FileKiller is a portable open source software that removes files and its traces permanently from the hard disk. A regular file deleting process keeps the trace of the file and can be recovered within a time period by using Data Recovery ...
  2 days ago

• Create your own 3D avatar for your favorite social network

  
  Nothing Toxic — Authority: 123
  Avatara.com is a free online application that allows you to create a 3D avatar for your favorite social network(s). Is very simple to use this free online application, if you want to create your own 3D avatar, you only need to press on “Get Started” button, then you have three options, start by choosing a premade ...
  2 days ago

• Fully Free GNU/Linux Presentation Next Week

  
  fsdaily.com - Free Software News - Published news — Authority: 157
  "I will be giving a talk about the fully free GNU/Linux distribution movement in the Free Software Foundation Europe’s Berlin meeting on Thursday, February 11th, next week. The talk will start at 19:30 in the Newthinking Store, Tucholskystraße 48. Hopefully, we will have a chance to continue discussing the topic ...
  3 days ago

• Participate: One Button Game Objects, Handmade Music in NYC, Amsterdam, SF

  
  Create Digital Music — Authority: 635
  It’s a call for one-button works. Literally. Sorry. Photo ( CC ) Jeff Keyzer . What can you do with a button? What circuits can you bend? What software and hardware can you construct? Want to meet up with myself and fellow makers from the DIY music and visualist communities? I’m touring and looking for new ...
  3 days ago

• iFreeTablet, interview with Carlos de Castro

  
  fsdaily.com - Free Software News - Published news — Authority: 157
  "...The good thing about free software is that everyone can contribute and change what he wants. We will benefit from applications that are developed and meet the criteria …"
  3 days ago

• DIY Community: Your Web-Connected Musical Future, at Music Hackday Stockholm

  
  Create Digital Music — Authority: 635
  It’s like Woodstock for Web music tech nerds. Photo ( CC-BY ) Anton Lindqvist . “Okay,” you say to the Web geeks, “I’ve had enough. I don’t want another little app that looks at my iTunes collection and tells me that if I like Lady Gaga, I probably also like Madonna. I want to listen in new ways and, ...
  4 days ago

• Friday Freebies: free partition software

  
  Reading Tea Leaves by Randy Wilson — Authority: 134
  “Magic Partition Solution – EASEUS Partition Master 5.0.1 Professional Edition is upgraded to be an all-in-one partition solution including three main features: Partition Manager, Partition Recovery Wizard and Disk & Partition Copy to solve all partition problems. It helps extend system partition, copy ...
  4 days ago

• Free list of video software! They are amazing have at look

  
  The Internet Marketers Club — Authority: 104
  I just wanted to share with you this tools. With this software you can do all this tasks. Free Studio is a single package which bundles all free software from DVDVideoSoft to work with DVD, video and audio files! With this free software you can convert video and audio files between different formats and to iPod, ...
  4 days ago

• Download Center

  
  Chris Pirillo — Authority: 591
  Download Center is a post from Chris Pirillo Add to iTunes | Add to YouTube | Add to Google | RSS Feed Every so often, you may need to download something to make your computer or mobile device run better. There are millions of pieces of software and applications available for every operating system you ...
  4 days ago

• iFreeTablet: Free software alternative to Apples tablet

  
  fsdaily.com - Free Software News - Published news — Authority: 157
  "...On February 4 will be presented, the iFreeTablet, capping more than 20 years of research of EATCO Group at the University of Cordoba in the field of usability, ergonomics and adaptive devices as an alternative to the new Apple tablet..."
  5 days ago

• Open source route frees the mind

  
  fsdaily.com - Free Software News - Published news — Authority: 157
  One thing holding back the greater adoption of free software in this country is free software.
  5 days ago

• Free Download WinRAR 3.80 Full Licensed Version

  
  Tweaking with Vishal — Authority: 497
  WinRAR is one of the most popular archive management software for Windows users. Generally it costs $29 but now you can get WinRAR 3.80 absolutely free."PC Welt", a German tech magazine is giving away WinRAR 3.80 copy absolutely free to its readers.You just need to follow these simple steps to get your free copy:STEP ...
  5 days ago

• DIY Community: Digitópia Seeks World’s Best Patchers, and More Open Source Competition

  
  Create Digital Music — Authority: 635
  What if a competition didn’t just encourage entrants to try to make a better product? What if it encouraged friendly rivalry between makers to produce entries that were also shared across the community? That’s the idea behind Digitópia’s upcoming series of competitions, now entering its third year. Digitópia ...
  5 days ago

• USB DIY – How to Undelete your USB Flash Drive Files!

  
  zedomax.com — Authority: 538
  When you erase files on your USB drives, they are usually gone forever.  For those of you with quick fingers that gets you in trouble, you might want to consider installing a free USB trash can software that will let you temporarily save deleted files off of your USB drives. This could come in handy for those rainy ...
  6 days ago

• Fix Your Windows Problems

  
  Nothing Toxic — Authority: 123
  If you are using the Windows XP OS and you have some problems with virus attacks or spywares, well, there is a free application which can help you to solve your problems. As you know there are out there viruses or spywares that can change you Windows Registry or can also change your Windows installation, with this ...
  6 days ago

• "Freedom In the Cloud: Software Freedom, Privacy, and Security for Web 2.0 and Cloud Computing."

  
  fsdaily.com - Free Software News - Published news — Authority: 157
  Everyone wants a piece of you these days: Google, Facebook, Flickr, Apple, AT&T, Bing. Theyll give you free e-mail, free photo storage, free web hosting, even a free date. They just want to listen in. read more
  6 days ago

Comments about free-software