Best Freeware

~ About "Best Freeware" ~

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Think of Best Freeware as a free, public service. If you are looking for a program, and think that maybe there is a free version, you can do some searching on the Internet and find page after page of people saying that their free software is the best.

Or perhaps you go to another freeware site looking for a particular program but find that they list several different programs, some which are good, but others which are useless. How do you know which is worth downloading and which is a waste of time?

You have several options:
- You can download, install, try, then uninstall program after program until you find the one that you think is ok.
- You can ask on a forum or message board and get a different answer for almost as many replies.
- Or, you can come here, and just download a program that has been tried and tested for you.

This is not a definitive list of freeware, as there are many freeware programs that I have no use for, but this is a good place to start. I do, however, have a page that people rave about that contains freeware, some of which I have not tried, named Best Freeware Alternative that I am slowly expanding.

If there is something that you are looking for but can't find let me know and I'll see what I can do.

Thank you for stopping by,
vbMark
Finding the Best Freeware for your needs.

~ Definitions ~

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Freeware

Freeware is typically proprietary, distributed without source code, and carries a restrictive license. For example, a license might allow the software to be freely copied, but not sold, or might forbid commercial, government or military use.

History of use of the term

The term freeware was coined by Andrew Fluegelman when he wanted to distribute a communications program named PC-Talk that he had created but for which he did not wish to use traditional methods of distribution because of their cost. Previously, he held a trademark on the term "freeware" but this trademark has since been abandoned. Fluegelman actually distributed PC-Talk via a process now referred to as shareware.

Types

There are many variations on the freeware model. Freeware is an umbrella term which includes:

Loss leader. Commercial vendors often release freeware as a loss leader to attract customers to other services or products available for a fee.

Adware. Adware is distributed as freeware, but it requires the user to view advertisements to use the software. Many cases of spyware have been adware.

Donationware or Beggarware or Nagware. The authors of donationware ask that anyone using their software make a donation to the authors or to some third party such as a charity. Because the donation is optional, donationware may also be freeware or fall into some other category.

Abandonware. Abandonware is commercial software that has not been sold for a long time or whose copyright holder is defunct; it has been "abandoned". The licenses of most such software forbid redistribution or require payment, so distributing it violates the author's copyright (even if the author does not or cannot enforce it). "Legal abandonware" is a misnomer for commercial software that has been re-released by the copyright holder as freeware.

Postcardware. The software is essentially freeware, however the author requests that you send a post card expressing thanks and providing feedback.

Baitware. Very limited or defective freeware software, released to deceptively attract users and drive them to commercial products.

Crippleware, Shareware. Shareware is distributed similarly to freeware except that it requires payment after some trial period or for more features (the "full version"), in the case of crippleware.

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