Freeware is copyright software which is given free by the author. The copyright stays with the author, that restricts you to do anything, which is not specified by him. These are usually permitted to be used free and not for sale or resale. It can be downloaded from the net and are usually intended to be applied for personal use and not for commercial purpose. The software will specify about its use and restrictions, if any. There is also some risk involved as the code of the source is available in the internet, it can be modified, altered and updated by other programmers than the author.
The author may not update the software. There may not be any updates and adjustments as will be required from time to time. Therefore it becomes useless after a period. Furthermore the author may not provide you the technical endorsement.
Shareware is available in the net but for a limited period of time. The period may deviate from 15 days to two months. After which as per the condition you may retain the software by paying the requisite amount. These downloads are commonly available from the authors website and also from software download sites. Once you have decided to retain the software and after paying the charges as required you can register yourself with the author and receive periodical updates and also technical support, if required.
The trial edition can be copied and circulated, but the trial period is stipulated. The recipient of the trial version will have to pay for registration and use the software permanently. Many authors stipulate period for the use of the software and some permit only number of usage. Different conditions are put by different authors. Most of the authors let you to use the complete version of the software, and many authors pass you only a part of the software for your valuation.
The shareware and trial software are the same except for the terms. In the tryout software the biggest advantage is you can try the software for a assigned period and appraise its performance before buying it. This method can be used in many other software; to analyze and conclude which software best suits your requirement. The major profit which you get from shareware is that it costs less than the software purchasable in stores. The success of trial software or shareware is becoming popular among the vendors and more and more people are attracted to this method of marketing that allows the user to evaluate their product during the trial period before buying it.
Aug 31