Free Computer Programs? Are They Really Free?

Before the age of the internet, if you wanted a program or game for your computer, then you went to the store to buy it. However, this resulted in several problems. Programs were expensive, because the developers had to pay, not only for development, but also advertising and shelf placement. Also, if you needed a program to do one specific thing, then you were often forced into buying a whole suite of software, because it is not worth it to the developers to spend all the money on advertising for such a small program.

However, at the dawn of the internet, and especially when the internet began to pick up speed, many of these problems were solved. People began to make and give away programs for free on the internet. You might wonder why anyone would do this, but there are in fact, several good reasons. The primary reason is there are many people that like to make programs. Instead of trying to sell this talent, something they may be unable, or unwilling to do, they simply allow the internet community to benefit from the programs, they are writing anyway. The reason amateur programmers (and I say amateur, only in the sense that they are not being paid, many of them are extremely talented) write these programs, is because they see a need. They either want a free version of something already on the market, or they have an idea for a different program that would take months or years to get onto the traditional market. Also many programmers, program for free in the hopes that a company will notice their talent, and they will be hired.

So the open source movement exploded. "Open source" means that all the code that makes up the program is also released for free on the internet. Which means, if you are a programmer, then you can alter the program however you wish, or even release your altered version for others to download for free. However the unfortunate side effect of this is that people began to think, as many still do, that because a program is on the internet it must be free. Companies saw this, and took advantage of it.

All programs that are released in their entirety, for no charge, are called freeware. If the features are limited until you pay the developers a fee, then it is known as shareware. These limits may include the exclusion of certain features in the "free version" There may be a notice when you start up, or even during the use of the program asking you to "register" Generally this means they want you to purchase a registration code. In other cases, they will limit your amount of time running the program. This can run from anywhere from 60 minutes to 90 days. Sometimes the shareware versions of programs work perfectly, forever, and only have limited features that do not greatly limit their use. In other cases, the program is essentially useless in its free form, and the shareware, is more like an advertisement.

Because companies are often tricky about how they present their program, there are certain things to look for. If you see the words "demo", "try", "limited license" or anything about payment, then you are most likely dealing with shareware. However, if you see the words "freeware" "open-source" or even "donate" then you are probably dealing with freeware, and can download with confidence. Programs that ask for donation, either on the site, or in the program, are called "donationware". Keeping up a website can be expensive, so it is always nice to donate to the programmers who helped make a program you really like.

In the supporting links are websites that list programs that are truly free. Many of them are even open source. I use them myself, so you can know that they are generally safe for your computer.