Freeware

[1][3][4][5] Freeware may be intended to benefit its producer by, for example, encouraging sales of a more capable version, as in the freemium and shareware business models.

[6] The term freeware was coined in 1982[7] by Andrew Fluegelman, who wanted to sell PC-Talk, the communications application he had created, outside of commercial distribution channels.

[4] The "free" in "freeware" refers to the price of the software, which is typically proprietary and distributed without source code.

[3] In contrast the Oxford English Dictionary simply characterizes freeware as being "available free of charge (sometimes with the suggestion that users should make a donation to the provider)".

Ad-supported software does not ask for payment for a license, but displays advertising to either cover development costs or as a means of income.

Both freeware and shareware sometimes have a limited evaluation period, after which the software is automatically disabled or starts displaying a request to pay a registration fee.

The Creative Commons offer licenses, applicable to all by copyright governed works including software,[23] which allow a developer to define "freeware" in a legal safe and internationally law domains respecting way.

There are several usage examples, for instance The White Chamber, Mari0 or Assault Cube,[27] all freeware by being CC BY-NC-SA licensed with only non-commercial sharing allowed.

Freeware has been criticized as "unsustainable" because it requires a single entity to be responsible for updating and enhancing the product, which is then given away without charge.