Freeware is software , most often proprietary , that is distributed at no monetary cost to the end user . There is no agreed-upon set of rights, license , or EULA that defines freeware unambiguously; every publisher defines its own rules for the freeware it offers. For instance, modification , redistribution by third parties, and reverse engineering are permitted by some publishers but prohibited by others. Unlike with free and open-source software , which are also often distributed free of charge, the source code for freeware is typically not made available. 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 .
22-578: MUG may refer to: Macintosh User Group MUMPS User Group Meet-up game, a term for pick-up game Multi-User Game, another term for multiplayer video game 4-methylumbelliferyl-beta-D-glucuronide , a substrate used in the GUS reporter system Double-stranded uracil-DNA glycosylase , an enzyme The Medical University of Gdańsk in Poland Male Un-bifurcated Garment,
44-528: A users' group of people who use Macintosh computers made by Apple Inc. or other manufacturers and who use the Macintosh operating system (OS). These groups are primarily locally situated and meet regularly to discuss Macintosh computers, the Mac OS, software and peripherals that work with these computers. Some groups focus on the older versions of Mac OS, up to Mac OS 9 , but the majority now focus on
66-493: A MUG locator service on their website. MUGs may be community groups, government agencies, corporations, schools, universities, online, professional organizations, or software specific. Another website, the MUG Center, provides a variety of resources to MUGs and Mac users, including a comprehensive list of links to MUG websites. Users' groups have been around since the early days of Apple, when computers were often just kits and
88-566: A legal safe and internationally law domains respecting way. The typical freeware use case "share" can be further refined with Creative Commons restriction clauses like non-commerciality ( CC BY-NC ) or no- derivatives ( CC BY-ND ), see description of licenses . There are several usage examples , for instance The White Chamber , Mari0 or Assault Cube , all freeware by being CC BY-NC-SA licensed with only non-commercial sharing allowed. Freeware cannot economically rely on commercial promotion. In May 2015 advertising freeware on Google AdWords
110-468: A license, but displays advertising to either cover development costs or as a means of income. Registerware forces the user to subscribe with the publisher before being able to use the product. While commercial products may require registration to ensure licensed use , registerware do not. Shareware permits redistribution, but the license only allows limited use before paying the license fee. Some features may be disabled prior to payment, in which case it
132-560: A promotion for the premium version. The two often share a code base, using a compiler flag to determine which is produced. For example, BBEdit has a BBEdit Lite edition which has fewer features. XnView is available free of charge for personal use but must be licensed for commercial use. The "free" version may be advertising supported, as was the case with the DivX . Ad-supported software and registerware also bear resemblances to freeware. Ad-supported software does not ask for payment for
154-405: A single entity to be responsible for updating and enhancing the product, which is then given away without charge. Other freeware projects are simply released as one-off programs with no promise or expectation of further development. These may include source code , as does free software, so that users can make any required or desired changes themselves, but this code remains subject to the license of
176-403: A technical term for men's skirts IATA airport code for Mulegé Airstrip , near Mulegé, Baja California Sur, Mexico See also [ edit ] Mug (disambiguation) Mugging (disambiguation) Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title MUG . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change
198-431: Is sometimes known as crippleware. 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. In the latter case it is colloquially known as nagware. The Creative Commons offer licenses , applicable to all by copyright governed works including software, which allow a developer to define "freeware" in
220-653: Is typically proprietary and distributed without source code. By contrast, the "free" in "free software" refers to freedoms granted users under the software license (for example, to run the program for any purpose, modify and redistribute the program to others), and such software may be sold at a price. According to the Free Software Foundation (FSF), "freeware" is a loosely defined category and it has no clear accepted definition, although FSF asks that free software (libre; unrestricted and with source code available) should not be called freeware. In contrast
242-470: The Internet has replaced many of the tools of information and software access that were not as available to the public prior to the late 1990s. Many MUGs have had to reinvent themselves to focus on tools a MUG can better provide, mostly focusing on education and/or hands on experiences. Today's MUGs are generally smaller, but have had some revitalization with the increased popularity of Apple Inc. products in
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#1732793788096264-404: The 1990s. Freeware The term freeware was coined in 1982 by Andrew Fluegelman , who wanted to sell PC-Talk , the communications application he had created, outside of commercial distribution channels. Fluegelman distributed the program via the same process as shareware . As software types can change, freeware can change into shareware. In the 1980s and 1990s, the term freeware
286-437: The Macintosh computer line): MUGs exploded in size in the 1980s and were a primary method of distribution of freeware and shareware software. Many MUGs had a "Disk-of-the-Month" and large newsletters for members. Computer hardware and software companies found MUGs to be a valuable place to provide information about their products. They were often speakers at MUG meetings. While many of these companies still speak at MUGs,
308-487: 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)". Some freeware products are released alongside paid versions that either have more features or less restrictive licensing terms. This approach is known as freemium ("free" + "premium"), since the "free" version is intended as
330-493: The current version of Mac operating system, macOS . Macintosh user groups are independent organizations that elect their own leaders, develop and present topics at group meetings, schedule special events, frequently have a newsletter and/or web page, and other activities. MUGs generally have an affiliation with Apple Inc. , which maintains a User Group Advisory Board consisting of MUG officers and members, who advise Apple on user group matters and relationships. Apple also maintains
352-400: The link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=MUG&oldid=938823600 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Macintosh User Group A Macintosh User Group ( MUG ) is
374-626: The mid-2000s. Another educational competitor to MUGs has been Apple Inc.'s retail stores. Apple Inc. provides customers with professional assistance through their Genius Bar at Apple retail stores. The largest MUG was the Berkeley Macintosh Users Group , closely followed by the Macintosh SIG of the Boston Computer Society , and a friendly rivalry between the two groups energized both throughout
396-433: The rights of the user to use, copy, distribute, modify, make derivative works, or reverse engineer the software. The software license may impose additional usage restrictions; for instance, the license may be "free for private, non-commercial use" only, or usage over a network, on a server, or in combination with certain other software packages may be prohibited. Restrictions may be required by license or enforced by
418-464: The software itself; e.g., the package may fail to function over a network. The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) defines "open source software" (i.e., free software or free and open-source software), as distinct from "freeware" or "shareware"; it is software where "the Government does not have access to the original source code". The "free" in "freeware" refers to the price of the software, which
440-583: The user groups met to learn how to put the computers together. Many early users' groups were Apple user groups that became MUGs when Apple started the Macintosh line of computers in 1984. The following is a 2005 list from the Apple User Group Locator of 19 still active MUGs that had initial meeting dates in 1975 - 1978 (note that these MUGs supported Apple products prior to the Macintosh computer line with original meeting dates that predate
462-411: Was often applied to software released without source code . Freeware software is available for use without charge and typically has limited functionality with a more capable version available commercially or as shareware. It is typically fully functional for an unlimited period of time. In contrast to what the Free Software Foundation calls free software , the author of freeware usually restricts
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#1732793788096484-509: Was restricted to "authoritative source"[s]. Thus web sites and blogs are the primary resource for information on which freeware is available, useful, and is not malware . However, there are also many computer magazines or newspapers that provide ratings for freeware and include compact discs or other storage media containing freeware. Freeware is also often bundled with other products such as digital cameras or scanners . Freeware has been criticized as "unsustainable" because it requires
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