Information about Proprietary Software
Proprietary software (also called non-free software or closed-source software) is software with restrictions on using, copying and modifying as enforced by the proprietor. Restrictions on use, modification and copying are achieved by either legal or technical means and sometimes both. Technical means include releasing machine-readable binaries to users and withholding the human-readable source code. Legal means can involve software licensing, copyright, and patent law.
Exclusive legal rights to software by a proprietor are not required for software to be proprietary, since public domain software and software under a permissive license can become proprietary software by distributing compiled versions of the program without making the source code available. Proprietary software's restrictions make it an antonym of free software. For free software, the same laws used by proprietary software are used to preserve the freedoms to use, copy and modify the software. Proprietary software includes freeware and shareware. It can be commercial software, but public domain and all other free software can also be sold for a price and be used for commercial purposes.
According to the Free Software Foundation (FSF), proprietary software is any software that does not meet its definitions of free software or semi-free software. The term's literal legal meaning covers software that has an owner who exercises control over what users can do with it. FSF's GNU General Public License asserts that the restrictions of free software offer computer users freedom while the restrictions of other software benefit only the owner and are unethical.[1]
Proponents of proprietary software, like Microsoft, argue that innovation is driven more quickly when it is lucrative. They claim that the best way to ensure this motivation is to tie revenue to innovation.[2] The proprietor uses a temporary monopoly with copyright and sometimes software patents that makes the software more expensive.[3] A dependency on future versions and upgrades can make the monopoly permanent without the emergence of a competing software package, a situation termed "vendor lock-in". Proprietary software is said to create greater commercial activity over free software, especially in regard to market revenues.[4]
A variety of activation or licence management systems are emerging in proprietary software that prevent copyright infringement and determine how the software is used. If the proprietor ceases to exist or for any other reason does not provide keys for activation or to unlock discontinued products, legitimate users can be unable to re-activate existing software or use other hardware.
If the proprietor of a software package should cease to exist, or decide to cease or limit production or support for a proprietary software package, recipients and users of the package can be left at a disadvantage and have no recourse if problems are found with the software. Proprietors can fail to improve and support software because of business problems.[5] Companies also end their support for a product for business and organizational planning purposes. The consequence is also tied to enticing more to upgrade and pay for newer versions.[6]
Also, proprietary software can also be used to refer to a software utility that solves a general problem but was developed as part of a non-free application. This utility is thus not available as a separate unit nor is it free (you need to purchase the whole package to use it).
Some free software packages are also simultaneously available under proprietary terms. Examples include MySQL, Sendmail and ssh. The original copyright holders for a work of free software, even copyleft free software, can use dual-licensing to allow themselves or others to redistribute proprietary versions. Non-copyleft free software, or software distributed under a permissive free software licence, allows anyone to make proprietary redistributions.
Some proprietary software comes with source code or provides offers to the source code. Users are free to use and even study and modify the software in these cases, but are restricted by either licenses or non-disclosure agreements from redistributing modifications or sharing the software. Examples include Pine, the Microsoft Shared source license program, and certain proprietary implementations of ssh.
Shareware, like freeware, is proprietary software available at zero price, but differs in that it is free only for a trial period, after which some restriction is imposed or it is completely disabled.
Proprietary software which is no longer marketed by its owner and is used without permission by users is called abandonware and may include source code. Some abandonware has its source code placed in the public domain either by its author or copyright holder and is therefore free software, not proprietary software.
The term was coined by Richard Stallman in 1984 as a derisive critique of Symbolics, Inc., a company he actively opposed. While employed at MIT, Stallman had worked on a Lisp interpreter as part of the Lisp machine project. An agreement between MIT and Symbolics allowed Symbolics to use the code, and required the company to let the university review changes to it, but did not give the university rights to the changes themselves.
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A software license agreement is a memorandum of contract between a producer and a user of computer software which grants the user a software
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Details
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According to the Free Software Foundation (FSF), proprietary software is any software that does not meet its definitions of free software or semi-free software. The term's literal legal meaning covers software that has an owner who exercises control over what users can do with it. FSF's GNU General Public License asserts that the restrictions of free software offer computer users freedom while the restrictions of other software benefit only the owner and are unethical.[1]
Proponents of proprietary software, like Microsoft, argue that innovation is driven more quickly when it is lucrative. They claim that the best way to ensure this motivation is to tie revenue to innovation.[2] The proprietor uses a temporary monopoly with copyright and sometimes software patents that makes the software more expensive.[3] A dependency on future versions and upgrades can make the monopoly permanent without the emergence of a competing software package, a situation termed "vendor lock-in". Proprietary software is said to create greater commercial activity over free software, especially in regard to market revenues.[4]
A variety of activation or licence management systems are emerging in proprietary software that prevent copyright infringement and determine how the software is used. If the proprietor ceases to exist or for any other reason does not provide keys for activation or to unlock discontinued products, legitimate users can be unable to re-activate existing software or use other hardware.
If the proprietor of a software package should cease to exist, or decide to cease or limit production or support for a proprietary software package, recipients and users of the package can be left at a disadvantage and have no recourse if problems are found with the software. Proprietors can fail to improve and support software because of business problems.[5] Companies also end their support for a product for business and organizational planning purposes. The consequence is also tied to enticing more to upgrade and pay for newer versions.[6]
Alternative terms for proprietary software
The term non-free software is used interchangeably, roughly as often by the free software movement. FSF founder Richard Stallman sometimes uses the term "user subjugating software", while Eben Moglen sometimes talks of "unfree software". The term "non-free" is often used by Debian developers to describe any software whose license does not comply with Debian Free Software Guidelines, and use "proprietary software" specifically for non-free software that provide no source code. The Open Source Initiative prefers the term "closed source software". Proprietary software vendors usually refer to their own software as commercial software.Also, proprietary software can also be used to refer to a software utility that solves a general problem but was developed as part of a non-free application. This utility is thus not available as a separate unit nor is it free (you need to purchase the whole package to use it).
Examples
Well known examples of proprietary software include Microsoft Windows, RealPlayer, iTunes, Adobe Photoshop, Mac OS X (although the underlying Darwin system is free software), WinZip and some versions of UNIX.Some free software packages are also simultaneously available under proprietary terms. Examples include MySQL, Sendmail and ssh. The original copyright holders for a work of free software, even copyleft free software, can use dual-licensing to allow themselves or others to redistribute proprietary versions. Non-copyleft free software, or software distributed under a permissive free software licence, allows anyone to make proprietary redistributions.
Some proprietary software comes with source code or provides offers to the source code. Users are free to use and even study and modify the software in these cases, but are restricted by either licenses or non-disclosure agreements from redistributing modifications or sharing the software. Examples include Pine, the Microsoft Shared source license program, and certain proprietary implementations of ssh.
Shareware, like freeware, is proprietary software available at zero price, but differs in that it is free only for a trial period, after which some restriction is imposed or it is completely disabled.
Proprietary software which is no longer marketed by its owner and is used without permission by users is called abandonware and may include source code. Some abandonware has its source code placed in the public domain either by its author or copyright holder and is therefore free software, not proprietary software.
Software hoarding
"Software hoarding" is a pejorative term for the act of keeping software proprietary. This can cause interoperability problems and can lead to vendor lock-in, and can restrict the free sharing of knowledge. The practice is legal in most countries unless restricted by copyright or license. Some proponents of free software consider the practice immoral, and it was the impetus for the creation of "copyleft" licenses.The term was coined by Richard Stallman in 1984 as a derisive critique of Symbolics, Inc., a company he actively opposed. While employed at MIT, Stallman had worked on a Lisp interpreter as part of the Lisp machine project. An agreement between MIT and Symbolics allowed Symbolics to use the code, and required the company to let the university review changes to it, but did not give the university rights to the changes themselves.
See also
References
1. ^ The GNU Project. Free Software Foundation (May 2005). Retrieved on 2006-06-09.
2. ^ The Commercial Software Model. Microsoft (May 2001). Retrieved on 2007-03-05.
3. ^ In defense of proprietary software. ZDNet (December 2003). Retrieved on 2007-03-05.
4. ^ Open Source Versus Commercial Software: Why Proprietary Software is Here to Stay. Sams Publishing (October 2005). Retrieved on 2007-03-05.
5. ^ What happens when a proprietary software company dies?. NewsForge (October 2003). Retrieved on 2007-03-05.
6. ^ Microsoft Turns Up The Heat On Windows 2000 Users. InformationWeek (December 2006). Retrieved on 2007-03-05.
2. ^ The Commercial Software Model. Microsoft (May 2001). Retrieved on 2007-03-05.
3. ^ In defense of proprietary software. ZDNet (December 2003). Retrieved on 2007-03-05.
4. ^ Open Source Versus Commercial Software: Why Proprietary Software is Here to Stay. Sams Publishing (October 2005). Retrieved on 2007-03-05.
5. ^ What happens when a proprietary software company dies?. NewsForge (October 2003). Retrieved on 2007-03-05.
6. ^ Microsoft Turns Up The Heat On Windows 2000 Users. InformationWeek (December 2006). Retrieved on 2007-03-05.
Forms of software distribution |
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Computer software is a general term used to describe a collection of computer programs, procedures and documentation that perform some task on a computer system. [1]
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The word "proprietary" indicates that a party, or proprietor, exercises private ownership, control or use over an item of property, usually to the exclusion of other parties.
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binary file is a computer file which may contain any type of data, encoded in binary form for computer storage and processing purposes; for example, computer document files containing formatted text.
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source code (commonly just source or code) is any sequence of statements and/or declarations written in some human-readable computer programming language.
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A software license comprises the permissions, rights and restrictions imposed on software (whether a component or a free-standing program). Use of software without a license could constitute infringement of the owner's exclusive rights under copyright or, occasionally, patent law
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worldwide view of the subject.
Please [ improve this article] or discuss the issue on the talk page.
Please [ improve this article] or discuss the issue on the talk page.
Not to be confused with copywriting.
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patent is a set of exclusive rights granted by a state to a patentee for a fixed period of time in exchange for a disclosure of an invention.
The procedure for granting patents, the requirements placed on the patentee and the extent of the exclusive rights vary widely
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The procedure for granting patents, the requirements placed on the patentee and the extent of the exclusive rights vary widely
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Public domain comprises the body of knowledge and innovation (especially creative works such as writing, art, music, and inventions) in relation to which no person or other legal entity can establish or maintain proprietary interests within a particular legal jurisdiction.
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Permissive free software licences are free software licences for a copyrighted work that offer many of the same freedoms as releasing a work to the public domain. In contrast, copyleft licences like the GNU General Public License require copies and derivatives of the source code to
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compiler is a computer program (or set of programs) that translates text written in a computer language (the source language) into another computer language (the target language).
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Free software is software that can be used, studied, and modified without restriction, and which can be copied and redistributed in modified or unmodified form either without restriction, or with restrictions only to ensure that further recipients can also do these things.
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Freeware is copyrighted computer software which is made available for use free of charge, for an unlimited time. Authors of freeware often want to "give something to the community", but also want credit for their software and to retain control of its future development.
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Shareware is a marketing method for computer software. Shareware software is typically obtained free of charge, often by downloading from the Internet or on magazine cover-disks. A user tries out the program, and thus shareware has also been known as "try before you buy".
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Business software is generally any software program that helps a business increase productivity or measure their productivity. The term covers a large variation of uses within the business environment, and can be categorized by using a small, medium and large matrix:
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The Free Software Foundation (FSF) is a non-profit corporation founded on October 4, 1985 [1] by Richard Stallman to support the free software movement ("free" as in "freedom"), and in particular the GNU Project.
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Free software is software that can be used, studied, and modified without restriction, and which can be copied and redistributed in modified or unmodified form either without restriction, or with restrictions only to ensure that further recipients can also do these things.
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Semi-free software, as defined by the Free Software Foundation, is software that is not free software, but comes with permission for individuals to use, copy, distribute, and modify (including distribution of modified versions) only for non-profit purposes.
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GNU General Public License
Author: Free Software Foundation
Version: 3
Copyright on the license: Free Software Foundation, Inc.
Publication date: 29 June 2007
OSI approved: Yes
Debian approved: Yes
Free Software:
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Author: Free Software Foundation
Version: 3
Copyright on the license: Free Software Foundation, Inc.
Publication date: 29 June 2007
OSI approved: Yes
Debian approved: Yes
Free Software:
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Microsoft Corporation
Public (NASDAQ: MSFT )
Founded Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA (April 4 1975)[1]
Headquarters Redmond, Washington, United States
Key people Bill Gates, Co-founder and Executive Chairman ;
Paul Allen, Co-founder ;
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Public (NASDAQ: MSFT )
Founded Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA (April 4 1975)[1]
Headquarters Redmond, Washington, United States
Key people Bill Gates, Co-founder and Executive Chairman ;
Paul Allen, Co-founder ;
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monopoly (from Greek monos, one + polein, to sell) is defined as a persistent market situation where there is only one provider of a product or service, in other words a firm that has no competitors in its industry.
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worldwide view of the subject.
Please [ improve this article] or discuss the issue on the talk page.
Please [ improve this article] or discuss the issue on the talk page.
Not to be confused with copywriting.
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Software patent does not have a universally accepted definition.[1] One definition suggested by the Foundation for a Free Information Infrastructure is that a software patent is a "patent on any performance of a computer realised by means of a computer program".
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In economics, vendor lock-in, also known as proprietary lock-in, customer lock-in, lock-in is where a customer is dependent on a vendor for products and services and cannot move to another vendor without substantial switching costs, real and/or perceived.
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worldwide view.
“Eula” redirects here. For the community, see Eula, Texas.
A software license agreement is a memorandum of contract between a producer and a user of computer software which grants the user a software
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The free software movement is a new social movement which aims to protect the rights of users to access and modify software. Although drawing on traditions and philosophies among members of the 1970s hacker culture, Richard Stallman is widely credited with launching the movement in
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Richard Matthew Stallman (born March 16, 1953), often abbreviated "rms",[1] is a software freedom activist, hacker,[2] and software developer. In September 1983, he launched the GNU Project[3]
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Eben Moglen is a professor of law and legal history at Columbia University, and is the founder, Director-Counsel and Chairman of Software Freedom Law Center, whose client list includes numerous pro bono clients, such as the Free Software Foundation.
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Debian is a free operating system. Its primary form, Debian GNU/Linux, is a popular and influential Linux distribution.[1]
Debian is known for its adherence to the Unix and free software philosophies, and for its abundance of options — the
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Debian is known for its adherence to the Unix and free software philosophies, and for its abundance of options — the
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The Debian Free Software Guidelines (DFSG) is a set of guidelines that the Debian Project uses to determine whether a software license is a free software license, which in turn is used to determine whether a piece of software can be included in Debian.
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The B>Open Source Initiative is an organization dedicated to promoting open-source software.
The organization was founded in February 1998 by Bruce Perens and Eric S. Raymond when Netscape Communications Corporation, published the source code for its flagship Netscape
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The organization was founded in February 1998 by Bruce Perens and Eric S. Raymond when Netscape Communications Corporation, published the source code for its flagship Netscape
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