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Syllabus 

Licencing of software;              11 ATAR, 12 GEN

  • open and closed source
  • proprietary
  • shareware
  • freeware

Background

  • computer software has different licence types
  • this is because software has different developers and purposes
  • some are made by large companies and they offer excellent support for problems = big $$$$$$$
  • some are made by single persons who give away their software and can't afford a 'help' desk = small $$$

Software Open Source

  • the code that made the software is available, it is NOT secret
  • no licence needed
  • free to use
  • minimal support

Software Closed Source

  • The code that made the software is NOT available, it is a secret
  • licence must be purchased to use it

Software Proprietary

  • is closed source software made by a company to make a profit
  • eg are Adobe Creative Cloud, Microsoft Office and lots of others
  • because you pay for it, it usually has very good support and regular updates

Software Shareware

  • copyrighted software
  • a type of proprietary software
  • a type of closed source software
  • free for a trial period, then you must pay for it, or uninstall it
  • usually limited functionality

Software Freeware

  • copyrighted software
  • free to use
  • usually has a freeware version, free. But also a better 'pay for it' version
  • they give a free version to attract you to buy the 'pay for it' version
  • usually distributed in computer magazines or when you buy a digital camera, they give you a freeware version

 For You To Do

  1. Explain in your own words the difference between open source and closed source software.
  2. Explain in your own words the difference between shareware, freeware.
  3. Explain the $$$$$$ for proprietary software and the link to better support.
 Learn more about open and closed source freeware, proprietary, shareware
 
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