Freeware definition by the linux information project linfo. There is no standard license header for the license. Postcardware is essentially freeware, except that the author requests that. Postcardware, like other novelty software distribution terms, is often not strictly enforced. True or false beerware and postcardware are not licensed software question 15 from ifsm 201 at university of maryland, university college study resources main menu.
Payment is usually done online on a secure server, or in many other ways. A software license is a legal instrument governing the use or redistribution of software. The concept was first used by aaron giles, author of jpegview. Free software foundation, the group that maintains the free software definition, maintains a nonexhaustive list of free software licenses. The beerware license summarizedexplained in plain english. The glassware and other items used in preparing alcoholic drinks. Freeware is computer software that is made available free of charge, but which. As long as you retain this notice you can do whatever you want with this stuff. Opentracker, the bittorrent tracker software utilized by the pirate bay, is released under a beerware license, meaning that anyone who uses it and meets the developer should buy him or her a beer. Many companies are relaxed about reusing software under the beerware license and similar open source licenses. November 2010 beerware is a somewhat tongueincheek term for software released under a very relaxed license. Postcardware article about postcardware by the free. This type of software license bridges the gap between freeware, where the user is not required to do anything, and traditionally licensed software that includes licensing fees. Infoware synonyms, infoware pronunciation, infoware translation, english dictionary definition of infoware.
Barware definition of barware by the free dictionary. Postcardware is freeware nocharge software that is freely shared that requires only that the user send the software provider a postcard as a form of payment. It considers free software permissive license group to be a reference implementation of a free. Beware the beerware license and other open source licenses.
Poulhenning kamps beerware license is simple and short, in contrast to the gpl, which he. From time to time we revise this definition, to clarify it or to resolve questions about subtle issues. Beerware and postcardware are not licensed software. Users are thus prevented from modifying the software, and results in the user becoming dependent on software companies to provide updates and support vendor lockin. Beerware is both a free license and an open source license, but my research has proven inconclusive regarding whether or not the license is certified by the fsf or osi. Proprietary software ultimate pop culture wiki fandom. Free software license wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Postcardware, also called just cardware, is a style of software distribution similar to shareware, distributed by the author on the condition that users send the author a postcard. Pirate party fulfills opentrackers beerware license. Beerware license software package data exchange spdx. The most significant effect of this form of licensing is that, if ownership of the software remains with the software publisher, then the enduser must accept the software license. Postcardware, also called just cardware, is a style of software distribution similar to shareware, distributed by the author on the condition that users send the author a postcard this is similar to beerware. The license contains an optional clause where, if the recipient feels that the licensed work is worth it, they have the option to purchase the holder a beer.
Beerware is software that is released under a very liberal license. Should the user of the product meet the author and consider the software useful. Osi agrees with fsf on all widely used free software licenses, but differ from fsfs list, as it approves against the open source definition rather than the free software definition. Proprietary software project gutenberg selfpublishing. A variation, emailware, uses the same approach but requires the user to send the author an email. Some licenses permit the software to be freely copied but not sold. This type of software license bridges the gap between freeware, where the user is not required to do anything, and traditionally licensed software that includes. Its not just that the gfdl is incompatible with this or that free software license. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional. Those with the aim to have minimal requirements about how the software can be redistributed permissive licenses, and the protective sharealike copyleft licenses. Fulltext full license text the beerware license revision 42. The difference is that whether or not proprietary software can be distributed, and what the fee would be, is at the proprietors discretion.
In the case of proprietary software with source code available, the vendor may also prohibit customers from distributing their modifications to the source code. To find what youre after, use the search box below or choose a category to view listed articles. Postcardware inhaltsverzeichnis 1 cardware als software kategorie 2. A detailed listing of the most popular, recently updated and most watched beerware license licensed packages online discover open source libraries, modules and frameworks you can use in your code toggle navigation. I guess that means that if you release software with no license then it is. Beerware license explained in plain english tldrlegal. It provides the end user with the right to use a particular program or do anything else with the source code. Postcardware, like other novelty software distribution terms, is often not strictly. A software product whose author requests as payment a postcard from the users.
The beerware license is still free though because buying a beer for the author isnt actually a requirement. With free software, anyone who has a copy can decide whether, and how much, to charge for a copy or related services. It is not possible to borrow text from a gfdld manual and incorporate it in any free software program whatsoever. The beerware license provides the end user with the right to use a software program and its source code for any purpose.
The free software definition presents the criteria for whether a particular software program qualifies as free software. Refer to the respective program page for more information. Dec 31, 2008 opentracker, the bittorrent tracker software utilized by the pirate bay, is released under a beerware license, meaning that anyone who uses it and meets the developer should buy him or her a beer. If we meet some day, and you think this stuff is worth it, you can buy me a beer in return poulhenning kamp.
Free and opensource licenses are commonly classified into two categories. Cardware article about cardware by the free dictionary. The beerware notice will continue to say that the original author wrote this file, and that would not simply be incorrect, but would also diminish the value and extent of my and other third party contributions to this file by attributing the whole file to the original author. Most free software licenses are also considered opensource software licenses. Postcardware, also called just cardware, is a style of software distribution. I definitely regret not choosing a software license for my codeproject articles. Free software is not the same as freeware, software available at zero price. Proprietary software vendors can prohibit users from sharing the software with others. The group open source initiative osi defines and maintains a list of approved open source licenses. True or false beerware and postcardware are not licensed software. Questions about the in a license should be directed to the license steward. In other words, without acceptance of the license, the enduser may not use the software at all.
An opensource license is a type of license for computer software and other products that allows the source code, blueprint or design to be used, modified andor shared under defined terms and conditions. Another wellknown piece of postcardware is the roguelike game ancient domains of mystery, whose author collects postcards from around the world. True or false beerware and postcardware are not licensed. As of 2016 the free software foundation does not mention this license explicitly, but its. Free software foundation, the group that maintains the free software definition, maintains a non.
Question 23 points 10 out of 10 which of the following is. Postcardware is a particular type of software with a licensing agreement that requires the user to send the creator a postcard as a licensing process. If the programs license says that you cannot merge in a suitably licensed existing module for instance, if it. The content on this website, of which is the author, is licensed under a creative commons attribution 4. May 11, 2009 the license contains an optional clause where, if the recipient feels that the licensed work is worth it, they have the option to purchase the holder a beer. The beerware license considered harmful rms homepage. Proprietary software or closed source software is computer software licensed under exclusive legal right of the holder with the intent that the licensee is given the right to use the software only under certain conditions, and restricted from other uses, such as modification, sharing, studying, redistribution, or reverse engineering.
Proprietary software including freeware, uses restrictive software licences or user agreements and usually does not provide access to the source code. Another unique license is required for another party to use the software. Beerware is a somewhat tongueincheek term for software released under a very relaxed. The user is allowed to do anything with the licensed material. Infoware definition of infoware by the free dictionary.
The gpl is a copyleft license, which means that derivative work must be opensource and distributed under the same license terms. If this were mandatory, it would make this license nonfree, but since it is optional, it does not consist of a use restriction. The free software foundation has a related but distinct criteria for evaluating whether or not a license qualifies software as free software. The license was originally written by richard stallman, former head of the free software foundation fsf, for the gnu project, and grants the recipients of a computer program the rights of the free software definition. All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. Beerware is a somewhat tongueincheek term for software released under a very relaxed license beerware licensed software. This gives a user the permission to take the code and use it as part of closedsource software or software released under a proprietary software license. Examples of this are unauthorized software leaks or software projects which are placed on. An example of a copyleft free software license is the often used gnu general public license gpl, also the first copyleft license. Postcardware article about postcardware by the free dictionary.
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