When it comes time to install PC software, the best tools are usually those that are free of charge. These free programs can help protect your computer from malware and other threats which could cause harm or even steal sensitive data. These programs can also keep you safe while surfing the web by detecting sites with harmful content, and preventing users from downloading malware unintentionally.
Freeware examples include email and browser programs that can be downloaded and used by anyone, antivirus programs and software updater applications. There are many of these programs available, and a majority of them are designed to be user-friendly to let even novices use them. Freeware is a great way to test out a program prior to purchasing it.
In 1982, Andrew Fluegelman coined the term “freeware” to describe a telecommunications software for the IBM PC named PC-Talk. Bob Wallace used it to write his word processor PC-Write. Freeware is different from software in the public domain, which is in the public domain due to the fact that it has been released for noncommercial or commercial use and has not expired, changed to the copyright holder, or declared by the author to be subject to a proprietary license.
Freeware differs from proprietary software in the sense that its users are allowed to modify the program, study it, and distribute it, whereas the owners of proprietary software do not have this freedom. This means that they can run the program on any computer system and use it for any purpose without needing to discuss their plans with the author or any other particular entity who developed the program.