comp 6005 an introduction to computing session two: computer software acquiring software
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COMP 6005 An Introduction To ComputingSession Two: Computer SoftwareAcquiring Software
COMP 6005 An Introduction To Computing - Session Two: Computer Software - Acquiring Software 2
Proprietary Software
• Proprietary software has restrictions on its use and copying
• Prevention of use, modification and copying restricted by:– Technical means
• withholding source code• releasing machine-readable binaries only
– Legal means• Software licensing• Copyright• Patent
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Proprietary Software
• Can be sold for money as commercial software or at no price as freeware
• Examples: Microsoft Windows, Adobe Photoshop, Mac OS, WinZip
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Open Source
• Any program whose source code is made available for modification or use
• Usually developed as a public collaboration and made freely available
• Examples: Linux, Apache, Mozilla Firefox
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Types of Software
• Freeware
• Shareware
• Liteware
• Public domain
• Free software
• Postcardware
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Freeware
• Copyrighted but given away at no cost
• Cannot do anything with the software unless expressly allowed by author
• Can be used but not sold
• Not to be confused with free software
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Shareware
• Most delivered free of charge
• Author requests small fee is program is liked and used regularly
• Can be copied and sent to others, but also requires they pay fee
• Inexpensive; produced by one programmer, offered directly to customers – no packaging or advertising expense
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Liteware
• Software that is distributed freely in a version having less capability than the full for-sale version
• Usually entices persons to purchase full package
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Public Domain
• Free software that is not copyrighted
• Used incorrectly to refer to freeware
• Can be used without restrictions as components of other programs
• UNIX community has developed several types of these programs
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Free Software
• Can be used freely, modified and distributed
• Restriction: any redistributed version of the software must be distributed with the original terms of free use, modification, and distribution (known as copyleft)
• Free software may be packaged and distributed for a fee – the “free” refers to the freedom of modification and distribution
• Linux is an example
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Postcardware
• Freeware that requires only that the user send the software provider a postcard as a form of payment
• Idea is:– To “humanize” the transaction– To remind the user that someone else
shared something freely– To remind the provider that someone is
actually using the creation
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Discussion
• Find an example online of each of the various types of software
• Discuss the benefits and disadvantages of each of the following types of software – freeware, shareware, liteware, public domain, free software
• Compare and contrast proprietary and open source software
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Ways Of Acquiring Software
• Off-the-shelf
• Build to order
• Modifiable off-the-shelf – customization
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Off-the-shelf
• Software that is ready-made and available for sale to the general public
• Designed to be implemented easily into existing systems without the need for customization
• Typically cheaper, easily available
• Product is used “as is”
• Example: Microsoft Office
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Modifiable Off-the-shelf
• Off-the-shelf software whose source code can be modified
• May be customized to meet the requirements of the customer by:– the purchaser– the vendor– another party
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Build To Order
• Software that has been designed and developed specific to the customer’s outlined requirements
• Tailored specifically to an organisation or individual
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Assignment
• Discuss the circumstances which would be best suitable for each strategy of acquiring software
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Obtaining Software
• In-store purchase
• Online download or purchase
• Catalog or package inclusion
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Discussion
• What are the benefits to each of the methods listed previously for obtaining software?
• What are the disadvantages?
• Are there specific software applications best suited for each method?
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Software Licenses
• Legal contract between a software application author or publisher and the user of that application
• Similar to a rental agreement
• User agrees to pay for the privilege of using the software, and promises the software author or publisher to comply with all restrictions stated in the license
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Software Licenses
• Users indicates their acceptance by:– Opening the shrink wrap on the
application package– Breaking the seal on the CD case– Sending a card back to the software
publisher– Installing the application– Executing a downloadable file– Simply using the application
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Software Licenses
• Users can refuse to enter into the agreement by:– Returning the software product for a
refund– Clicking "I do not accept" during
installation
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GNU General Public License
• Used to protect GNU software (UNIX-like operating system that comes with code that can be modified, copied and redistributed)
• First term: programmers may freely copy and distribute verbatim copies of a software program's source code, under the condition that each copy displays a copyright notice, disclaimer of warranty, intact GPL notices, and a copy of the GPL
• Second term: requires the same conditions as the first, along with notification of any changes made to the software and deals with modification and redistribution of software
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Volume License
• Allows installation by more than one user, or on more than one computer, for a single copy of the application
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No. Of Clients Versus No. Of Users
• A license that specifies the number of computers allows:– Application to be installed on given number
of computers– Multiple users can use the application for a
given machine
• A license that specifies the number of users:– Limits the amount of installations to the
given number of users– Means that application can be installed on
less computers if more than one user per computer
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Discussion
• Consider volume licensing. In a large organisation, which type of end user licensing agreement would you choose – number of users or number of clients?
• Do you think this would be different for a small organisation? Why?
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Links
• Reference– http://www.whatis.com– http://www.webopedia.com– http://www.wikipedia.org