What are the differences between three models of “free” software, and why does it matter?

With all the excitement, many people are actually confusing open source software with two other models of “free” software–with potentially serious consequences. Here, we’ll try to clear it up.

Freeware

The word “freeware” has been so overused, its meaning is no longer clear. Today it is often synonymous with “shareware,” but for our purposes, I will define “freeware” as “software which can be downloaded, used, and copied without restrictions.” (See this definition.)

Legally, the difference between freeware and open source is that you do not have access to the source code. Organizationally, this makes a big difference: There is no community and no development infrastructure around “freeware” as there is around open source software. Thus, while you can use freeware “as is,” there is no real way to improve upon it or obtain support for it.

Thus, freeware is “free” as in those “Free Treadmill” classified advertisements.

Shareware

Shareware is a different concept. You can download and try shareware for free, but if you use it, you are supposed to pay for it. It is developed and released by someone who keeps full control of the intellectual property. The user does not have access to the source code and cannot modify it. There is also no collaboration or community around shareware.

In the end, the only difference between shareware and commercial software is that you can download and try shareware for free. Like commercial software, you are utlimately dependent on the developer of shareware for enhancements and support.

Thus, shareware is “free” as in “Free Sample” at restaurants or grocery stores. Read the rest of this entry »

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The prevailing wisdom about Linux on the desktop runs something like this: “I’ll believe Linux is ready for the desktop as soon as you can give me a Linux distribution that even my grandmother can run.”

For some time, the folks at Ubuntu have been trying their best to make Granny — and most everyone else — happy. They’ve attempted to build a Linux distribution that’s easy to install, use, configure, and maintain — one that’s at least as easy as Windows, and whenever possible, even easier. As a result, Ubuntu is one of the Linux distributions that has been most directly touted as an alternative to Windows.

In this feature, I’m going to compare the newly-released Ubuntu 7.04 (codenamed “Feisty Fawn”) with Microsoft Windows Vista in a number of categories. To keep the playing field as level as possible, I’m looking wherever I can at applications — not just in the sense of “programs,” but in the sense of what the average user is going to do with the OS in a workday. Sometimes the differences between the two OSes are profound, but sometimes the playing field levels itself — OpenOffice.org, for instance, is installed by default in Ubuntu, but adding it to Vista isn’t terribly difficult.

I tried to stick whenever possible with preinstalled software, although this rule sometimes had to be bent a little — for instance, to see what backup solutions were available for Ubuntu through its own software catalog.

Also, while I was tempted to compare Vista’s Aero interface to the Beryl window manager (which has a similar palette of visual effects), I decided that pretty graphics, while nice, had more to do with personal preference than efficiency. In addition, Beryl isn’t installed by default in Ubuntu, and Aero isn’t available on all PCs.

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Canonical and Dell are pleased to announce a partnership to offer Ubuntu 7.04 on select desktop and notebook products. This is a tremendous step forward for Ubuntu, our users and customers.

More about the announcement is available on the Dell website, including a video interview with Ubuntu’s founder Mark Shuttleworth.

We believe that Dell’s decision is a strong endorsement of Ubuntu and to the work of many in coding, translating and promoting open source software. It is also testament to the demand that exists for Ubuntu.

Canonical is honoured to play a leading role in making Linux more widely available to everyone.

Jane Silber
Canonical – Director of Operations

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