Software licenses
... computer include: Kazaa and WinMX, which are file sharing programs, Winzip and WinRar, which are file compression tools. The other pieces of software installed on my computer are commercial licensed programs, most of them being graphics, business and entertainment software. Only a few of these were actually purchases though, including Quick Tax, which is a business program, as well as adobe illustrator, which is entertainment software and is used for drawing objects. The additional commercial software was obtained thorough “cracking or pirating” it, meaning that it was installed on the computer with out paying for it. This is done since the price set on the product wasn’t worth it for the amount of use it would do. These programs include: Several new video games, flash 5, DVD playing programs (WinDVD, and PowerDVD), Video encoding software to make VCD’s, and audio converting and CD burning software. There are distinct differences between the different types of software licenses. There are 5 different categories, which include Commercial, Shareware, Freeware, open source, and Public domain software. Commercial software is usually bought in stores or on the internet, and typically allows the user to install it on one computer and use it according to copyright laws, which means on that computer alone and not to share it with others. Shareware is copyrighted under a “try before you buy” policy, which means that the user is permitted to use the software for a trial period, or only a select few of the operations are enabled, until the software is purchased, and a serial number is given to activate the full version of the software. Freeware is available completely without a fee and is usually obtained by downloading it from the producer’s website. Open source software is for programmers who want to modify and improve the software. Open source software is distributed either for free or for a fee, but must include the uncompiled source code. Public domain software is not under copyright because it has expired, thus making it available without restriction, including reselling it. The only restriction is that no copyrights are allowed to be applied to it. The software on my computer included most of these categories except for open source, which makes since there aren’t many pop...