License agreements

Registration

• an user sends (more or less) personal information to the software developer
• both-way advantages:
  • an user is informed about any relevant changes at time
  • a developer gets an overview about companies that use the software and is able to adapt to their needs, as well

License Agreement

• any kind of software is an intelectual property of its developer, so a programmer or a company who developed it, has copyright on it  
• by buying an application we get only a license – the right to use it (we do not buy this application)
• license agreement consists of information about:
  • we are allowed to use the software just in case we agree with all others conditions of this licence
  • the way of using the software
  • the number of devices where the software can be installed under this license
  • the certain period of time the license is valid
  • the fees (or whether it is a free-of-charge)
  • (non)responsibilities of developer

• multi-user license
  • instead of buying several separated licenses we can buy one license that is allowed to be used with several devices (it is usually cheaper)
• educational or academic licenses
  • lower price (or free-of-charge)
  • a software cannot be used for professional or commercial purposes

Pictures, photos, texts, music and videos are also under some copyright laws.

Did you know that you cannot use any picture you find on the web on your personal webpage (e.g. blog)? How can you find only pictures that are allowed to be used by this way?

OEM license – Original Equipment Manufacturer

• usually cheaper that standard license, because it is bound to the device it was sold with
• some services or facilities are limited or missing (e. g. some functions are missing, 24-hours hot-line is missing, etc.)

Software License Types

• individual
• shareware
  • demoware: a demonstration version of software
    • crippleware means that „vital features of the program such as printing or the ability to save files are disabled until the user purchases a registration key“
    • trialware is software with a built-in time limit.
  • adware: is any software package which automatically renders advertisements in order to generate revenue for its author.
• freeware
  • is commonly used for commercial products that are proprietary software. A company is allowing people to use their product without payment but you cannot adapt and modify the program as a company owns it. Free as in Free price, not Freedom to modify it.

• free software GNU license, open source license
  • you are able to run, copy, distribute, study, change and improve the software without hindrance
  • the easiest way to describe this is ‘Free’ as in liberty, so you are able to adapt them to your needs, they are also ‘Free’ as in price
• Creative Commons (CC)
  • Is a non-profit organisation that has allowed creative people to release their works with a license that suits the person creating the work
  • a creative person may be happy to give her work away for free but with recognition that she is the author of the product, or that it can be adapted only for non-commercial use etc.
• public domain
  • works whose exclusive intellectual property rights have expired, have been forfeited, or are inapplicable
  • Beethoven, Shakespeare, cooking recipies, Newtonian physics,…

Open-source vs. komerčný SW

Upgrade and update

Upgrade

• adding new functions
• increase of software version (e.g. from 4.2 to 4.3)

Update

• bug fixes
• minor improvement
• no really important changes