freeware
{Software}, often written by enthusiasts and
distributed at no charge by users' groups, or via {electronic
mail}, local {bulletin board}s, {Usenet}, or other electronic
media.
At one time, "freeware" was a trademark of {Andrew
Fluegelman}, the author of the well-known {MS-DOS}
communications program {PC-TALK III}. It wasn't enforced
after his mysterious disappearance and presumed death in 1984.
"Freeware" should not be confused with "{free software}"
(roughly, software with unrestricted redistribution) or
"{shareware}" (software distributed without charge for which
users can pay voluntarily).
[{Jargon File}]
(1995-08-06)