Public: Intellectual Property
shareware variants   (+2, -1)  [vote for, against]
Extensions to the "Shareware", "Nagware", "Freeware" list

"AdWare" A sponsor pays the author money to include an advertisement as the nag screen, or in the about box. Also, the sponsor could pay a fee for each registered user.

"CollateralWare" The unregistered version is five times the size. 'We're just holding this memory as security.'

"ChainWare" Get five other people to register, and your registration is free!

"ComplaintWare" Usage is free, but every complaint costs you.
-- Eeyore, Mar 02 2000

Eudora Pro 4.3 http://www.eudora.com/
Eudora Pro 4.3 is AdWare. See for yourself. [dnm, Mar 02 2000, last modified Oct 04 2004]

OptOut spyware killer. http://grc.com/optout.htm
Finds and blocks spyware on your system. [StarChaser, Mar 02 2000, last modified Oct 04 2004]

Arachnophillia http://www.arachnoid.com/
Arachnophillia is "CareWare": just be a nicer person. This is the home page, there are a few other CareWare Apps. Decent HTML editor, by the way: this guy wrote the first GUI word processor for Apple. [Scott_D, Mar 02 2000, last modified Oct 04 2004]

CareWare http://www.arachnoi...careware/index.html
Here is the CareWare Philosophy. [Scott_D, Mar 02 2000, last modified Oct 04 2004]

Software terms of sale http://home.flash.net/~josielor/stos.html
yet another half raw concept [LoriZ, Mar 02 2000, last modified Oct 04 2004]

An example of bookware http://www.mindwork...alchemy/calwiz.html
AMI Calendar Wizard will create and print calendars and if you buy a book, a novel, you get the license for "free." [bristolz, Oct 02 2002, last modified Oct 04 2004]

"GeekWare": have to answer an obscure trivia question.

"SuggestionWare": Make a good suggestion to improve the program. (Or pay for it, if you can't think of one)

<grin> And wouldn't "ChainWare" be easier to say as "AmWare"?
-- StarChaser, Mar 04 2000


i've been thinking about tupperWare for a while...you send me some tupperware, i send you the reg code :-)
-- cybercyph, Jul 23 2000


"MonopolyWare": free until all competing products have been driven into the ground, and then BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!
-- MonTemplar, Aug 20 2000


The Proxomitron that someone mentioned in another annotation in another idea <Sorry, I don't remember who> is 'Shonenware'...buy a CD by Shonen Knife and send a picture of you holding it, because the guy who wrote it likes them...
-- StarChaser, Aug 20 2000


Adware exists, and it irks a lot of people, because it's generally also spyware - cookies are transmitted and/or personal or hardware information is recorded, even when you're offline. RealNetworks got into trouble for this for RealDownload. Others that do this is buddyPhone, Odigo, AllAdvantage Viewbar, but this is no means a full list.

Some more variants:

"Careware" - have to make a donation to a charity.

"Homepageware" - the unregistered version only works if your browser's homepage is set to the website of the developer. I saw this, still can't believe it.

"Postcardware" - EditPad is like this. You have to send a paper postcard of your hometown.
-- quanta, Aug 27 2000


One major spyware vector is 'Comet Cursor', the thing that puts the goofy cursors on your screen when you're in certain websites. Jokewallpaper.com has an example.
-- StarChaser, Aug 27 2000


"CookieWare"- (No, not the computer kind) The product is free as long as you or your mother sends the author homemade cookies of his choice.

"MirrorWare"- Send back a program you've written to the author and it's free. Copyright issues may ensue. Generally I'd suggest writing up some crap quickie version of Pong or something.

"SpamWare"- It's free as long as the author can sell your information to spam lists.

"AntiSpamWare"- It's free if you cna get the author OFF of said spam lists.

"FamilyWare"- Free as long as you send either a family member or a group photograph of your family. In some cases, the first choice may be easier thang etting a photograph.. Ill-mannered/tempered younger siblings not accepted. All registraitions non-refundable. The author is not responisble for any or all damage the donation may take from the post service. The author has the right to refuse any or all donations.

"WallpaperWare"- The author chooses your wallpaper for you.

Heh. My that was fun.
-- Spamman, Oct 15 2000


"Music Ware" - If you use this software in any kind of commercial production, you *have* to send me a copy of the cd/tape/vinyl where you used it. [Used by TS404 music software]
-- kgb, Dec 17 2000


"PornWare" - Send a naked picture of yourself.
-- blahginger, Dec 17 2000


"WearWare" - send an item of clothing.
-- PotatoStew, Dec 17 2000


I was going to put this as a new idea, but thought it might fit better here: Royaltyware: Usage of software is free for non-commercial reasons, but users in the professional world must log what portion of their product or service is involved in the said software, and then pay a percentage of that part of the profits to the software's creator. I think this would be good for those horrendously expensive graphics programs that are so fun to fool around with.
-- badoingdoing, Dec 27 2000


Wouldn't 'Clintonware' mean that instead of going down on you, you'd have to...
-- StarChaser, Feb 10 2001


"Cancerware" - Registration key is provided after you sign a contract releasing every copyrighted work of any form you have or will ever produce under the same license. Similar to the GNU's GPL.

"Organware" - Registration key is provided after you send a photocopy of your organ donation card to the author.

"Voteware" - Put up a sign for the canidate of the authors choice and promise to vote for him in exchange for the registration code.

"Bovineware" - Registration is valid as long as your computer continues to send RC-5 packets daily under an address belonging to the author, prehaps "yourname@hisdomain.com". A distributed.net client is included with the software in "hide" mode. Hey, if the author gets enough users he has a good shot at the $2000 prize money!
-- arc, Mar 09 2001


Other brilliant programs around that are AdWare include Go!Zilla, GetRight, Opera 5 to name just three ...
-- modula, Apr 04 2001


UnaWare - registration requires an e-mail from a clueless aussie redneck (Sorry UB! Couldn't pass it up).

SealyWare - product is free if you are the first to find a competing product with the same features.
-- phoenix, Aug 10 2001


Baked: There are loads of real *ware software out there. Theres postcardware, where you get to send the author a postcard from whereever you are, or if/when you go on holiday. Theres beerware, which is similar. And of course theres hot, zero-day warez!
-- Pallex, Aug 10 2001


i've heard of ChocolateWare where you have to send chocolate in exchange for the serial code.
i suppose nearly noun can be used in front of Ware to make a form of registation: ChairWare, AirWare, TreeWare, etc. (anymore comedy ones that sound like an existing one i've missed?)
-- dekoi, Aug 10 2001


Where?
-- pashute, Oct 02 2002


I have seen "bookware," where you are supposed to buy a book in order to legally use the software. You then send either a copy of the front cover of a book the author wrote, or a review, and you are considered fully registered
-- bristolz, Oct 02 2002


Whereware - if you find it, you can keep it.
-- yamahito, Oct 02 2002


Re WearWare: saw one author who sent out reg codes on receipt of a clean, washed Metallica T-Shirt.
-- BunsenHoneydew, May 11 2005



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