Tag Archives: free

Fairware

Wikibin, a data dump for discarded Wikipedia articles, defines "fairware" as software released and distributed for a "symbolic (fair) price.." or "any software of which the cost is marginal in comparison to the benefit"; among the examples that it offers are Internet sites which market "software for one dollar" and Wishapp.com

However, wouldn’t fairware be a good replacement for the term freeware, since "freeware" is usually defined as software that is distributed without any demand for payment from the user but only allows the user the right to apply the software according to the stipulations and constraints of an accompanying EULA, while withholding both the ability to access or manipulate the source code and resell the software?

At best, the restrictions of freeware are most comparable with the legal concept of "fair use" rather than "free" use; hence "fairware". Furthermore, even the fairware definition provided by Daniel and Rubenstein would also fit the "fair use" definition if such-defined software did not come with the ability of "free use" that comes within the traditional definitions of "free software" and "free content".