freeware (legal) Software, often written by enthusiasts and distributed at no charge by users' groups, or via the web, electronic mail, bulletin boards, Usenet, or other electronic media.
At one time, "freeware" was a trademark of Andrew Fluegelman. It wasn't enforced after his death. "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). Jim Knopf's story. [Jargon File] Last updated: 2003-07-26
