Proprietary software. Restriction on commercial use. Proprietary software
Proprietary software(English proprietary software) is a software product owned and owned by its developer or other copyright holder, and which does not comply with the ideology of free software and is not semi-free software.
In this case, the copyright owner has a monopoly right to modify, copy, distribute and use this software.
However, despite this definition, proprietary software still refers to all proprietary and semi-free software. I would like to note that commercial software can be free, but do not confuse proprietary programs with it.
Proprietary software
The Free Software Foundation has defined the meaning of proprietary software as software products which is not free or free. The only one who implements full control over proprietary software, it is the owner of the copyright to it.
Software limitations
Copying and modification of the software is limited as follows: technical means, and with the help of legal norms.
- Technical restrictions apply when using various means copy protection, use of closed source product code and machine readable binary files. Only developers hired by the copyright owner have access to work on the source code of such a software product. In case the policy information security in the company allows source Proprietary software may be provided to the developer's company partners.
- Legal restrictions are achieved through patents, copyrights and the ability to keep trade secrets.
Modern ways to restrict proprietary software
In companies developing proprietary software, there are various business models within which different licensing agreements. The most popular license agreements are listed below.
Limit on commercial use
The opportunity to use your products for free for non-commercial purposes, in modern world provide a large number of proprietary software developers. Such software is permitted to be used wherever it is not possible to make a profit. Its use is permitted individuals, educational and medical institutions, non-profit organizations, etc., but if this software is used for profit, then it is required to purchase it.
Thanks to this type of license and free nature, the distribution of such software products occurs much faster than proprietary solutions released under other types of licenses, and the presence of good technical support and the absence of the need to purchase them helps them become very popular and widespread.
It should be noted that if a software product has such a limitation, then such software is considered to be semi-free.
Restriction on distribution
In case of purchasing software products with payment for each copy, delivery similar programs is accompanied by a license agreement that restricts the distribution of this software. The main focus of these restrictions is the “professional” part of the software market or necessary solutions for most users. The most prominent representatives such software products are Microsoft Office, Adobe Photoshop, Windows.
Limitation on changes
The license agreement of each closed source software product always contains complete ban for decompilation and modification program code under any circumstances.
Proprietary formats
When creating proprietary software, its developers often build into their software products various information storage formats that are supported only by their software solution. There are cases when data is stored in such formats in encrypted form, and their decoding turns out to be illegal.
Such software product may not provide the ability to use various formats information storage third party manufacturers software.
The implementation of the import substitution policy is not the main factor in searching for alternatives and assessing the economic feasibility of using expensive software. This is driven by the desire for continuous improvement and optimization of the IT infrastructure.
Some paid software products can be replaced almost painlessly free analogues, abandoning others will be problematic.
Let's look at the limitations and differences between proprietary (paid) and freely distributed (free) software.
1. Risks of use
All responsibility when using freely distributed software lies with the user - you do not pay the copyright holder of the product, he does not provide guarantees in return, i.e. If problems arise or damage occurs, there will be no one to appeal to. When using a proprietary one, i.e. paid software, a bilateral agreement is concluded, which spells out the rights and obligations of both the user and the copyright holder, and the developer takes care of how to avoid possible risks.2. Information security
Detection and speed of response to possible threats and viruses differ significantly - from the developer paid solution allocated special team for these tasks. For free products monitoring and finding a solution is reduced to a small group of enthusiasts.3. Support
Likewise, with free software you are more limited technical support on the part of the developer, and in some cases it is completely absent. There are also restrictions when searching for technical specialists to support free products within the company due to their lower prevalence.4. Development
The developer is interested in constantly improving paid product, making it more user-friendly. Free software tends to develop at a slower pace.According to StatCounter, the share of computers with operating Linux system in Russia is 1.25% - the order of the figures coincides with the data of our projects for assessing IT infrastructure. We also note a gradual increase in the use of cloud products and subscription licenses.
5. Compatibility
Some specialized programs not compatible with alternatives operating systems, problems arise both at the installation and use stages.6. Copies
Free software is installed unlimited amount times, the number of installations of proprietary software depends on the terms of the license agreement.7. Revision
Alternative software is modified as possible and necessary; proprietary software is limited by existing functionality and agreement.8. Certification
Certification by FSTEC and other regulatory bodies does not apply to free software; the list of certified software is limited.Thus, when deciding whether to replace a paid product with a free one, consider:
Do you want to optimize your software costs and get effective system software asset management - get started.
Self-examination will provide a basic idea of the state of IT infrastructure management processes.
You can also contact software management and SAM implementation consultants to conduct a full software audit and make recommendations for optimization taking into account your specific situation. Based on the results, you will receive an assessment of the current state and 3-6 scenarios for the development of IT infrastructure for business tasks.
8.5. Proprietary licenses
This section uses the article [WP05].
Proprietary software (English proprietary software private, patented, as part of property + software) - software that is the private property of authors or copyright holders and does not meet the criteria of free (not just with open source). From the perspective of the Free Software Foundation, it is also not semi-free. The copyright holder retains a monopoly on its use, copying and modification, in whole or in significant respects. Any non-free software, including semi-free software, is often called proprietary.
The concept under consideration is not related to the concept of commercial software.
The term "proprietary software" is used by the Free Software Foundation to define software that the Foundation considers to be not free or semi-free. English words Proprietary software refers to software that has an owner who has control over the software. Thus, this term can be used to refer to all software that is not in public use. However, the word "proprietary" is sometimes used in advertising to mean "owning a monopoly right to something." Likewise, the Free Software Foundation uses the term to emphasize that ownership is the primary factor, in contrast to free software, where that factor is the freedom of computer users.
The main characteristic of proprietary licenses is that the software publisher in the license gives permission to its recipient to use one or more copies of the program, but at the same time remains the copyright holder of all these copies. One of the consequences of this approach is that almost all rights to the software remain with the publisher, and only very little is transferred to the user. limited set strictly defined rights. For proprietary licenses it is typical to list large quantity conditions prohibiting certain options use of software, even those that would otherwise be permitted by copyright law. A good example a proprietary license can be a license for Microsoft Windows which includes big list Prohibited uses such as reverse engineering, multiple users using the system simultaneously, and distributing performance tests.
The most significant consequence of using a proprietary license is that end user obliged to accept it, since according to the law, the owner of the software is not he, but the publisher of the program. If you refuse to accept the license, the user cannot work with the program at all.
1. Difficulty in correcting errors. Errors occur periodically in any software. If an error is found in proprietary software, then you just need to send a description of the problem to the developer (ticket) and wait for a fix. If problems arise with free software, then you will have to look at the source code, localize the error and send a patch to the developer
Not necessary. You can also send a description of the problem to the community or developers or write on the forum.
2. Responsibility to the community. If you use free software and adhere to the corresponding ideology, then you will have to spend time interacting with the community. For example, it is advisable to return your bug fixes and program improvements back to the main branch. You may be asked to help test your patches or even be assigned responsibility for maintaining your code. If you use proprietary software, you don't owe anyone anything.
Complete nonsense. Just anyone will never be appointed responsible for maintaining the code. Again, no one forces me to write patches just because I have LibreOffice or AbiWord installed. There are no obligations associated with installing free software.
3. It is difficult to understand licenses. Free software consists of many components that can be licensed under different free licenses. For example, do you know how the Apache Software License differs from the General Public License? A free licenses dozens and they all have their own nuances. With proprietary software, everything is much simpler: the developer takes away all your rights, with the exception of the right to buy the program and use it on a specified number of workstations. Therefore, all proprietary software license agreements are very similar.
This is not a disadvantage, it is an advantage.
4. A wide range is not always good. In the world of free software, there is always a choice. For example, you can choose a database management system; there are plenty of options GUI; you can choose a programming language; Even several web server implementations are offered. At first glance, such a wide choice is useful. However, you will need a significant amount of time to choose required components and even more time to test the performance of all components together. With proprietary software there is no such problem - the supplier will sell you a ready-made comprehensive solution, where the interaction of all components is tested and certified.
This, again, is an advantage, not a disadvantage. If you don't like Unity, install Gnome. If you don't like Gnome, install KDE. If you don't like Nautilus, install Double Commander, Krusader or Thunar. If you don't like LibreOffice Writer, install AbiWord. But in Windows there is only one graphical shell, although I heard KDE works on Windows too. But I haven't checked it personally.
5. Questionable availability of documentation. When using free software, be prepared to search necessary information not really convenient format: You will have to read Wikis, surf forums, look through mailing lists, etc. Having decided to buy proprietary software and made just one call, people in expensive suits will come to your office, show you a bunch of colorful presentations and answer any questions, as long as you buy. For money they will provide you with any most detailed information about the product in any form convenient for you.
It depends on what software. Ubuntu and LibreOffice are not that difficult to understand.
7. Freedom of the developer from your requirements. Users of free software forget that not only they gain freedom, but also the developers. Programs evolve and improve, and one day you may notice that a program that is critical to you is not working as well as you would like. You can curse the developer and demand corrections from him, but he does not owe you anything. If you stop using his program, no one will suffer except you. Developers of proprietary software receive profits that are directly proportional to the number of customers, and the departure of customers means losses. This scheme forces the developer to listen to consumer requirements.
There is no monopoly in open source software. You can write a patch or switch to another program. This applies to the office, graphical shell, operating system, file manager and much more. For example, in Ubuntu: the Unity graphical shell is initially supplied, but the official repository also includes KDE and Gnome.
Proprietary software- software that is the private property of authors or copyright holders and is not free. The copyright holder of proprietary software retains a monopoly on its use, copying and modification, in whole or in significant respects. Typically, proprietary software is any non-free software, including semi-free software.
The term "proprietary software" is used by the Free Software Foundation to define software that the Foundation considers to be not free or semi-free. Proprietary software refers to software that has an owner who has control over the software. Thus, this term can be used to refer to all software that is not in public use.
Closed software restrictions:
Restriction on commercial use
Restriction on distribution
Restriction on modification
Preventing use, copying or modification may be achieved by legal and/or technical means. Technical means include releasing only machine-readable binaries, limiting access to human-readable source code.
Legal remedies may include trade secrets, copyright and patents.
Restriction on commercial use
There are a huge number of software products that allow free use for non-commercial purposes for individuals, medical and educational institutions, non-profit organizations, etc., but they require payment if the software product is used for profit. Such software is very popular and widely used, and due to its free nature, it has good technical support from specialists who do not have the need for additional training costs.
Restriction on distribution
This type of restriction usually accompanies large software projects, when the copyright holder requires payment for each copy of the program. Typically, such a restriction is applied to software products aimed at a narrow “professional” segment of the market or for software required by a large number of users. An example would be the package Adobe programs CS or Windows operating systems.
Restriction on modification
This type of restriction is used only in closed source software packages and may prohibit or restrict any modification of the program code, disassembly or decompilation.
Conclusion
The modern Russian software market is largely pirated. The share of illegal software in Russia is about 90%. This is due to the fact that, unlike Western countries and the United States, where the share of illegal software is several orders of magnitude lower, Russians simply cannot afford expensive licensed software due to low wages. Therefore, many companies are trying to minimize prices for their products, and many even try to make them free.
Nowadays, the role of Software is very important and significant in the world. New software is created every day all over the world. Personal computers have certainly made human life easier, made it brighter and richer, but all this would not have happened if various software had not existed. After all, thanks to software, we can do anything: show our creative skills in design development, play exciting games, express our thoughts in diaries or social networks, create new programs and applications, write music, communicate with loved ones, share emotions and much, much more. another. Therefore, the role of software cannot be overestimated, and every day a person has more and more opportunities to demonstrate his potential.
