2. Trialware

Trialware is the term used for software that is free and fully functional - for a certain number of days. The user is allowed to check out and decide whether (s)he wants to buy it, during the trial period. Usually, the trialware stops functioning after the trial period (which may vary from 7 days to 3 months) is over. To continue using it, one needs to purchase the commercial version - usually shareware, of the software. Most of the Symantec security products are available as Trialware. You are therefore free to install the trial version of, say Norton 360, and check its efficiency with respect to quashing viruses. If you like it and want to continue using it, you will need to purchase the software, before or soon after the trial period is over.

Trialware developers today employ highly sophisticated methods to count the number of days you have been using their software. Some of the methods used earlier to hoodwink trialware into believing that the trial period is not yet over were changing the Computer's date, uninstalling and re-installing the trialware once again (thus giving it a fresh lease of 'trial' life), editing the trialware's installation logs, etc. Today, short of reformatting and re-installing Windows itself, there is usually no way to hoodwink the trialware into believing that the trial period is not yet over, when it is over.

An interesting and different type of trialware lets you use the software a specific number of times - 5 times or 50, after which you would have to pay up to continue using it. This is a less popular method, in comparison with the time-dependent trialware model

3. Adware

Adware is also software that is free to own, with the difference that while you use it, you are also displayed advertisements of other products. Some of the advertised products may be developed by the same organization or individual developer too. Therefore, the cost of developing the software is met by the advertisements that pop up when you use the software, much like advertisements you see in Print and on TV. Some of the excellent Adware are File Downloaders like GoZilla, e-Mail clients like Eudora and FTP Software such as AceFTP.

4. Donationware

Donationware is software where you are encouraged to pay a donation - whatever you can afford or are willing to pay, for using the software. Usually, you are free to download and use the software - the developer expects you to make a donation if you like his creation and intend to use it. The developer expects that sufficient people will like his software and would contribute, so that his/ her expenses on building the software are fully recovered. SpyBot, an excellent weapon in your fight against Spyware, is an example of a great Donationware.

5. Shareware

Shareware is software that is extremely low-priced. We would not be exaggerating if we say that some of the best software doing the rounds is Shareware. Some of these are priced as low as US$10/-, with features that match commercial software priced 10 times higher! Shareware developers do not have the huge marketing overheads and other fixed costs that commercial software developers have. As a result, their production costs are minuscule, in comparison. They hope that a large number of users buy their product and thus, expect to recover their developmental expenses.

6. Commercial Software

Commercial Software comprises of the products of bug software developers like Microsoft, Oracle, IBM, Adobe, etc. Usually, commercial software are large and complex, with man features. Such software takes many man-months to develop, justifying the higher cost one has to pay, to buy them. Examples of commercial software are Windows itself, Microsoft's Office suite, Adobe's Creative Suite for publishing, all databases such as the ones developed by Oracle, etc. Usually, commercial software developers are very efficient with continuously refining their product, identifying and issuing patches to plug bugs in their solutions and in providing support, including training, for their registered users.

7. Application Service Provider (ASP) Software

ASP solutions are perhaps the latest of software pricing models. With an ASP software, you 'rent out' the software you want to use. When you demand it, it is available to you, provided you have paid up for all your past usage of it! This kind of software pricing is also called On Demand model. A number of Enterprise Resource Planning solutions (ERP) are based on the ASP model. Usually, these are complex, massive software solutions that touch every department of an organization. The advantage of the ASP model is that more than one organization shares the development cost of the software, without compromising on the security of their data. The other advantage is that when they decide to move on, their decision is made easier, since they have not made a downright purchase of the software!

Usually, ASP software are web-based and runs off an Application Server. A small portion of it (the Client side) alone is installed onto the user's machine, allowing the user to access the software wherever (s) he may be. Such a model works very well for traveling staff such as Salesmen, as well as for those working from home and, such as Accounting staff.

While there are Freeware, Trialware, Adware, Donationware, and Shareware for most commercial software, this is not the case with ASP Software. ASP software are usually complex, with modules that may be used for different purposes by different sets of professionals. Individual software developers or small software development firms usually do not have the required skills, manpower or funds to develop these.

Professionals using Computers may run specialized software to help them in their careers. Similarly, hobbyists may run specialized software that helps them further their hobbies. For example, a professional Market Researcher would run SPSS, a Doctor would run a specialist Diagnostic software, a Finance Professional would run a specialist Financial software, a Mechanical Design professional would run specialist design software such as AutoCAD, and so on.

As far as hobbies are concerned, a specialist Video Editing software is required to convert your amateur home video, shot with your digital video camcorder, into a DVD; a specialist software is required to get your web camera working, if you keep in regular touch with loved ones settled far away, a specialist Language program is required, if you are using your Computer to learn a foreign language, a high-end Graphics card and specialist software to fully utilize the card's capabilities is required if you enjoy playing high-end Computer games, and so on. The possibilities are endless, therefore we shall not attempt to cover them at all. For a detailed description of what you can do with your Computer, click here!

As described above, your Computer is capable of running many different software applications. The list of specialist applications is massive and therefore, we are not covering them. In this section, we list what we at WellOiledPC believe, are 'universal', general, basic software applications that the every Computer user should run, regardless of his or her profession, hobbies, age, location or attitude to life. For a detailed description of each software category, do click on the appropriate link in the left-most column, below.

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