Computer software that is available for use at no cost, though it may be copyrighted by its developer. Unlike open-source software, freeware typically doesn't provide access to source code.
A compound of 'free' (without cost) + 'ware' (goods/products), coined in the 1980s during the early personal computer era. The term parallels 'shareware' and 'hardware,' using '-ware' as a productive suffix for software categories. It emerged as programmers sought ways to distribute their work outside traditional commercial channels.
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