General Computer Question 17: What is public domain and shareware?
Answer: There is a great deal of software that is
available for free or for a nominal copying fee. Users are free to make a copy
of public domain software and use it without the
restrictions of licenses found on commercial software. Documentation included
with this type of software often encourages users to make copies and distribute
them to friends.
Another category of inexpensive
software, called shareware, may be copyrighted, but
generally the developer allows users to make copies without an initial charge.
However, if you intend to use the software beyond a brief tryout, the developer
requests that you pay for the program. The cost of shareware is generally quite
a bit less than off-the-shelf software and is frequently sold at computer swap
meets, conventions, through the mail, and over the internet.
Answer: Ethics have to do with standards of moral
conduct. People who are unethical do not necessarily break the law, but they do
engage in activities that are damaging to others and to society at large.
Although computers offer us a wide range of exciting and innovative
applications that can improve our lives, they also introduce ethical issues
that have not been dealt with before. As a society, we have to decide if we
will use this new tool for the betterment of mankind or for destructive
purposes.
If users (individual users as well
as businesses and government agencies) do not use computer data in a
responsible way, if they use the power of computers or the knowledge inherent
in the possession of computer-stored information without regard for individuals,
more and more laws will be passed to restrict the use of computers and computer
data. Such restrictions can be very detrimental to the free flow of information
and to the development of new computer tools that will enrich our lives. As in
all issues of ethics, each individual must decide how to act. It is important
for our society to educate people at an early age about ethical issues related
to the use of computers in order to protect the free flow of information that
we currently enjoy.
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