Ware's the Beef!
Sun Review September 1, 2001

Sometimes we need a little definition in life so we know what we're talking about. The computer world is overrun by jargon, tech talk and nerdy names that don't mean much to most of us. Luckily there's help online! Webopedia.com is THE online dictionary and search engine for computer and Internet technology (IT), featuring not only definitions but also a Who's Who of the IT world, help with data formats and file extensions, Internet error messages and more. What follows below is a brief overview of the terms applied to the programs we use on our computers.

To begin our first lesson, we'll start with the term Hardware, which refers to objects you can actually touch such as disks, monitors, keyboards, printers, motherboards and chips - storage, display and input devices. In contrast, software (computer instructions or data) is untouchable. Software exists as ideas, concepts and symbols but has no substance. Software is often divided into two main categories: system software which includes the operating system (OS) and all the utilities that allow the computer to function, and application software, the programs that perform real work for users such as word processors, spreadsheets and databases.

Freeware is copyrighted software given away for free by the author. Although it is available for free, the author retains the copyright, which means that you cannot do anything with it that is not expressly allowed by the author. Usually, the author allows people to use the software but not sell it.

Shareware is software distributed on the basis of an honour system. Most shareware is delivered free of charge, but the program usually requests that you pay a small fee if you like the program and use it regularly. By paying the fee, you become registered with the programmer so you can receive service assistance and updates. You can copy shareware and pass it along to friends and colleagues, but they too are expected to pay a fee if they use the program.

Warez, pronounced wayrrz or wayrss, refers to a commercial software that has been pirated and made available to the public via the Internet. Typically, the pirate has bypassed the copy-protection or registration scheme used by the software. The use and distribution of warez software is illegal. In contrast, shareware and freeware may be freely copied and distributed.

Courseware is software to be used in an educational program

Vaporware is a sarcastic term used to designate software and hardware products that have been announced and advertised but are not yet available.

Dribbleware is software characterized by frequent updates, fixes and patches. The term is somewhat derogatory, indicating software that was released without sufficient testing or before all features could be added. Unfortunately, dribbleware is becoming the norm rather than the exception.

Bloatware is a sarcastic term that refers to software that has many features but requires considerable disk space and RAM. As the cost of RAM and hard drive space has decreased, there has been a growing trend among software developers to disregard the size of applications. Some people refer to this trend as creeping featuritis. If creeping featuritis is the symptom, bloatware is the disease.

Firmware is software that has been written onto read-only memory (ROM). Firmware is a combination of software and hardware.

Software that is no longer being sold or supported by its publisher is referred to as abandonware. Most abandonware is still considered illegal unless the publisher has released the software as freeware. Unlike trademarks, copyrights are not considered abandoned if they are no longer enforced. Copyrights do not enter the public domain just because they are no longer commercially exploited or widely available.

Snobware is software that does not play nicely with other kids, it refuses to communicate with other programs and uses its own proprietary protocol, which means you will be forced to purchase more products from the same manufacturer if you want your programs to talk to each other.

For more definitions, visit webopedia.com and whatis.com. In the meantime, wish me luck - WebWoman is aiming for the gold at the Canadian Ultimate Championships this week in Edmonton, Alberta!

Questions or comments? E-mail inge@ingenius.bc.ca

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