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Everyware: a Noncanonic List of -ware Terms
Everyware
A noncanonic list of -ware terms describing software & hardware. Terms for which I could find only one reference, or are names of individual programs, have been put into an appendix. Contributions are welcome.
- abandonware
- no longer sold or supported by its owner
- adware
- free but shows ads while in use
- alphaware
- moment of suspense: will it install/build?
- annoyware
- bugs you until you pay or register it
- beerware
- drink a beer to the author if you like it, or buy the author a beer (or a case)
- begware
- see annoyware
- betaware
- moment of suspense: will it run?
- bloatware
- that 2 MB "Hello world" program
- brochureware
- marketing flacks promise it will ship soon -- they’ve got a brochure about it and everything!
- cardware
- send the author a (post)card
- careware
- show your concern by doing good
- censorware
- don’t look at it, don’t complain, and don’t publish what it does -- or we’ll sue
- charityware
- donate some money to charity
- chocolateware
- like beerware, but chocolate
- coasterware
- that CD actually has programs on it?
- commentware
- tell the author what you liked & didn’t
- crippleware
- some features disabled until registered
- crudware
- see shovelware
- deadware
- demo with code for advanced features removed
- demoware
- demonstration software
- donationware
- see charityware
- emailware
- send the author a message if you use it
- expireware
- dies after its trial period
- fatware
- has bells and whistles!
- firmware
- software burned into hardware
- freeware
- free as in... no cost
- fritterware
- a week passes unnoticed while you tweak the interface
- giftware
- send the author a gift of your choice
- gooddeedware
- do a good deed for someone if you use it
- groupware
- would help your team work together if you bothered to use it
- guessware
- manual? online help? what’s that?
- guiltware
- “my children starve unless you pay for this, you know”
- hardware
- silicon, copper, electrons, GaAs, photons
- heroinware
- a game for which the first levels are free
- homepageware
- only works if your home page is set to what they want
- honorware
- pay a price you think is fair based on your use
- hypeware
- one order of vaporware, heavy on the marketing, please
- liteware
- see crippleware
- mailware
- see emailware
- malware
- does bad things
- monopolyware
- synonym for Microsoft products
- middleware
- the thing between you and the other thing (network/database/other), or
the non-OS stuff integrated into/distributed with an OS
- nagware
- see annoyware
- orphanware
- if a software company dies and there’s no one around to hear it...
- payware
- commercial software
- postcardware
- see cardware
- ratware
- helps spammers
- registerware
- you must register to use it, even if you’ve already paid for it
- retroware
- why pay for the latest version if the old one still works?
- scareware
- buy our program or we’ll shoot this dog
- scumware
- malware that rewrites Web links
- shareware
- pay the author if you use it
- shelfware
- resides there because no one uses it
- shovelware
- there’s space left on the CD -- quick, where’s that Lithuanian sewage code conversion program?
- slaveware
- makes you do what it wants
- slideware
- vaporware that hasn’t made it past the slide show stage
- smileware
- smile if you use it
- snoopware
- see spyware
- software
- bits and bytes
- spamware
- for digital manure distribution
- spyware
- it knows what you’re doing
- stackware
- Macintosh HyperCard stacks
- tattleware
- secretly reports to creator
- theftware
- guilty of theft of service, silent redirection, rewriting Web links, or other nastiness
- treeware
- information conveyed as ink on sheets of pressed vegetable pulp
- trialware
- see expireware
- vaporware
- coming real soon now; we mean it this time (but this is just FUD)
- wetware
- biological computing devices (synonyms liveware, meatware)
What have I missed? If you’ve got a term that’s not in the list, I’d be happy to hear it. (I’ll be even happier if you give two references, but I’ll take what I can get.) Let me know.
Contributors: KSL, DIS
"warez" doesn’t make the list because of the ’z’.
These have been seen, but are not in common use.
- condomware
- firewall software
- dancing bearware
- it’s not that the bear’s a bad dancer...
- griddleware
- it’s the grid, stupid
- porkware
- written to eliminate a budget surplus
- shonenware
- if you like the program, buy a Shonen Knife album
- snareware
- synonym for spyware
- snoozeware
- boring software
- spewware
- synonym for spamware
- troughware
- see porkware
- trekware
- Star TrekTM games
No links here: I’m not going to provide their makers with free advertising.
- capacityware
- CDware
- coldware
- comaware
- communityware
- coolware
- deathware
- herdware
- hotware
- searchware
- slackware
"Pricelessware" isn’t a product, but a specific list of freeware that readers of alt.comp.freeware found useful.
Last updated 30 September 2008
http://www.rdrop.com/~half/Creations/Writings/Miscellaneous/Everyware.html
All contents ©2002 Mark L. Irons
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Everyware: a Noncanonic List of -ware Terms