The relative openness of different types of software

Now let us consider some obscure types of software for their perceived openness or ‘closedness’. First, let us consider freeware. This is software freely available to end users (free as in free beer). But the source code is not open for inspection or modification. So it can’t be termed free or open source software. This shows us another of the paradoxes associated with free software. Software which is freely available may not be free software, whereas software for which you have to pay money might actually be ‘free software’. Another uncommon type of software is abandon ware—software that has been abandoned by its owner or developer. The owner may no longer be tracking or enforcing copyright violations; even so, this software does not qualify as free or open source software. You must be very careful if your project development involves this sort of software because you could be charged for copyright violation at a later stage.