6,737
edits
Changes
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
m
no edit summary
==Licensing==
{{Main|Licensing}}
Software is copyrightable, but the source code can be made available to users however the author chooses. A copyright license is a legal document that tells people how the software can be used and what limitations come with using it.
;Closed source / Proprietary:The program's source code isn't available. Often because the ecosystem behind the platform is closed, sometimes by nature (like Windows and Android), or sometimes by force (like every modern console).
:;Freeware:The source code isn't available but the program is still free.
:;Shareware / Trialware:A limited demo version of the program is free. This was common for [[Intel CPUsPOS_(Pong_Consoles)_CPUs_and_Other_Chips#Intel_CPU.27s|DOS]] games.
The more successful emulation projects are often open source (though you definitely will find exceptions).
