Proprietary Software

DEFINITION OF PROPRIETARY SOFTWARE

Proprietary software is one in which a user has limited possibilities of

use it, modify it or redistribute it, and often its license has a cost.

It is called proprietary software, not free, private or proprietary, to the type of programs
computer programs or applications in which the user cannot access the source code or has
restricted access and, therefore, is limited in its possibilities for use, modification and
redistribution. This type of software opposes the more recently popularized software
free, which allows anyone to modify and redistribute it.

Proprietary software is the most common, as it implies that to access it the

the user must pay for a license and can only use it in one context
restricted, that is to say, that for different computers to use it they must subscribe
other licenses. Moreover, this software cannot be modified or improved in its
functioning, nor may it be redistributed to other recipients.

ORIGIN OF PROPRIETARY SOFTWARE

The beginnings of proprietary software occurred between the 1970s and 1980s.
It was IBM and Microsoft that drove the practices of creation and development.
programs with restrictions on code access or, in other words, code
closed.

It was around the same time that the movements in favor of free software emerged, which
until the rise of proprietary software was the modus operandi of collaboration, development
and the most widespread software distribution. We find ourselves with two completely different figures.
different in their way of conceiving software. On one hand, we have Richard Matthew
Stallman, creator of the 'Free Software Foundation'. On the other hand, we would have Bill Gates,
founder of Microsoft.

Proprietary software is by far the most distributed type of software. Without going
farther the most widely used operating system in the world, Windows, far exceeds the
number of users who use Linux or one of its variants.

CHARACTERISTICS OF PROPRIETARY SOFTWARE

It is true that the manifesto and the rules surrounding free software are inclusive and
they do not discriminate by purchasing power, there are certain advantages to highlight that characterize the
proprietary software

Customer service: It consists of the specialized support provided by the company.

owner of the software to its users with updates and maintenance of the
same.
 Proprietary software has been tested before by thousands of users, so the
The margin of error is almost nonexistent. This is known as quality assurance.

Specialization and focus: When a company creates and develops software

focuses its resources on making the profitability and added value of this a
differentiating element compared to other software alternatives, whether of a character
private or free to use.

●Control in favor of the author and malicious use: This is perhaps the most
important of proprietary software, as it establishes authorship and therefore a
credit in favor of the author. On the other hand, the control of fraudulent or unethical use.
the software is secured by closing the code.

While free software is governed by copyleft, software can have features

specific to the private and the free. An example would be a program that only allowed access
to its code for its study and besides, it was freely distributed, but not freely available
modification.

TYPES OF PROPRIETARY SOFTWARE

In the market, we can find many examples of proprietary software that is used
at a personal or business level every day such as Windows, Office, Photoshop
or most video games.

These proprietary programs can be classified into different types:

1. Operating Systems

These types of programs are what allow users to use a device,

using an interface that allows performing different tasks quickly and
simple.

The main operating systems belong to proprietary software, such as Windows, which
It is owned by Microsoft, or Mac OS which is owned by Apple. These operating systems
they do not provide free access to their source code, they have a cost of acquisition or use, and only are
they update or modify when their companies deem it necessary.

We can take as examples of non-proprietary operating systems Linux and

Android, where its use, development, and modification are open.

Business software

Within the programs for companies, we can find a large amount of software.
proprietary like office software, management and administration programs
business or various tools that facilitate business processes and tasks (such as
software for industrial plants or video surveillance.

The Office suite, the graphic editing tool Photoshop, or the manager
Adobe Acrobat PDF files are examples of this type of application.

3. Security programs

Security is one of the main concerns of users and companies.

current affairs, where the internet and new technologies are essential in day to day.
computer security programs belong, in most cases, to software
privative.

Some of these security programs belong to the type of proprietary software.

son los antivirus (Kaspersky o Norton), los cortafuegos (NetGuard o Cisco NGFW) o las
disinfection or antimalware tools.

4. Online platforms

Many tools that are available online can be used through the internet.
proprietary software. Many of these online applications are paid and many others are free
access, but in both, there is no access to its source code, nor can they be distributed with
freedom.

Among this type of applications, we can highlight the email gesture of Gmail.
web version of Office (Office 364), or even streaming platforms like HBO or Netflix.

5. Video games

Video games are a type of proprietary software where users can play, but not
they have access to the source code, which is exclusively owned by its
developers. For example, it is possible to play games like Fortnite or World of Warcraft,
but it is not possible to distribute them, modify it, or access its code.

We have talked about proprietary software and its characteristics, as well as the different types.
of proprietary software that exists. The great growth of free software
experienced over the last decade does not imply that the development of programs
owners are in decline, being able to find this type of programs everywhere
areas due to their high level of quality and support.

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN FREE SOFTWARE AND PROPRIETARY SOFTWARE

Proprietary Software

We found other names for proprietary software, such as proprietary software or software.
of closed code. This type of software limits the user's ability to modify it and
even in its use. However, free software, in contrast to the previous one, is that which
it is distributed freely. It is also known as open source software. In it, the
the user has full freedom to use the software, distribute it and/or modify it, with
that a greater development is achieved in the improvements of the primitive.

Free Software

When we talk about free software, we refer to the three freedoms that it provides.
They have: Freedom of use. Freedom of distribution, and Freedom of adaptation and improvement.

Free software is in line with the idea of a global village, where the community benefits.
mutually, growing without restrictions. But the term free is not synonymous with free of charge, it
What happens is that, perhaps, we associate both concepts because of the literal translation of the
Anglicism "free". That is, free software can be distributed commercially.
A basic principle in free software is to name the authorship, a perspective that should not be
never lost, even if it is free. The author has the protection that the law provides.
provides for his work. However, he can dispose of it and carry out,
example, a sale, by which ownership is transferred in exchange for a
monetary consideration. In this case, the buyer can use the software without any
type of restrictions.

The most common is to enter into a software license agreement, through which a
transfer of use of the same. Such transfer, as established by Royal Legislative Decree 1/1996,
of April 12, approving the consolidated text of the Intellectual Property Law,
regularizing, clarifying, and harmonizing the current legal provisions on the matter,
it has a non-exclusive and non-transferable nature, presuming that it is for the purpose of satisfying
only the needs of the user, exhausting the first sale of a copy of the
program the right of distribution of it.

ADVANTAGES OF PROPRIETARY SOFTWARE

– Facilidad de adquisición (puede venir preinstalado con la compra del pc, o encontrarlo
easily in the stores).

Existence of programs specifically designed to perform a task.

The companies that develop this type of software are generally large and can
to dedicate many resources, especially economic ones, to development and research.

Better designed graphical interfaces.

More compatibility in the field of multimedia and games.

Greater compatibility with hardware.

DISADVANTAGES OF PRIVATE SOFTWARE

There are no applications for all platforms (Windows and Mac OS).

Impossibility of copying and modification.

Restrictions on use (marked by the license).

Impossibility of redistribution.

Generally, they tend to be less secure.

The cost of the applications is higher.

The application's support is exclusive to the owner.

The user who acquires proprietary software is 100% dependent on the owning company.
 EXAMPLES OF PROPRIETARY SOFTWARE

Some of the most well-known examples of proprietary software found in the world of
Computer science is:

Operating systems: Windows, Chrome OS, and macOS.

Cybersecurity programs: Norton, Kaspersky, or Panda.

Business software programs: SAP, SAGE or Matlab.

Commercial applications: Google Drive, Skype, or Microsoft Edge.

Video games and entertainment software: FIFA, Spotify or Netflix.

Each mentioned software has copyright from a company that has been behind it.
creation and development.

Windows: the Microsoft operating system is the example of proprietary software due to
excellence. Born to profit, forcing the user to change equipment every few years and
counting on all kinds of licenses that legally prevent (although not in practice) their
use, modification, or distribution.

Office: the office suite developed by Microsoft is another great example of software
owner. Programs like Word, Excel or PowerPoint are part of this package of
such well-known tools. Sometimes we can also get hold of some
additional programs if we are willing to pay for them, like the email client
Outlook or the Access database manager, among others.

Photoshop: the famous photo and image editor from Adobe is another well-known example
of proprietary software. It is a very powerful tool used by the vast majority
of the professionals in the graphic design industry and also by those who follow a
graphic design career in general. They have very few competitors in the market, perhaps
the most notable being Corel Draw and GIMP, the latter being free software.

Norton AntiVirus: and just as we mention Norton, we can mention a handful

more antivirus that are proprietary software, but naming one is enough. Norton
It is one of the most well-known and used antivirus programs in the world, owned by the company
Symantec, which distributes it both in its free version and in its paid version,
this latest one integrating many improvements and additional features compared to the version
free.

iTunes: we are going to add another Apple product to the list, and this time it is its well-known
iTunes music player. Nowadays it is no longer just a music player, but
through it we can also make purchases of various types of multimedia content
like songs, videos, movies, etc. It is one of Apple's cash cows,
given that it generates annual profits of more than $10 billion.

AutoCAD: this is an example of one of the oldest proprietary software that exists.
having been originally released in 1982. It is one of the programs of
CAD-oriented design, that is, for creating computer-aided designs, and
It is mainly used by architects and engineers to carry out all kinds of
small, medium, and large-scale projects, being easily the most used software of
its type on a global level.