What is FloatWare ?
Floatware is a license type by which you can can distribute
your software, software packages, web applications, photos, graphics etc.
There are many license types available that you may find
suited for your needs, but the " FloatWare license" has a
unique approach to bridge and fill the gap between DonationWare,ShareWare and the PayWare license types.
FloatWare license emerged from a need by many to have a
modified DonationWare and ShareWare license types
distributed with their software or similar electronic
works.
FloatWare license type may be especially useful if and / or
when you decide to move away from a DonationWare type
license but do not want to force customers to accept a
classical PayWare license type, or other license types that
are obliging customers with a specified fixed payable
amount, at the same time keeping all the rights to the
Copyright Holder / Author / Developer as held by a PayWare,
Shareware or other license types.
In essence the FloatWare License says that the
customer/user has to pay to use the specified software that
came with the FloatWare license, meaning that the concerned
software distributed with this license is not free, but at
the same time there is no fixed price related to the
software concerned, rather the price for the software is
left for the end user to decide on the amount they see
appropriate. The end user/customer cannot request a refund based on the
floating price difference of the software. The basic unique
strength of the Floatware License is that it gives
customers; 1. the freedom to choose how much they want to
pay for some software and 2. that the software may have a
'floating price tag".
Another
important point is that when a software released may but
not necessary include custom elements requested by the
customer or offered by the author as an additional feature,
in that case , if so clearly stated by the Author, there is
a minimum initial payable amount that my vary according to
various parameters set by the author that may lead/indicate
fluctuations in the initial payable amount. For example; if
the Author decides that the customizable element or similar
in the software is to have an initial price of 10$, the
author has the right to change the initial price ( to 12$
or 8$ ) depending on the parameters he has setup, and which
the user-customer understands ( it may be that more users
will mean that the initial price will drop from 10$ to 8$
or 9$ and vice versa, that less users will force the Author
to increase the price from the initial 10$ to 12$ ) This is
especial relevant to the point number 6 in the FloatWare
License Agreement. This is for the customer to understand
that she/he may end up paying less or more than others.
Of-course this doesn't rule out the possibility that
customers will choose to pay the least possible amount for
the Software concerned, but then this is left for the
customer to decide and is not dictated by the Author/
Developer/ Copyright Holder
To
summarize:
The
FloatWare License is about the customer paying for the
software the amount he/she sees appropriate, except in the
case of additional, customizable elements that have been
previously clearly stated , offered and agreed upon. In
that case the software has a "Floatable" price. It is
entirely up to the Author in the way the Software will be
presented to the users/customers before receiving payments,
either by including limited elements or functions , a time
limit or by presenting reminders or any other means the
Author sees as adequate to promote the Software.
Developers
/ Authors and Copyright Holders are permitted to copy ,
distribute copies and use the Floatware License document in
their own software, software products or other electronic
works, but changing/modifying it is not allowed (except in
the points number 3 and point number 9 of the License
Agreement" ) and the original copyright notice of FLOATWARE
LICENSE DOCUMENT must stay intact ( Floatware License
Document Copyright 2006 Floatware.org )
You must give credit to floatware.org for Floatware License
Document. which has to remain unchanged, except as noted
above, the 4th and 9th point of the FloatWare License
Agreement may be modified. You can simply remove point
number 4 or 9 from the License.( where the license
agreement indicates that distribution of the software over
the internet or other medium without prior notice from the
Author/ Copyright Holder / Developer is not permitted, and
the 9th point states that a user may use one copy of the
software on a single computer.)
Only The 4th and 9th point in the Floatware License
Agreement can be changed according to the Copyright Holder
/ Author / Developer needs.
Floatware.org is managed, maintained and updated by volunteers
IF you are using Floatware license, you can submitt the URL of your software or other work to be displayed on floatware.org here
Please ask for permission if you want to post this document or parts of this document on the Internet or other Medium. Thank you
Feel
free to use these images to easily indicate to users that
your software or various other work is Floatware!
Floatware License Document
(Version
II , February 2006)
So what does all this FloatWare License really mean?
The
FloatWare License simply put is a different way and
approach to market , sell and promote your software or
similar work, let the users/customers decide how much they
want to pay...additionaly manage your software or other
work with a "floating price tag".
This work and (Floatware License document) is released under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 2.5 License.
For all info please contact:
The Floatware License first posted on ideazsoft.com in 2005, This website, floatware Licence document registered to