Explain what defines open source software: its source code is published, and modification and redistribution are permitted.
Separate public domain software from other software by whether the copyright still belongs to the author.
Explain that activation is the authentication procedure performed when you start using software, while subscription is a model of paying for each period.
Open source software (オープンソースソフトウェア, OSS) is software whose source code is published so that anyone may modify and redistribute it under the terms of its license.
Source code is the content of a program written in a form people can read, and because it is published, users can study how the software works and change it. An OSS license may not shut out particular people or fields of use.
AnalogyIt is like a recipe whose method has been made public. You may change it and pass it on, but you follow the rules attached to the original, such as keeping the author's name.
How to rememberThe "open" means opening up the contents (the source) for anyone to see.
Exam points
Mix-upOSS and freeware (フリーソフトウェア) are defined by different things. OSS is defined by published source code (ソースコード) and permission to modify and redistribute it, while freeware is defined by being free of charge.
Mix-upThe copyright (著作権) of OSS is not waived but stays with the author, and users follow the terms of its license (ライセンス). This is where it parts from public domain software (パブリックドメインソフトウェア), which has no copyright at all.
Freeware (フリーソフトウェア) is software you can use without paying.
Even when it costs nothing, the copyright stays with the author, so whether you may modify or redistribute it depends on the terms of use the author sets. The source code is not necessarily published.
AnalogyIt is like an exhibition at a museum with free admission. Looking costs nothing, but the rights to the works belong to the artists, and you cannot copy them and hand them out on your own.
How to rememberThe English word free means both "no charge" and "freedom". Here it is the no-charge sense.
Exam points
ExamEven when it is distributed free of charge, freeware (フリーソフトウェア) is a program and therefore a copyrighted work (著作物), protected under the Copyright Act (著作権法).
Public domain software (パブリックドメインソフトウェア) is software whose copyright has been waived or has expired at the end of its protection period, so anyone may use it without permission.
Software
Copyright
Modification and redistribution
Price
Open source software
Stays with the author
Permitted under the license terms
Not necessarily free
Freeware
Stays with the author
Depends on the author's terms of use
Free
Public domain software
Waived or expired
Free to do without permission
Free
Since no one can claim rights over it, using, copying, modifying and redistributing it need neither permission nor payment. You may even build a modified version into your own product and distribute it.
AnalogyIt is like a public square that belongs to no one. Using it needs neither permission nor a fee.
How to rememberPublic domain means "the public's territory": the work has left any individual's hands and belongs to everyone.
Exam points
ExamPublic domain software (パブリックドメインソフトウェア) is software whose copyright (著作権) has been waived or has expired, so it can be copied or modified without the author's permission and used free of charge.
Activation (アクティベーション) is the procedure of license authentication (ライセンス認証) that lets software run on the device of a user who bought it legitimately.
Purchase
Enter the key
Checked by the vendor
Ready to use
Once authentication is done, the software can be used on that device.
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When you enter the product key (プロダクトキー, an identification number unique to each purchased license) received at purchase, that number and information about the device are sent to the vendor and checked. Some products limit their features, or will not start at all, until authentication is complete. The main purpose is to prevent misuse such as running one license on more devices than allowed.
AnalogyIt is like verifying your identity to switch on a newly delivered credit card before you start using it.
How to rememberTo activate is to set something in motion: the software comes to life only after authentication.
Exam points
ExamActivation (アクティベーション) is the procedure of sending an identification number such as a product key (プロダクトキー) together with device information to the vendor to confirm the license is genuine, done for purposes such as preventing unauthorized use.
Subscription (サブスクリプション) is a model in which you do not buy the software outright but pay for each period to get the right to use it.
One-time purchase
Subscription
Payment
Once, at purchase
A fixed amount each month or year
Usage period
The purchased version, with no time limit
While the contract continues
After cancelling
You can keep using the purchased version
You can no longer use it
You sign up by the month or the year, can use the software while the contract continues, and lose access when you cancel or it expires. Updated versions are often provided during the contract.
AnalogyIt is like renting a home. You can live there while you pay rent, but the home never becomes yours, and once you stop paying you must leave.
How to rememberA magazine subscription uses the same word: you keep paying and keep receiving.
Exam points
ExamSubscription (サブスクリプション) is a model in which you pay a fixed amount for each period and use the software only while under contract.
Mix-upActivation (アクティベーション) refers to the authentication procedure when use begins, while subscription (サブスクリプション) refers to a model of paying for each period. The same product can involve both.
Open source software publishes its source code and permits modification and redistribution under the license terms.
Public domain software has had its copyright waived or expired, so it can be copied or modified without asking permission.
Activation is the procedure in which the vendor checks an identification number and device information to confirm the license is genuine, then enables use.
Subscription is a model in which you pay for each period and in return can use the software only during the contract.