Proprietary Software
Computer Science: OCR A Level, topic 2.2.8
Proprietary Software
Proprietary software is also known as closed source software.
Proprietary software
- Proprietary software is software where the source code is not available to people outside of the organisation.
- When buying proprietary software you do not own the software, but have only bought a license to use it.
- Modifying, copying, or redistributing the software is illegal.
Pros of proprietary software
- Proprietary software comes with a warranty or guarantee.
- Proprietary software often has customer support.
- Proprietary software should be thoroughly tested and reliable.
- Proprietary software is usually easier to install and use for the average user.
Cons of proprietary software
- Proprietary software's source code is not available, so cannot be fixed or modified by users.
- Proprietary software might not do exactly what you want it to do.
- Proprietary software can be expensive.
- Proprietary software's older versions may not be maintained.
Test yourself on Proprietary Software
If you wish to use a piece of proprietary software, which of these would you do?