Ransomware
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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For the extortion crime see Ransomware (malware)
In 1998 Erik Seaberg introduced the notion of Ransomware[1] (sometimes called hostageware) as an alternative to open source, the idea being that developers who produce free software should receive some form of monetary remuneration for their efforts. He defined Ransomware as a business model in which a developer first sells software in the form of a binary only. Money would come from a number of contributors. Then when the gross income on it reaches the developer's ransom amount, the source code for it is then freely given away as open source.
Ransomware can take a number of forms:
- Software which is initially released as proprietary software, requiring licencing, which becomes open source once a certain amount of money is collected by the right-holder. (Blender is an example of software which was ransomware in this sense.)
- Software plugins which are created and held by the developer prior to the ransom being paid, at which time the plugin is released with no further licencing requirements. (Some plugins for the Textpattern CMS are released in this fashion.)
[edit] See also
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| Forms of software distribution |
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| Adware • Beerware • Careware • Crippleware • Demoware • Donationware • Donateware • Freely redistributable software • Free software • Freeware • Greenware • Nagware • Open source • Otherware • Postcardware • Proprietary software • Ransomware • Registerware • Shareware |
