Many of us have heard of such a term as “proprietary”. They could be called anything. Hardware, drivers, programs. What kind of term is this, and what does it mean? In general, this word came to us from the English language. In a general sense, “proprietary” is a licensed product. And in more detail the meaning of this term will be discussed below.
The term "proprietary." Value
The word "proprietary" comes from the English word proprietary, which means "personal" or "patented". This term is used to mean something “not free”. Be it software or hardware. This means that the software, for example, has a certain license. Naturally, you will have to pay money to use licensed software. And in some cases - a lot of money.
In the case of equipment, the meaning of the word “proprietary” changes somewhat. This term usually refers to some unique pieces of equipment that characterize a particular manufacturer. For example, Apple smartphones have unique and proprietary connectors for charging the device.
Proprietary software
Proprietary software includes both drivers for some devices and software products. In the case of drivers, everything is clear - the device manufacturer supports the operability of all device functions through closed-source software. In principle, this is correct. It is not known what troubles our all sorts of fans could have delved into the computer hardware and programs if the developers had opened the source code. In addition, hardware software is usually free. It is worth to buy the same video card, and technical support in the form of drivers will be available constantly until its relevance remains.
With proprietary software, things are not so simple. A prominent representative of companies using proprietary licenses is Adobe, with its "eternal" Photoshop. For the use of Adobe products will have to pay serious money. Yes, and Microsoft is not far gone. For using the proprietary Windows 10 OS, for example, you will have to pay a substantial amount each year. Now this is a common practice among major software manufacturers.
Pros and cons of proprietary software
To better understand proprietary software, you need to compare its pros and cons. So, the pluses include the following points:
- Continuous product support.
- More stable performance compared to free software.
- Guaranteed absence of malicious objects (viruses).
- Automatic software updates.
- High-quality use of all equipment features.
All these were the advantages of proprietary software. Now let's move on to the cons:
- A substantial amount of payment for a license.
- Proprietary device operation protocols.
- Developer Dependency.
- Inability to change the source code.
- Restriction on software distribution.
- Software Modification Restriction.
As we can see, the biggest minus is the payment of a license for using such software. The remaining disadvantages are not significant for the average user. For such users, “proprietary” is the best choice. Unless, of course, money is not a pity.
Proprietary Drivers
Device drivers are also proprietary. In this case, “proprietary” means that they are shipped from the manufacturer with a closed source code. Making any changes to their structure is impossible. Typically, these drivers are relevant in operating systems that use open source software. This is especially true for free "Linux-like" systems. They usually use proprietary drivers. Ubuntu, for example, is using both free and closed ones.
Such drivers under Ubuntu are more stable than free ones. Which is not surprising, because in their source code no one was "picking". But, unlike free drivers, users of "closed" software have to wait a rather long time for a fresh updated version. Here you have to choose: novelty or stability.
Proprietary Equipment
In the case of equipment, proprietary is unparalleled. Usually this word designates some kind of "chip" manufacturer. For example, a unique connector. In addition to the special shape, such connectors support certain protocols, for example, data transfer or power management.
The proprietary connectors for their devices are "sinned" by Apple. They have everything patented and “closed”. If you decide to connect, for example, an unlicensed charger to your iPhone, your device may even burn out. Such equipment is usually made only with the aim of stripping users of more money. There are no obvious advantages in using proprietary connectors. This does not affect the data transfer rate or the charging speed of the device.
Conclusion
Now we can well understand what is called the clever word "proprietary." This is a product that is licensed and specific to the owner. Using such a product without payment is not possible. In addition, such products (software and drivers) are closed source, and changes in their structure will not work by any means.
Our little educational program is over. Now you can safely choose between closed and free software, knowing all its pros and cons. The meaning of the word “proprietary” is now known to us.