rackware en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /ˈɹækˌwɛə/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- (US) audio
Etymology
From rack + -ware.
Meanings
-
(uncountable) Low-cost software sold in shops, generally hung on display racks.
Rackware, economically-packaged shareware and low-cost retail software that is generally hung on display racks, was pioneered by SoftKey and other companies a decade ago. But the marketing practice has become ubiquitous only in the last year or so. Now just about every airport, department store, and computer retailer carries at least one rack. Most rackware falls into entertainment and educational categories, but that too is changing as major apps begin to appear.
1993, PC Mag, volume 12, number 15, page 30:Another advantage of rackware publishing is ownership.
1994, Game Developer, volume 1, page 53:Contact database features hundreds of addresses for bulletin boards and rackware
1994, Steve Hudgik, Make Money Selling Your Shareware: