Boxed software

 

— software supplied on physical media (CDs or DVDs, flash drives, etc.). Such media is usually packaged in a box (hence the name); in addition to them, the kit may include a paper user manual and other similar documents.

The main advantage of boxed versions is that the buyer gets a personal copy of the distribution of the programme, and can install or reinstall regardless of the presence of the Internet, without the need to download distributions (sometimes quite "heavy"). And if an OS is bought in this way, then the media is also bootable and can be used to install the system from scratch or for emergency data recovery. On the other hand, when buying, you have to pay extra for the media and packaging themselves; this money may be small compared to the cost of the software itself, but the “box” is still in most cases more expensive. And with the development of high-speed communication channels, the mentioned advantage is gradually losing its relevance: downloading a file of several gigabytes via a broadband connection can take a few minutes. In addition, boxed versions are provided "as is", without the ability to change the package, and may include software components that the user does not need (and vice versa, do not include the necessary ones).