Before the internet it could be tricky to get a hold of software for our favorite computers, in my case the Atari ST. Sure, you could go online using bulletin board systems (BBSs) and online services such as CompuServe, Delphi or GEnie, but those required an expensive modem, often expensive phone calls and lots of time. Only the most dedicated computer enthusiasts had that luxury.
The rest of us had to get our software another way and that way was from public domain disks. There were many companies that would collect software onto floppy disks, print catalogs and let you order disks for about $5 each.
Looking back now, it seems crazy to spend $5 (about $11 in 2025) for a disk of basically unknown software. An although this software was considered public domain, much of it was technically shareware and would require another payment if you used it after trying it out.
Shareware is worth its own article, but essentially it was software that you could try out for free. If you liked it and used it then you were expected to send money directly to the author. Sometimes you’d get a newer version back. Some shareware was limited in certain ways and you’d get the full version with your payment.
Even when I got my first modem in 1991, this problem was not solved for me as it was incredibly slow to download software over 1200bps. Ordering disks could often be a better choice. Enter BRE.