Rackware
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 Low-cost software sold in shops, generally hung on display racks. uncountable
"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."
Example
More examples"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."
Etymology
From rack + -ware.
More for "rackware"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.