The Startup Journal spoke to a number of small enterprises, which have decided they don't mind being shown adverts in return for free software.

The research had initially shown that consumers would put up with adverts when they were getting something for free, but subsequently found that businesses are also willing to accept adverts in return for free applications.

Leading players in the software sector now offer a variety of free applications designed for small enterprises. For example, Google offers Google Apps and Microsoft has Office Live, which provides e-mail, a calendar and web page creation facilities. Both of these software giants also use adverts to support the free services they provide.