Beginning in October 2005, freeware developers can get their applications certified without having to pay the testing fees commercial developers pay.
Certification for their freeware applications means access to key distribution channels, and access to APIs unavailable to unsigned applications due to security reasons.
Read more about it on Symbiansigned.com, and see eligibility requirements here. (PDF warning)
This is obviously an excellent move, but one could say this was simply necessary - Symbian OS 9.1 introduces the security features which prevent access to certain API's for unsigned applications, which means that freeware program users would have to specifically agree to allow access for each program. This in itself is not a problem, but might lead to a mentality that granting access is acceptable - and this which would utterly ruin the entire point of the security functionality.
[via SymbianOne]
