What are the distinctive features to differentiate between the following software: Open Source, Shareware, Freeware and Commercial ones?

Open Source: They are easy to get and free to distribute and even encouraged to edit and modify them as for new programmers also.
Shareware: These are no free and only the person used them is license holder, and user has to purchase the license.
Freeware: These are also free to use at your own risk.
Commercial: These software are like Windows, MAC, which can be purchased to use.

Open Source : Code avaiable if you want to edit them , like Putty Shareware : Free soft to share Freeware : Free software with your own license Commercials one : Software created to be sold I don't think i can answer in an easiest way :D

Both shareware and freeware are terms that are used to describe software that can be downloaded from the Internet.
The basic difference between shareware and freeware stems from whether the person downloading the software must pay for it at some time.
Freeware is just that — free software — while shareware means that payment will eventually be necessary.
Commercial ones include a lot of extra features.
So you will find that the commercial version does more function as compared to open source and it does things better as well.

Opensource: free to use and modify the source code for your needs (bugs fixed very fast, because of active community in the open source world).
Shareware: you are allowed to use for a small period of time, mostly1 month, then you have to buy it to continue using it (very annoying because these programs always give you pop-ups reminding you to buy).
Commercial: you have to buy so you can use the software (Ex: Adobe PRO, MS Office, and the likes).
Free software: free software to download and use, but you have some who keeps sending you advertisement directly on your company, or reminders to buy better versions for money like (avast antivirus, AVG free, ....), and some are excellent to use like (ccleaner, Picasa from google, ...)  

Let me talk about open source, and I deal with open source technologies a lot.
When it is open source, the code is made available for public.
However, there are different licensing terms, MIT, Apache2.0, Creative commons, GNU GPL, GPL3.0, AGPL, LGPL and so on...
If you are choosing open source software, you need to pay attention to the license.
For ex: GPL mandates that any modification will have to be contributed back to community, AGPL states, any code making use of AGPL software, even over network is liable for making it public.
In simple terms, open source technologies depending on the license, will determine your TCO.
Look for community following, support if you are planning production deployment.
Comercial ones, I presume its clear.
You pay for it and bound by the license terms issued by the software producer.
Freeware: Free to use, need not necessarily, code is made free for use.
Usually, they get money through Ads embeded in the software.
Most of the organizations block freeware usage.
To me, these are end user oriented, than development oriented.
Shareware: Not much idea.
I presume, again there is no development interest associated with it.
   

Planning the project life cycle

Open source-: This are software which are free for usage you don't need to pay for licence, in operating system Linux is main you dont pay for it.
Shareware-: This is a software which are available for short term (trial version) but if you need for long term you have to buy licence.
Freeware-: this are software which are free you don't need licence for usage, also known as third party software, Theres no warranty inacse of any problem like data Commercial-: This are software which needs licence to use from word go common one is windows and Office