The term "software" is not a recently conceived of word. In his
1935 essay, 'Computable Numbers with an Application to the Entscheidungs
Problem,' Alan Turing first proposed and provided the foundation for
most modern software. In 1958, the first use of the term software was
used by John W. Tukey in an article in American Mathematical Monthly.
Today,
the the term 'computer software' means written programs, rules, or
codes, along with related documentation regarding the operation of a
computer system that is stored in read/write memory. The "soft" part of
software refers to the many products and technologies developed using
different methods such as programming languages and scripting languages.
The term 'software' is broader and can include different types of
devices such as the operation systems of modern consumer devices such as
automobiles, televisions, toasters, etc.
Computer software is the
job descriptions of what a computer can perform. It cannot be
physically touched. For instance, most computers come with software
already installed. Software is also available on CD where the user
inserts the disk into the hard drive and follows the installation
instructions. As well, downloadable software is available on internet
sites such as Microsoft. Computer software is basically a series of
instructions that tells a computer how to do a particular job. For
example, Microsoft Word is an example of computer software. As well, web
page technologies such as HTML, PHP, ASP.NET, and XML are examples of
computer software.
Computer software can be divided into two main categories: operating system software and application software.
Operating
System (0/S): This system consists of the basic functions that
computers perform. An example would be showing movement on a screen such
as a mouse cursor was the user moves the mouse. Examples of operating
systems include: windows vista, windows xp, Mac, Linux and Unix.
Application
Software: These are applications that allow the computer to perform the
job. Application software is used to accomplish precise tasks other
than just running the computer system. This can include voice, play or
record music, view videos, play video games--etc. Other examples of
application software include permitting access to the internet and
printing documents. Application software is the software that indirectly
interacts with the computer.
System Software is the software that
can directly interact with computer hardware. Examples include
motherboard, CPU, keyboard, Mouse, printer--etc. System software is
responsible for controlling, integrating, and managing the individual
hardware components of a computer system.
Computer software is
composed of machine language which is essentially groups of binary code
giving processor instructions that are specific to an individual
processor. It is normally written in high-level programming languages
and then interpreted into machine language code. Software can also be
written in assembly language which is a mnemonic representation of a
machine language using a natural language alphabet.
The term
computer software evolved from computational theories and formulas from
pioneers in mathematics. It is easy to see how quickly technology
evolved to the amazing and complex computations we see today.
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