2008年11月7日星期五

Computer software

"Software" redirects here. For other uses, see Software (disambiguation).
Computer software, or just software is a general term used to describe a collection of computer programs, procedures and documentation that perform some tasks on a computer system.

A screenshot of the OpenOffice.org Writer desktop software
The term includes:Application software such as word processors which perform productive tasks for users, System software such as operating systems, which interface with hardware to provide the necessary services for application software, and Middleware which controls and co-ordinates distributed systems.

Software includes websites, programs, video games etc. that are coded by programming languages like C, C++, etc.

Firmware which is software programmed resident to electrically programmable memory devices on board mainboards or other types of integrated hardware carriers

Testware which is an umbrella term or container term for all utilities and application software that serve in combination for testing a software package but not necessarily may optionally contribute to operational purposes. As such, testware is not a standing configuration but merely a working environment for application software or subsets thereof.

"Software" is sometimes used in a broader context to mean anything which is not hardware but which is used with hardware, such as film, tapes and records.


Overview
Computer software is often regarded as anything but hardware, meaning that the "hard" are the parts that are tangible (able to hold) while the "soft" part is the intangible objects inside the computer. Software encompasses an extremely wide array of products and technologies developed using different techniques like programming languages, scripting languages etc. The types of software include web pages developed by technologies like HTML, PHP, Perl, JSP, ASP.NET, XML, and desktop applications like Microsoft Word, OpenOffice developed by technologies like C, C++, Java, C#, etc. Software usually runs on an underlying operating system (which is a software also) like Microsoft Windows, Linux (running GNOME and KDE), Sun Solaris etc. Software also includes video games like the Super Mario, Grand Theft Auto for personal computers or video game consoles. These games can be created using CGI (computer generated imagery) that can be designed by applications like Maya, 3ds Max etc.

Also a software usually runs on a software platform which can either be provided by the Operating System or by OS independent platforms like Java and .NET. Software written for one platform is usually unable to run on other platforms so that for instance, Microsoft Windows software will not be able to run on Mac OS because of the differences relating to the platforms and their own standards. These applications can work using software porting, interpreters or re-writing the source code for that platform.


Relationship to computer hardware
Computer software is so called to distinguish it from computer hardware, which encompasses the physical interconnections and devices required to store and execute (or run) the software. At the lowest level, software consists of a machine language specific to an individual processor. A machine language consists of groups of binary values signifying processor instructions which change the state of the computer from its preceding state. Software is an ordered sequence of instructions for changing the state of the computer hardware in a particular sequence. It is usually written in high-level programming languages that are easier and more efficient for humans to use (closer to natural language) than machine language. High-level languages are compiled or interpreted into machine language object code. Software may also be written in an assembly language, essentially, a mnemonic representation of a machine language using a natural language alphabet. Assembly language must be assembled into object code via an assembler.

The term "software" was first used in this sense by John W. Tukey in 1958.[3] In computer science and software engineering, computer software is all computer programs. The theory that is the basis for most modern software was first proposed by Alan Turing in his 1935 essay Computable numbers with an application to the Entscheidungsproblem.

NOTE:

Thermal Imaging Software


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all my inventory


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any bulk inventory


apparel wholesale software


auto dealer templates


auto pragramming software


authoring memory software


asia discount airlines


authorized agent application


automated shipping solution


attendance buster software


Refrigerant Management Software


Quarrying Industry Software


Machinery Manufacturing Software


Security Camera Software


OPC Server Software


Worker Compensation Software


auto buyer programs


Fiscal Declaration Accountancy


Securities Lending Software


Offshore Power Generation


Materials Database Software


THE ABSOLUTE FORCE


Metering System Software


Electronic Assembly Software

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