Software is what? What kind of program is Software?

Every computer user is faced with such a concept every day as Software. This is not surprising, because modern understanding of this term is interpreted as "software", or, abbreviatedly, "software" ("software"). Let's consider some important aspects, concerning types of software and interrelation with other components of computer systems. So, what is Software?

General concepts

In general, Software is a set of instructions, directives for their implementation based on a programming language, a program or set of programs responsible for interaction not only between the user and the computer system, but also between the so-called iron components of the computer or other applications created For certain purposes.

Depending on the functions assigned to the software, all software can be divided into several classes, as will be discussed later.

Hardware and Software: differences and interconnection

The interpretation of these two terms arose with the advent of the first computers. Today it is considered that Hardware is the hardware part of the computer ("iron" components), which can be touched by hands (motherboards, processors, RAM, peripherals and other devices in the system or connected to it).

Absolutely the opposite interpretation of the term Software. Translation can be presented literally as a "soft product". In a broader sense, it means that the program can not be touched, it is in some sense even a kind of virtual component.

And, most interestingly, to ensure the use of "hardware" or access to its capabilities, special software must be used in the form of special control programs responsible for the operability of such devices (drivers, I / O BIOS commands, etc.) .

The very term Software, translation and interpretation of which is now used everywhere in the context of software, even at the dawn of the development of computer technology was not in use. And only in the early 60-ies of the last century it was finally formed. This was due to the introduction of a clear distinction between the commands responsible for managing the hardware of the computer and the end user. Interconnected classes (Software and Hardware) began to be called software and hardware complexes.

Classification of software by several criteria

Since Software is the software part of any computer system, such software can be divided into several large categories based on the tasks assigned to it. So, for example, the use and replication of software is divided into corporate (custom-made for large companies and companies) and software for a wide range of users.

By the criterion of portability programs can be platform-dependent (working exclusively in one environment and with one type of "iron") and cross-platform (adapted to completely different systems).

According to the type of distribution software can be divided into closed programs, open (regarding the source code of Open Source with the GNU license) and free. In addition, it often includes free, paid and shareware. The last type of application has full or partially limited functionality for a certain period of time, after which, the program will have to be purchased. Otherwise it will stop working.

But for the purpose of the classification implies the presence of three large categories of software:

• System;
• Applied;
• Tool (development tools, tools and utilities).

System software

As system components are not only applications in the usual sense. In fact, operating systems are also programs.

However, often system software can be imagined as a kind of layer that connects user programs with the environment of the operating system in which they function and the hardware that is involved in performing a task (for example, the same device drivers).

To be clearer, let's give a simple example. Take the Windows operating system (system layer), sound card (hardware) and multimedia player (application software). To sound card could reproduce the sound, you need a driver (system software), which provides management of the device by the operating system itself, which is also a platform for the player. As the system recognizes the device, through its directives it transfers control of the player to it, to recognize the type of sound file using special codecs and decoders (additional software tools). The relationship is obvious.

Application programs

Applied programs include all those applications that do not control the components of the system or use them only partially, but solve strictly defined specific user tasks.

There are a lot of examples today: office packages, multimedia editors, mathematical computing and design systems, Internet access and network management tools, archivers, etc. As you can see, each type of software is a performance oriented tool A narrow range of tasks and interacting directly with the user of a single computer system.

Tools and Utilities

Tools include software to develop and maintain other types of software. This includes platforms for programming languages , development environments , SDKs, bug tracking and version control.

As for utilities, they often refer to software products for configuring the parameters of hardware and / or software components included in a unified computer system, without which access to settings by other methods can not be performed. Such software can be built into operating systems or installed separately. In some cases utilities can use full automation of settings (for example, optimizer applications for fixing errors and improving the performance of Windows-systems).

Instead of an afterword

Finally, it is worth noting that many users often have another question about the term Software: "What kind of program is this?" This formulation of the question is somewhat incorrect, because, as already mentioned above, it can be not only a single application, but a collection Programs, a set of language commands, directives and rules of the programming language for controlling other components or transferring them for processing and execution in the form of a binary code, say, to the central processor.

The above classification is also very conventional, because in the description were presented only the main types of software without further division into subclasses, which today can be very, very much counted. But for an initial understanding of the term Software, an average user can have enough of this knowledge.