The World of Software


What is Software

Application software: application software is designed to help users with there specific task such as

writing documents, browsing, or even managing database. Example of this is Microsoft word, web browser 

like chrome, and tools for graphic design.


System software: system software manages the computer's hardware and creates a foundation for

running application software. The most popular example of this is the operating system or OS, like

windows or mac. System software controls and coordinates the hardware and software to keep everything

running smoothly. 


Programming Software: Programmers use programming software to write and develop code. Programming software, along with languages like Java or Python, provides the tools needed to create, test, and debug other software applications. Examples of programming software include assemblers, compilers, debuggers, and interpreters, all of which are essential in the software development process.


Other types of software include programming tools that help developers write and fix code, middleware that enables different software programs to work together, and driver software that lets the operating system communicate with hardware devices like printers and keyboards.




In the early days, software was created for specific computers and came bundled with the hardware. In the 1980s, software started being sold separately on floppy disks, and later on CDs and DVDs. Nowadays, most software is bought and downloaded directly from the internet.


Design and implementation of software

The software development lifecycle is a process that helps project managers outline the stages and tasks involved in creating software. It starts with planning the project, followed by analyzing the needs of the people who will use the software and defining clear requirements. Once that's done, the design phase focuses on figuring out how to meet those user needs.

Next comes implementation, where the actual development takes place, followed by testing to ensure everything works properly. After the software is up and running, the maintenance phase kicks in, taking care of any updates or fixes needed to keep the system functioning smoothly.

Software design is all about planning the structure of the software, including how data will be organized, how different parts of the system will interact, and possibly even the specific algorithms that will be used. This design process translates user needs into a blueprint that programmers can follow to write the code. Software engineers work through the design process in stages, refining and adjusting as they go.





The history of software

The word "software" didn't come into use until the late 1950s. Back then, while different kinds of programming software were being developed, they weren't usually sold to the public. This meant that most users mainly computer scientists and big companies had to create their own software.


The following is a brief timeline of the history of software:

  • June 21, 1948. Tom Kilburn, a computer scientist, writes the world's first piece of software for the Manchester Baby computer at the University of Manchester in England.
  • Early 1950s. General Motors creates the first OS, for the IBM 701 Electronic Data Processing Machine. It is called General Motors Operating System, or GM OS.
  • 1958. Statistician John Tukey coins the word software in an article about computer programming.
  • Late 1960s. Floppy disks are introduced and used through the 1990s to distribute software.
  • Nov. 3, 1971. AT&T releases the first edition of the Unix OS.
  • 1977. Apple releases the Apple II and consumer software takes off.
  • 1979. VisiCorp releases VisiCalc for the Apple II, the first spreadsheet software for personal computers.
  • 1981. Microsoft releases MS-DOS, the OS on which many of the early IBM computers ran. IBM begins selling software, and commercial software becomes available to the average consumer.
  • 1980s. Hard drives become standard on PCs, and manufacturers start bundling software in computers.
  • 1983. The free software movement is launched with Richard Stallman's GNU -- GNU is not Unix -- Linux project to create a Unix-like OS with source code that can be freely copied, modified and distributed.
  • 1984. Mac OS is released to run Apple's Macintosh line.
  • Mid-1980s. Key software applications, including AutoDesk AutoCAD, Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel, are released.
  • 1985. Microsoft Windows 1.0 is released.
  • 1989. CD-ROMs become standard and hold much more data than floppy disks. Large software programs can be distributed quickly, easily and relatively inexpensively.
  • 1991. The Linux kernel, the basis for the open source Linux OS, is released.
  • 1997. DVDs are introduced and can hold more data than CDs, making it possible to put bundles of programs, such as Microsoft Office Suite, onto one disk.
  • 1999. Salesforce.com uses cloud computing to pioneer software delivery over the internet.
  • 2000. SaaS technology starts to be used.
  • 2007. The iPhone is launched and mobile applications emerge.
  • 2010s. DVDs become obsolete as users buy and download software from the internet and the cloud. Vendors move to subscription-based SaaS models.
  • 2020s. Generative artificial intelligence as well as other AI and machine learning capabilities are increasingly added to software platforms.





Reference: https://www.techtarget.com/searchapparchitecture/definition/software
                   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software





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