What is computer software?

Computer software is a program that tells the computer what to do. These instructions may be internal commands such as system hours update or response to an external input received from the keyboard or mouse. Although there are many different types of software made with open source and proprietary standards, programming usually lies in several basic rules.

hardware vs. Software

The basic difference between hardware and software is that the first is tangible while the second is not. Hardware is the machine itself and performs all physical work, while the software says different hardware components, what to do and how to communicate. This allows computers to adapt to new tasks or install new hardware. While hardware includes things such as monitors, central processing units (CPU), keyboard and mice; Software includes things such as text processing programs, operating systems and games.

types

There are two main types of computerSoftware: System and applications. The first type is only used to start hardware, while the second is used for other things. The main types of system software are operating systems such as Windows ™ OS X or Linux; And drivers, which are programs that allow your computer to interact with other devices such as printers and graphics cards. There are many different types of application software, including games, media players, text processors, antivirus programs and applications for making new programs.

How does it work

Hardware understands only two basic concepts, on and off, which are represented as 1 and 0 in binary language. The software acts as a translator between human languages ​​and binary, allowing hardware to understand the instructions that are brought to it. Programmers write commands called source code in language programming that are similar to what someone could use in everyday speech. Another program called Compiler is then used to transform the commandThe source code on the binary. The result is a executable computer program.

open source vs. Propriets

programmers create either open source or proprietary computer software. The first type can be modified and edited by the user, while the second is protected and is not intended to edit people outside the company that sells it. While Open Source programs are usually free, ownership programs are licensed to distributors and must be paid.

both types have a generally comparable programming quality, but repairs for errors in general come faster for open source code than proprietary. Some people also prefer to use open source applications, as they may feel ownership in the final project or feel that computer software companies create monopolies and want alternatives. Others prefer closed programs are sometimes more stable or less vulnerable to hackers, noThey often come in apartments and come with customer service from the company.

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