What is software? We find examples of its practical use every day, sitting down at a computer. Even simply moving the mouse around the screen is the result of the software. What types of software are there? How is software development carried out?
Software: Theory
The computer operates through the combined use of hardware and software. The first refers to a set of chips, boards and other electronic components and devices that make up a PC. Under the second - computer programs that are designed to process information and perform useful actions using a PC. The first in the slang is often called "hardware", the second - "software".
The software appears on the computer through installation - placing the appropriate files on the disk. In some cases, it is necessary to update the software. This is, in fact, the re-installation of a more advanced and modern version of the software. To install the software, you need to have the so-called "distribution". It is a specialized installer.
There are two main types of software - system and application. The first variety provides the PC from the point of view of its main functions: launch, download and implementation of low-level computing operations. The main types of system software are considered to be operating systems (OS), as well as controls for computer hardware components and their settings.
Application software is a program with the help of which practically significant actions are performed on a PC. For example, typing, building tables, drawing, using the Internet, etc.
To simplify the language, we can summarize as follows: system software for the computer, application software for the user. Another way to explain the difference in simple language: the work of system programs, as a rule, is not visible. They perform their functions without "coordination" with the user, in stealth mode. In turn, only with the direct participation of the user does the application software work. We will consider examples of both.
There are, of course, "non-computer" types of software. They can be controlled by other types of devices - for example, tablets, smartphones, televisions. There is software for climate control systems, industrial facilities, etc.
What is an operating system?
OS is the basic type of system software from the point of view of exploiting PC capabilities. Why is it assigned to this category of software? The fact is that in the environments formed by operating systems, everything else works on the computer software (both system and application). OS are the basis for the PC. If there is no operating system, then no other program will work. The main processes of the OS are hidden from the user.
The most common PC operating systems in the world are Windows (the most popular, there are a lot of its versions - 7th, 8th, XP and others), Linux, MacOS.
System software: drivers
The second, perhaps the most important type of system software is the driver. They are designed to ensure the correct operation of hardware components. If the drivers for the disk are not installed on the computer, it will not function. Similarly, for a video card, mouse, modem, and even a processor. Typical network software is a router or modem driver. This type of software is usually supplied by equipment manufacturers (and, in many cases, they are part of operating systems).
This is the essence of system software. The next step for us is application software, examples of the most popular solutions and the main features that are offered to users.
Application software: antiviruses, utilities
Common types of application software are antiviruses and utilities. The first ones are designed to protect PCs from malicious programs that can disable other software or even hardware components of a computer. One of the most popular antiviruses in Russia is NOD32, DrWeb, Kaspersky. Utilities are designed to ensure stable operation of the PC, to monitor how correctly the processor, disks, memory and other hardware components of the computer work.
Popular application programs. Microsoft Word
Which of the specific examples of application software are most in demand today? First of all, this applies to word processing programs. Computer operations of this kind are historically the very first. One of the most popular programs in the world for word processing and related operations (drawing tables, graphs, etc.) is Word. It was developed by one of the largest corporations in the world - the American Microsoft. Its Russian transcription is permissible, which sounds like a "Word program."
To date, several versions of this software have been released. The functions in each of them differ, but the basic (and most demanded in practice) task performed by MS Word in one form or another is formatting the text, saving it to a file and ensuring (if necessary) its correct output to the printer.
Microsoft Word: Features
"Word Program" can perform a huge number of operations. Namely:
- formatting letters and paragraphs (selecting a font of the right size and basic attributes - underlining, writing in bold, italics, spacing between lines, etc.)
- design of the appearance of the pages (setting the color and pattern on the background, adding graphics, pictures, etc.)
- adding text-related elements (tables, graphs, icons, etc.)
Learning to use Word is easy. Many of the program controls are intuitive. It is also worth noting that Microsoft, which released Word, has provided its solution with a detailed help system, which the user can access by pressing F1 on the keyboard.
Popular Applications: Microsoft Excel
An example of another popular application software is Microsoft Excel (in Russian - "Excel program"). Her narrow specialization is spreadsheet computing. These types of solutions greatly simplify the work with numbers.
Despite the fact that this program is considered professional, even novice users can master the basic methods of working with it (which is why it has gained worldwide fame).
Microsoft Excel: Features
The simplest operations in Excel are displaying text and numbers in the form of tables. The working field of the program, in fact, looks like a large number of cells, in each of which you can enter something. A more complicated procedure is the construction of graphs, the introduction of formulas. Operations that require training are programming the so-called "macros" (a kind of internal programs), engineering calculations.
We list the most common types of tasks in practice that the Excel program can solve:
- mathematical calculations using numerical values in tabular cells (summation, subtraction, division, multiplication, building progressions, etc.);
- the use of formulas to automate the account;
- preparation of reports, forms, questionnaires and other documents that look most comfortable in the form of tables;
- charting, visualization of statistics using charts.
As with Word, using Excel is very easy to learn on your own. Program controls are intuitive in many ways. This type of software is also equipped with a detailed help system (which can be useful not only for a novice user, but also for a professional).
Popular Applications: Adobe Photoshop
Often, users have a need to use one interesting program - Photoshop. For Windows 7, 8 or XP, it exists in a large number of versions. Officially, this program is called Adobe Photoshop. It is intended for drawing (such solutions are called "graphic editors"). Both novice users and professionals: designers, web developers, cartoon makers use it, as in the case with Word and Excel.
Photoshop refers to programs that process images in the so-called "raster" mode. What does it mean? We can say that the main part of computer graphics belongs to the “raster” category. We are talking about images consisting of a large number of small dots (we recall how the picture is built on the TV and monitor - the principle is the same). Using "raster" graphic editors, you can create absolutely any graphic elements. You can draw a portrait of a person, a house, a landscape - anything. In addition to "raster" graphics, there is also "vector". Images based on it can, in turn, be built only according to the templates laid down in the program.
Adobe Photoshop Features
Using Photoshop, you can not only create pictures, but also make changes to the finished ones. Hence the term "photoshop." You can, for example, modify objects in the photo, add something to them, retouch - with a lot of experience working with Photoshop, everything can turn out to be very believable.
Adobe Photoshop works with most image file formats due to the large set of converters for various formats. The latter converts graphic information from the file format into the native format of the Adobe Photoshop editor when reading from a file. When writing to a file, the converters perform the inverse conversion.
What are the most popular types of operations that are performed in Photoshop? These include the following:
- Creation of new drawings using virtual brushes, pencils, rulers, shapes using various colors;
- resizing pictures or their individual elements;
- combining the contents of two different images;
- change the color of the picture or its parts;
- application of visual effects due to templates and algorithms built into the program;
- transformation of pictures (reflection, rotation, etc.).
Just like with Word and Excel, Photoshop controls are easy to learn intuitively. So even an inexperienced user can draw something. Many of the versions of the program are equipped with a help system in Russian, which details how to work with Photoshop.
Popular types of application software: browsers
A browser is a program with which users access the Internet, read news from websites, write messages on social networks, watch videos - in short, do everything that is typical of a "virtual space". The most popular solutions of this type in the world are Internet Explorer, Opera, Google Chrome. There are a very large number of their analogues and subtypes. The functionality of each of them, in general, is the same. Most users prefer to exploit one or another, based on a subjective assessment of the quality of the design of the programs and the convenience of the location of the controls on them.
The principle of browsers is based on recognizing the hypertext markup language (called HTML) and converting it into user-friendly visual elements - text, pictures, tables, video, animation, message forms, etc.
Browsers: features
Arranged samples of such software is very simple. The main elements of the browser are the line with the website address and the main field (most often called the "web interface" where information from the Internet is displayed. The main feature of such a program is that it is an intermediary between a PC user and other people in the virtual space. That is, using a browser (more precisely, a "web interface"), a person, in fact, can exchange data by sending something from himself (text, files) and receiving something from others. Was there the Internet before the invention of browsers? The fact is that web face "- has historically not the first method of communication between users It came after years of international harmonization of standards, which should be exchanged." virtual "information.
Software: paid and free
One of the criteria for classifying software is cost. There are three categories of solutions. Firstly, it is completely free software. Secondly, there is a commercial one. If the user wants to use such software, then he must pay for its installation. Thirdly, there is an intermediate type of software - shareware. What is its feature? In the general case, the use of such software is as follows: there is no need to pay for installation, but, after operating the program for some time (for example, a month), it will be necessary to transfer funds to the developer for further use.
What is cloud computing?
In recent years, the term "cloud technology" has gained great popularity. What is this phenomenon? "Cloud computing" is, in simple terms, an application software that can be launched from a browser (accordingly, it is not installed on a PC). Consider an example. Microsoft Word, which we talked about above, is launched by double-clicking on the icon on the desktop. But there is the same solution but the cloud: using this type of software is carried out through the web browser interface. As a rule, files that a user works with using such software are also stored on the Internet.
A lot of programs now exist in the "cloud" format. There are even versions of this type of operating system. So we can say that the "cloud" format is not only application, but also system software. The popularity of such solutions today is associated with the fast speed of the Internet (several years ago this was not), as well as saving user time - you do not need to install anything on a PC. By the way, cloud-type software updates occur independently of the user. This is also convenient.
Who is developing the software?
There is a whole branch of the economy within which software development is carried out - programming. It employs people with a wide variety of knowledge profiles. But they are united by a common feature - knowledge of programming languages. Using one or more of them, a person writes software. A programming language is a set of commands recognized by the hardware components of a computer. Having written a “phrase” built in a certain way, the person creating the software gives the “order” to the processor, or, say, the PC disk, to perform such an operation on the file. There are hundreds of languages with which software is developed. Among the popular ones are C (C), Java, Pascal, Ruby-on-Rails.
Is it hard to learn how to create software?
Not at all. Anyone can become a program developer. Creating software is not a prohibited activity at all. Many successful entrepreneurs started by developing software. Examples of such people are Bill Gates, Linux Torvalds, Eugene Kaspersky. You can learn languages for creating software on the basis of a large number of available literature, video tutorials, or by visiting specialized courses. Software development is one of the fastest growing industries, and its growing popularity is mainly due to universal accessibility.