Software: Difference between revisions

'''Computer software,''' also called software, is a set of instructions and documentation that tells a computer what to do or how to perform a task. Software includes all different programs on a computer, such as [[Computer program|applications]] and the [[operating system]]. Applications are programs that are designed to perform a specific operation, such as a game or a [[word processor]]. The operating system (e.g. [[Mac OS]], [[Microsoft Windows]], [[Android (operating system)|Android]] and various [[Linux]] distributions) is a type of software that is used as a platform for running the applications, and controls all user interface tools including display and the keyboard.

The word software was first used in the late 1960s to emphasize on its difference from [[computer hardware]], which can be physically observed by the user. Software is a set of instructions that the computer follows. Before [[compact disc]]sdiscs (CDs) or development of the [[Internet]] age, software was used on various [[computer data storage]] media tools like paper [[Punched card|punch cards]], magnetic [[Floppy disk|discs]] or [[magnetic tape]]stapes.

The word [[firmware]] is sometimes used to describe a style of software that is made specifically for a particular type of computer or an electronic device and is usually stored on a [[Flash memory]] or [[ROM]] chip in the computer. Firmware usually refers to a piece of software that directly controls a piece of hardware. The firmware for a CD drive or the firmware for a [[modem]] are examples of firmware implementation.