software
Sign in to savethumb|Software written in the JavaScript language Software consists of computer programs that instruct the execution of a computer. Software also includes design documents and specifications.
AI overview
Software is a collection of computer programs and instructions that tell a computer what to do, along with the design documents and plans that go into creating them. It matters because software is what enables computers to actually perform useful tasks—without it, a computer would be just an inactive machine.
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Article
14 sectionsContents
- History
- Types
- Software development and maintenance
- Quality and security
- Encoding and execution
- Programming languages
- Compilation, interpretation, and execution
- Legal issues
- Liability
- Licenses
- Patents
- Impact
- References
- Sources
thumb|Software written in the JavaScript language Software consists of computer programs that instruct the execution of a computer. Software also includes design documents and specifications.
The history of software is closely tied to the development of digital computers in the mid-20th century. Early programs were written in the machine language specific to the hardware. The introduction of high-level programming languages in 1958 allowed for more human-readable instructions, making software development easier and more portable across different computer architectures. Software in a programming language is run through a compiler or interpreter to execute on the architecture's hardware. Over time, software has become complex, owing to developments in networking, operating systems, and databases.