Computer software (or simply software) is the programs and procedures that enable a computer to perform a specific task, as opposed to the physical components of the system (hardware). This includes application software such as a word processor, which enables a user to perform a task, and system software such as an operating system, which enables other software to run properly, by interfacing with hardware and with other software.

The term "software" was first used in this sense by John W. Tukey in 1957. In computer science and software engineering, computer software is all information processed by computer systems, programs and data. The concept of reading different sequences of instructions into the memory of a device to control computations was invented by Charles Babbage as part of his difference engine. The theory that is the basis for most modern software was first proposed by Alan Turing in his 1935 essay Computable numbers with an application to the Entscheidungsproblem. Hally, Mike (2005:79). Electronic brains/Stories from the dawn of the computer age. British Broadcasting Corporation and Granta Books, London. ISBN 1-86-207663-4.

Relationship to hardware

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Computer software is so called in contrast to computer hardware, which encompasses the physical interconnections and devices required to store and execute (or run) the software. In computers, software is loaded into RAM and executed in the central processing unit. At the lowest level, software consists of a machine language specific to an individual processor. A machine language consists of groups of binary values signifying processor instructions (object code), which change the state of the computer from its preceding state. Software is an ordered sequence of instructions for changing the state of the computer hardware in a particular sequence. It is generally written in high-level programming languages that are easier and more efficient for humans to use (closer to natural language) than machine language. High-level languages are compiled or interpreted into machine language object code. Software may also be written in an assembly language, essentially, a mnemonic representation of a machine language using a natural language alphabet. Assembly language must be assembled into object code via an assembler.

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Apple Releases Mega Patch Security Update
Fri, 10 Oct 2008 11:08:25 -0400
Apple released a large security update that touches on nearly two dozen Mac applications and features. The release includes updates for Apache, PHP, ClamAV and MySQL. - Apple has released a massive update for Mac OS X 10.5 and Mac OS X 10.4.11 that plugs security gaps in 20 Mac applications and features. The update, released Sept. 9, is available on Apples Web site. Several of the patches deal with Mac OS X technologies, such as a fix for an issue in Script Edi...
10 Steps Techies Should Take to Keep Their Jobs in a Financial Meltdown
Fri, 10 Oct 2008 10:44:41 -0400
As the economy gets shakier each day, workers everywhere are concerned about losing their jobs. Here are 10 steps the corporate techie toiling away in the server room or the help desk can take to help keep his or her job. - OK, the stock market is falling like a rock. Big banks are being bought and sold like overripe bananas. The masters of the financial universe are looking like suckers at the horse race track buying tip sheets printed after each race. And now, even the venture capitalists of Silicon Valley a...
Check Point Adds Virtualization to Security Lineup
Fri, 10 Oct 2008 10:20:20 -0400
The Check Point VPN-1 VE is designed to protect resources in VMware ESX and ESXi environments. While the VPN-1 VE does reduce security risk in these deployments, IT administrtors will need some consulting help or staff with knowledge of both VMware ESX and security to take full advantage of the product. - The Check Point VPN-1 VE (Virtual Edition) is the first release of the companys security gateway delivered as a virtual appliance for deployment in VMware ESX and ESXi environments. VPN-1 VE runs on the same Check Point SecurePlatform as a physical VPN-1 software appliance and can easily be integr...
Mobile Gaming Firms Eye Nokia, Apple Boost in 2009
Fri, 10 Oct 2008 09:39:00 -0400
The mobile gaming market suffered an unexpected slump last year, with many game developers and analysts pointing to telecom operators' lack of investment in marketing. - HELSINKI (Reuters) - Mobile gaming companies say they will book few new sales from Nokia's N-Gage phones or Apple's iPhone, but are betting on a market boost next year as more phones of these kinds are taken up by consumers. Nokia launched its N-Gage gaming service six months ago, but it had so far...
Microsoft Moves a Step Closer to Oslo
Fri, 10 Oct 2008 09:37:29 -0400
Microsoft shares more detail about its “Oslo” modeling platform, naming the components and its delivery vehicle. The company will deliver Community Technology Previews (CTPs) of the Oslo technology at the Microsoft Professional Developers Conference. - Signifying the seriousness of its commitment to pursue and promote a more model-driven approach to building software, Microsoft shed a little more light on its quot;Oslo quot; modeling strategy, giving a few more details on the Community Technology Previews the company will deliver at the Microsoft...
Zoho Takes Zoho Mail Offline with Google Gears
Fri, 10 Oct 2008 09:23:27 -0400
Zoho Mail now works offline courtesy of Google Gears, the latest application development for Zoho's messaging and collaboration software suite. Zoho Writer beat Google Docs to offline access last year, proving that the smaller Zoho is more nimble than the Google Apps empire. Offline access for applications is key at a time when knowledge workers are traveling and unable to secure Web connections to work. - Zoho has taken an offline version of its Zoho Mail application out of beta, using Google Gears to do it before Google used the browser technology on its own popular Gmail application. Offline is table stakes for a Web app because we're not always going to have an Internet connection, wireless ...

The Seattle Times: Business & Technology

Snowballing sell-off spreads worldwide
Fri, 10 Oct 2008 08:05:10 -0700
Stock prices careened lower Friday in Asia and Europe and gyrated wildly in the United States, extending a stampede of selling that began on Wall Street a day earlier and deepening a global financial crisis that has defied all efforts to stop it.
August trade deficit falls to $59.1B
Fri, 10 Oct 2008 06:30:52 -0700
The U.S. trade deficit edged down slightly in August, reflecting a drop in foreign oil from record levels. But the politically sensitive deficit with China increased as imports from that country hit an all-time high.
Seattle trawlers may face new limits on pollock fishery
Thu, 09 Oct 2008 21:17:22 -0700
The biggest fishery for Seattle-based trawler fleets is likely to face cuts next year as the pollock population declines.

NYT > Technology

Memory Maker Reduces Work Force
Fri, 10 Oct 2008 05:38:00 -0000
Falling prices for the flash memory used in a wide range of consumer electronics have forced Micron Technology to shut down most of a factory it shares with Intel and lay off close to 3,000 workers.
I.B.M.’s Quarterly Earnings Cast Light in a Darkening Economic Cloud
Thu, 09 Oct 2008 14:31:00 -0000
I.B.M. said its third-quarter net income rose 22 percent, surpassing Wall Street’s expectations.
Young, Black and Republican in New York, Blogging Against the Tide
Thu, 09 Oct 2008 14:38:17 -0000
Blogs like HipHopRepublican.com have given right-leaning blacks a sense of community during an election in which Barack Obama’s candidacy has made their political stance seem particularly unlikely.

CNN.com - Technology

DNA test proves shark mom had 'virgin birth'
Fri, 10 Oct 2008 02:52:51 -0400
Read full story for latest details.
Global warming threatens tropics
Fri, 10 Oct 2008 09:07:37 -0400
Read full story for latest details.
U.S. air-traffic network outdated, costly
Thu, 09 Oct 2008 15:23:06 -0400
Read full story for latest details.

NPR Topics: Technology

Fast, Citywide WiFi Launches In Baltimore
Thu, 09 Oct 2008 08:19:00 -0400
The nation's first rollout of WiMax has launched in Baltimore. Host Steve Inskeep talks to tech commentator Mario Armstrong about the fourth generation Internet service. It's a wireless connection that is fast and allows a subscriber to roam across the city.
New Solar Cell Easy As Pizza To Make
Sat, 04 Oct 2008 12:16:00 -0400
The iJET is a new type of solar cell that's cheap and easy to make, requiring not much more than a pizza oven, some nail polish remover, and a common inkjet printer. Australian scientist Nicole Kuepper describes her invention.
SpaceX Celebrates First Successful Rocket Launch
Fri, 03 Oct 2008 13:53:00 -0400
SpaceX's flagship Falcon1 rocket has successfully launched from an island in the central Pacific, becoming the first privately-developed rocket to orbit the planet. NASA has already contracted SpaceX to begin private space flight missions to the International Space Station beginning in 2010.

BBC News | Technology | UK Edition

Bank turmoil fuels phishing boom
Fri, 10 Oct 2008 11:38:19 -0000
Scammers and fraudsters are capitalising on the changes sweeping through global financial markets and sectors.
New media plan to combat Taleban
Fri, 10 Oct 2008 08:06:40 -0000
The UK government mulls a radical plan to counter growing Taleban propaganda in Afghanistan, the BBC learns.
'Unbreakable' encryption unveiled
Thu, 09 Oct 2008 12:50:46 -0000
A computer network protected by unbreakable quantum encryption is launched in Vienna.

AP Top Technology News At 10:21 a.m. EDT

Flexible OLEDs could be part of lighting's future
By PETER SVENSSON Fri, 10 Oct 2008 14:20:25 -0000
NISKAYUNA, N.Y. (AP) -- On a bank of the Mohawk River, a windowless industrial building of corrugated steel hides something that could make floor lamps, bedside lamps, wall sconces and nearly every other household lamp obsolete....
Despite IBM profits, a tech gloom still looms
By JORDAN ROBERTSON Thu, 09 Oct 2008 21:32:28 -0000
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Even after IBM Corp. surprised Wall Street with a healthy profit in the third quarter and a reaffirmation of its earnings outlook for the rest of the year, the broader technology sector dived again Thursday. There's just not enough of what lifted IBM to go around....
Review: Tiny flash drives improve their security
By RON HARRIS Thu, 09 Oct 2008 19:15:31 -0000
ATLANTA (AP) -- Flash memory drives, the size of your thumb, are dirt cheap and offer gigabytes of storage. It's tempting to fill one of them with important computer files, clip it to a key chain and hit the road....

CNET News.com

Speaker placement tips for audiophiles
Fri, 10 Oct 2008 07:56:00 -0700
You've spent a bundle on great speakers--and the sound still sucks. Stereophile magazine editor John Atkinson's tips can help get the sound you paid for.
Google fine-tunes Gmail's IMAP access options
Fri, 10 Oct 2008 07:43:00 -0700
The company now gives people some precise control over how other e-mail applications can use Gmail with IMAP. It's minor, but it shows the wisdom of Google's approach.
Tough times for tech
Fri, 10 Oct 2008 07:30:00 -0700
Here's a roundup of the latest financial news and its impact on the tech sector.

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