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
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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360 Degrees Of Freedom - Java applets to display panoramas, or interactive products without the use of plugins.
Meta Description: [ Virtual Tour Software - 360 degree panorama and virtual tour and panoramic stitching software. All the tools needed for creating www virtual panoramic tours and 3d objects from JPG images. See virtual tour examples in the panoramic photography gallery. ]
Anything3D - Software for 360 degree panoramas including 3D Photo Builder.
Meta Description: [ Anything 3D is a developer of virtual tour software,
panorama software, panoramic software, 360 degree software, image stitching software,
photo stitching software ]
Easypano - Developer and marketer of virtual tour software,including Panoweaver and Tourweaver.
Meta Description: [ Virtual Tour Software, panorama software and photo stitch software developer - Easypano is a developer of virtual tour software, panorama software, photo stitch software, panoramic software, 360 degree software, immersive image software, image stitching software, photo stitching software and Quic... ]
FirmTools Panorama Software - Shareware software to easily create panoramic images from digital photos from any camera.
Intvim - Photographic VR system, which automatically creates 3D VR movies by photographing 360° of the object in vertical and horizontal.
Metropole Worldwide - Technology and software to create a 360 degree virtual tour from a single photograph-no stitching-live 360 video and security systems.
Object Movie Toolkit : 3D images - This toolkit generates a compact object similar to a Quicktime Object Movie that can be viewed in a Java enabled browser.
Meta Description: [ Create an interactive Java Object Movie from a series of images. Rotate, move, zoom. teh virtual object. Support for clickable hotspots. ]
404PanaVue - Software for stitching together panoramas.
PanoGraph - Software for stitching still photos into panoramic images and virtual tours.
Meta Description: [ PanoGraph is easy-to-use application that let you stitch snapshots and create panoramic image and virtual tour ]
Panorama Tools - Free software to create, edit and remap panoramic images.
Panoscan - Manufacturer of digital panoramic cameras.
Meta Description: [ Digital Panoramic Camera ]
Panospin Panorama Software - With this software you can undistort fisheye images, and create interactive 3D panoramas out of them. Has an English version of the site.
Meta Description: [ Panospin Panorama Processing. Die Lösung für digitale Panoramen ]
Panotek - Authoring software for turning digital photographs, panoramas, videos and audio files into interactive streaming multimedia presentations and virtual tours.
Meta Description: [ Virtual Tour Software, Tour Provider: Create Multimedia Virtual Tour presentations. Stitch 360 degree Panoramas, Slideshows, Floor Plans, video, audio. Publish: Flash, Java applet, executable for email, free trial ]
PixAround - Software for creating 360 degree interactive graphic images to be shown on web pages.
Meta Description: [ Enhance your Web site with PixAround Solutions! Anyone with a digital camera can now snap a series of pictures, then stitch and publish them into 360-degree PixAround Webpages and Scenes (panoramas) that allow users to explore and navigate for a more interactive and immersive experience ]
Pixtra Panorama - Panorama image stitching software stitches a set of digital photos into immersive 360 degree panoramas; for printing or Web publishing.
Meta Description: [ panorama stitching free-trial photo stitching software does image stitching with easy photo stitch for web virtual tour. Full-featured, free screensavers and posters ]
PMVR (Patented Mappable VR) - Shareware Java applet and authoring tool that will run in any browser that supports Java 1.1 API allowing panoramas to be viewed on any platform.
Meta Description: [ PMVR (Patented Mappable VR) -- a Java 360 panoramic image viewer applet. ]
Property Panorama Virtual Tour software - PropertyPanorama.com offers unlimited virtual tours instant turnaround time on panoramas. Free demo software with our easy to use virtual tour software.
Meta Description: [ Property Panorama Virtual Tours are easier, faster and better. Free 30-day trial of our virtual tour software for Agents, Brokers, and Companies. ]
PTGui - Graphical User Interface for the Panorama Tools package. A tool that supports the panorama creation process from the beginning until the point where you have a stitched panorama.
Meta Description: [ PTGui is a front end for Panorama Tools, image stitching software for stitching photographs into a 360-degree panoramic image ]
PTMac - Front end for creating panoramas using GPL licensed Panorama Tools package.
Meta Description: [ panorama, tools, photo stitching, fisheye lens, QuickTime VR, qtvr, ptviewer ]
Real Tour Vision - Developer and marketer of 360 virtual tour builder software.
Meta Description: [ Virtual Tour Software. Real Tour Vision (RTV). Virtual Tour Software. Virtual Home Tours. 360 Virtual Real Estate Tours. RTV Virtual Home Tour Software. 360 Virtual Home Tours and Home Tour Builder Kits available through our exclusive network of RTV dealers and distributors. ]
Spherical Panaroma Inc. - Freeware panoramic Fish eye 360x360 degree software for panoramic photo and video, stitcher, virtual tour builder, converters, viewers, utilites.
Meta Description: [ Spherical Panorama, Inc. ]
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Meta Description: [ PhotoFit is an well designed whole panorama photo stitching software that runs on windows. It can stitches multi-row panorama images. ]
Viewer For Spherical Panoramic Images - FSPViewer is a fast viewer for local (no internet) high resolution panoramic images at full screen. It supports hotspots.
Meta Description: [ A viewer for spherical (equirectangular) panoramic images by Fulvio Senore ]
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VRinspection - Create rich-media electronic brochures containing immersive VR images, virtual walkthroughs, interactive plans and virtual movies.
Meta Description: [ Virtual Tour Software - 360 degree panorama and virtual tour and panoramic stitching software. All the tools needed for creating www virtual panoramic tours and 3d objects from JPG images. See virtual tour examples in the panoramic photography gallery. ]
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