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Understanding Computer Software Basics

Computer software includes programs and data that are processed by computer systems. Software is written in either low-level machine language or high-level programming languages, which are translated into machine language that the processor can understand. At the lowest level, software consists of binary machine instructions that control the computer's hardware and cause state changes, either directly by changing values in storage or indirectly by producing visible output. The majority of software is written in high-level languages that are closer to natural languages and easier for programmers to work with.

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52 views1 page

Understanding Computer Software Basics

Computer software includes programs and data that are processed by computer systems. Software is written in either low-level machine language or high-level programming languages, which are translated into machine language that the processor can understand. At the lowest level, software consists of binary machine instructions that control the computer's hardware and cause state changes, either directly by changing values in storage or indirectly by producing visible output. The majority of software is written in high-level languages that are closer to natural languages and easier for programmers to work with.

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The term "software" was first proposed by Alan Turing[citation needed] and used in this sense

by John W. Tukey in 1957.[citation needed] In computer science and software engineering, computer
software is all information processed by computer systems, programs and data.
Computer software includes computer programs, libraries and related non-executable data,
such as online documentation or digital media. Computer hardware and software require
each other and neither can be realistically used on its own.
At the lowest level, executable code consists of machine language instructions specific to an
individual processortypically a central processing unit (CPU). A machine language consists
of groups of binary values signifying processor instructions that change the state of the
computer from its preceding state. For example, an instruction may change the value stored
in a particular storage location in the computeran effect that is not directly observable to
the user. An instruction may also (indirectly) cause something to appear on a display of the
computer systema state change which should be visible to the user. The processor carries
out the instructions in the order they are provided, unless it is instructed to "jump" to a
different instruction, or is interrupted.
The majority of software is written in high-level programming languages that are easier and
more efficient for programmers, meaning closer to a natural language.[1] High-level languages
are translated into machine language using a compiler or an interpreter or a combination of
the two. Software may also be written in a low-level assembly language, essentially, a
vaguely mnemonic representation of a machine language using a natural language alphabet,
which is translated into machine language using an assembler.

History[edit]

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