What is software?

Software is a general term for the various kinds of programs used to operate computers and related devices.Software can be thought of as the variable part of a computer and hardware the invariable part. Software is often divided into application software (programs that do work users are directly interested in) and system software (which includes operating systems and any program that supports application software). The term middle ware is sometimes used to describe programming that mediates between application and system software or between two different kinds of application software (for example, sending a remote work request from an application in a computer that has one kind of operating system to an application in a computer with a different operating system). When the first applications of computers in business were introduced in the early 1950s, software was less important (and less costly) in computer systems. Today, software comprises a much larger percentage of the cost of ...