Know The History Of Software
June 30, 2021Software is a series of instructions and information that tell a particular computer how to perform a certain operation. This is opposed to physical hardware where the machine actually does the work and is built. Software is the brains of the computer system.
Before computers became popular, people used to create programs that ran on a physical piece of hardware. These programs were installed in floppy disks and were transferred to a personal computer through a medium such as tapes or cables. As time passed, people started using computers at home in their bedrooms. This meant that the physical pieces of hardware had to be placed far away from the bedrooms. This made it difficult for people to upgrade their computer hardware especially with the increasing popularity of desktop computers.
With the onset of desktop computers, there was a need for better ways of sharing files and activities. At the same time, the demand for better ways of doing things improved. Computer manufacturers therefore developed the first piece of office software, which was the application software. This software enabled office owners to manage their spreadsheets, databases, document folders, and other related office applications more efficiently.
After the development of office software, computer hardware manufacturers also produced hardware that could support the operation of the application software. There were various types of hardware that could perform these functions. These were the physical hardware such as floppy disks, cartridges, and others. There were also software that had to be loaded into the computer’s memory and this was referred to as the software bundle. Some companies developed special languages for developing these bundles. These languages were exclusive to the hardware that came with the application software and not available with other hardware.
Software engineers eventually developed techniques for developing a common operating system. They succeeded in creating a hardware that was capable of supporting and using application software. This was the first operating system used on personal computers. Later, other operating systems were developed and released for the computer industry.
Over the years, there have been numerous improvements in the software design industry. However, it still has a long way to go before it can reach the state where it can rival the engineering skills of professional software engineers. In order for software engineers to continue innovating, new types of hardware, applications, and languages will be required. This is one of the reasons why professional software engineers continue to be in demand.