What is "soft", its types

In computer slang, a word like "soft" is often used. Along with him, another was used, the opposite of it - "hard", which never caught on in the speech. What is soft and hard and how are they related? The first one is used to refer to software, and the second - as the name of the material components of the computer, but more often and more familiar sounds "iron." That is why only one component of the union is used in our speech - "software". We will talk about this concept in today's article.

What is "soft": the meaning and uses of the word

This word comes from English software. For the first time in the meaning of "software" it was applied by John Tewki - mathematician of the University of Pristan. This happened in the distant 1958. At us it have started to apply at a decline of perestroika, since then the word has got accustomed and is actively used in a language of programmers and not only. What is software today? First, it is the most diverse programs necessary to work with a computer and laptop, mobile phone and PDA. These are the ones that serve the convenient use of the above techniques, and those that are aimed at entertainment. Programs can be very diverse - standard office, advanced - for working with multimedia, graphics, etc. Here you can also include numerous applications for accounting, business, accounting for personal finance, sports, control of nutrition, etc. Secondly, software is called a different Kind games, movies and music pieces in a particular format. Thirdly, this concept is used to describe tools for setting up the correct operation of a computer and other devices. These are all kinds of drivers, utilities, operating systems, etc. Thus, this term is quite extensive and multivalued. Let's see what other uses for this word exist today.

Soft-touch: definition and use

This word is also used in another meaning, acting as a prefix to the "touch". What is "soft-touch" and what is it for? Translated from English, this term means "soft to the touch" and is used for the name of elastic rubber-like plastic. It is scratch resistant, does not slip in the hands and is pleasant to the touch. These properties of the material made it in demand manufacturers of devices. They use soft-touch for the manufacture of body parts of devices.

The above advantages of this plastic make it possible to create wear-resistant and pleasant for tactile properties coatings for phones, tablets, laptops. An important advantage is that when the device falls, the soft-touch surface softens the impact, making it less "painful" for the device. As a bonus - on this plastic there are almost no fingerprints, which means that the phone / laptop will keep a neat appearance longer.

However, soft-touch is not the prerogative of only a variety of computer and mobile equipment. It is also successfully used in the production of tools - screwdrivers, drills, screwdrivers; Sports equipment - balls, handles; Cars and even weapons. Due to the special chemical properties of the material, it can be applied to a variety of surfaces, from wood to metal.

Soft-key: concept

As a prefix to the word "key" the term "software" acquires one more meaning. Let's analyze what a soft-key is and why it is needed. There are only two of them, therefore the definition is used, as a rule, in the plural. These are buttons on the mobile device, which are usually duplicated on the screen. They are located on the left and right side of the joystick. In other words, these keys are called functional keys, and their purpose can vary depending on which application is currently used. By default, they are used to start standard applications - "Contacts" (right button) and "Calendar" (left).

Software Types

There are many types of software, depending on the classification criteria. As you have already understood, this term is characterized by many meanings, but in conventional usage it serves for the designation of programs. But they are also different.

Classification by purpose of use

Software can be divided into the following:

• System;
• applied;
• instrumental.

The system is designed to manage the components of the computer system (RAM, processor, network equipment, etc.). A distinctive feature of this kind of software is that it provides the work of other programs, but does not solve any functional tasks of the user. This category includes the operating system, database management systems, utilities.

Applied software - a program designed to perform various user tasks. They can be universal and specialized, entertaining, scientific and multimedia. These are web browsers, graphic and text editors, media players and computer games, and so on.

Instrumental software can be considered as a separate subclass of applied. It is used during the development and design of programs, as well as their further support. These are compilers and interpreters, debuggers, generators and other tools.

Classification by method of distribution

Soft is of three types - paid, free and conditionally paid. With the first two everything is clear: one is provided for money, has a license, a guarantee, copyrights, the other is freely available, it can be launched, copied, distributed, modified without the need for payment.

As for the third, clarifications must be made. Shareware is called soft, which you can get (download) for free, but under certain restrictions. They can be both the time of using the program, and the possibilities in its work (the absence of any functions, for example).

Other methods of classification

Software is divided by types into components and complexes. The first type is a single program that performs a specific finished function. It is used alone or as an integral part of the complex. The second is a multicomponent program, the individual parts of which perform interrelated functions and serve specific tasks.

Also, there are cross-platform and platform-independent software (depending on the degree of portability of the software), interpreted and compiled (by the way programs are executed), etc.

Software and computer games

In this case, these two concepts can have the same, and different meanings. What is the game-software? This is a variety of computer programs that are used for entertainment purposes. Software is called the games of a wide variety of genres - strategies, stimulants, action movies, puzzles and others. All of them belong to the applied category of software, and in recent years there has been a steady trend towards "gaming" unattractive software.

At the same time for the games themselves there is also special software. These are various tools that improve the game conditions - speed, quality, etc. For example, take the popular computer game Conter Strike (CS). There is a different software in the COP. What is it and what is it for? It is used to perform various tasks of the player, for example, software Premium Proxy Switcher Portable is a program that repairs a broken menu in CS, or TeamSpeak Client - is used for voice communication in the game.

Updates: how and why

In order for the software installed on your computer to work correctly and be up-to-date, it is necessary to update it regularly. You can do this manually or automatically. In addition, for these purposes, there are special programs. Do you know what "update software"? This utility allows you to perform a comprehensive update of your computer's software without having to search it on the Internet manually. It scans and analyzes data about the legacy user software and lists the applications that are recommended for the upgrade. Very convenient thing. There are a number of other similar programs that allow you to have always up-to-date, correctly functioning software on your computer.

Conclusion

In this article we looked at what software is, what it is needed for and what kinds of things happen. In addition, we learned about the various uses of this word, such as soft-touch and soft keys. We talked about software in the world of computer games. We hope that this information was of interest to you and answered many questions regarding this popular term.