programming (Or "computer program", "program", "code") The
instructions executed by a computer, as opposed to the
physical device on which they run (the "
hardware").
The term was coined by the eminent statistician,
John Tukey.
software is any software required to support the production or
execution of application programs but which is not specific to
any particular application. Examples of system software would
sorting programs.
Examples of application programs would include an accounts
package or a
CAD program. Other broad classes of
Software includes both
source code written by humans and
compilers. It does not usually include the data processed
by programs unless this is in a format such as
multimediawhich depends on the use of computers for its presentation.
This distinction becomes unclear in cases such as
spreadsheets which can contain both instructions (formulae and
macros) and data. There are also various intermediate
also software. Others go further and define software to be
programs plus documentation though this does not correspond
with common usage.
The noun "program" describes a single, complete and
more-or-less self-contained list of instructions, often stored
in a single
file, whereas "code" and "software" are
uncountable nouns describing some number of instructions which
may constitute one or more programs or part thereof. Most
programs, however, rely heavily on various kinds of
operatingsystem software for their execution. The nounds "code" and
"software" both refer to the same thing but "code" tends to
suggest an interest in the implementation details whereas
"software" is more of a user's term.
(2002-07-21)