The more I know, the less I know
Software is everywhere! We can’t escape…
That feeling learning about something cool, only to find out there’s so much more under the hood.
And it never stops!
It feels overwhelming.
And you can’t wrap your head around all the things.
Anyone relates?
Take software.
What’s software, why do we need it?
Well, think about a computer, remove every physical pieces, what you have left is software.
Software is all the programs and data a computer or device need to operate.
There are various kinds of software, each designed to serve different purposes, and here's an overview:
(listing just a few, I’m not writing an essay here)
System Software
Operating Systems (OS): Manages computer hardware and software resources.
Device Drivers & Utility Programs: Allows the OS to communicate with hardware devices, Performs maintenance tasks.
Development Software
Programming Languages: Used to write code.
Integrated Development Environments (IDEs): Provides comprehensive facilities to programmers.
Version Control Systems: Manages changes to source code.
Build Tools: Automates the transformation of software code into a deployable form.
Application Software
Productivity & Web Browsers
Multimedia & Entertainment
Communication
Database: Manages databases and provides tools for database administration.
Enterprise: Supports business processes and operations.
Cloud Software
Platform as a Service (PaaS): Provides a platform for developing, running, and managing applications.
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS): Provides virtualized computing resources over the internet.
There’s definitively more out there, go checkout The Serendipity Trap section at the end of the post if you want to know more.
Though we don’t have to deep dive in everything, knowing high-level what’s out there certainly helps.
Now you know what I mean when I say it’s everywhere and we can’t escape.
What would help even more?
Understanding how everything is stitched together!
But that’ll be for another time.
Thank you for reading!
Adeline.
The rabbit hole:
Deep dives in software types and categories.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software
https://www.coderus.com/software-101-a-complete-guide-to-the-different-types-of-software/
The serendipity trap:
More types of software! Look them up if you don’t have enough already:
Embedded Sotware
Formware: Low-level software programmed directly into hardware.
Real-time Operating Systems (RTOS): Manages hardware and software in real-time environments (automotive or medical devices…)
Middleware
Database Middleware: Connects applications to databases.
Message-Oriented Middleware (MOM): Facilitates message passing between distributed systems.
Security Software
Antivirus Software, Firewalls, Encryption