Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun The programs, routines, and symbolic languages that control the functioning of the hardware and direct its operation.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun computing
Encoded computer instructions , usually modifiable (unless stored in some form of unalterable memory such asROM ). Comparehardware .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun (computer science) written programs or procedures or rules and associated documentation pertaining to the operation of a computer system and that are stored in read/write memory
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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CNC Software, Inc. is proud to introduce Mastercam® for SolidWorks®, which combines the world's leading modeling software with the world's most widely-used CAM software*.
2BakSa.Net sibius777 2010
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NICKJ AirRadar is an excellent piece of software, and it deserves a review that reflects your opinion of it * as a piece of software*.
MacUpdate - Mac OS X 2009
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Commercial software development: the * software* is the product.
RealClimate 2009
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Commercial software development: the * software* is the product.
RealClimate 2009
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Working in software is often one of the most thankless tasks (.. and I don't work in games).
My Latest Crazy Idea: Sexy Developerland SVGL 2008
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Given the fact that (a) that Indian legislators have clearly chosen to exclude software from the list of patentable inventions (b) that open source software is important to India's long-term strategic interests, and (c) there is a growing global outcry against software patents, we hereby request you to ensure that the Draft Patent Manual reflects the will and intent of the Indian Parliament.
The ghost of software patents is back! Venky 2008
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Given the fact that (a) that Indian legislators have clearly chosen to exclude software from the list of patentable inventions (b) that open source software is important to India's long-term strategic interests, and (c) there is a growing global outcry against software patents, we hereby request you to ensure that the Draft Patent Manual reflects the will and intent of the Indian Parliament.
Archive 2008-05-08 Venky 2008
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The term software, on the other hand, is ambiguous.
EPO Wins Patent for Jesuitical Casuistry glyn moody 2008
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The term software engineering was used occasionally in the late 1950s and early 1960s, though some argue that software engineering was coined by F.L. Bauer.
In the New Year… 2006
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At home, I realized that the latest version of the label software doesn't replace characters when exporting, at least not for thirty days.
elfpvke Diary Entry elfpvke 2006
Prolagus commented on the word software
A question for you: If you are using software in the sense of "many programs", do you still need to use it as a singular?
November 22, 2009
uselessness commented on the word software
Isn't software plural? I would never refer to "a software" but "some software" is fine. Or "a piece of software" or "a software program."
November 22, 2009
vanishedone commented on the word software
I take it to be a mass noun: software is code, water is wet...
November 22, 2009
PossibleUnderscore commented on the word software
I thought 'software' was like 'sheep' or 'fish'. It meant both singular and plural.
What VO said.
:-)
November 22, 2009
yarb commented on the word software
Yes, you'd be unlikely to hear "there are various softwares available". Instead you'd talk about multiple "software packages" or "programs", or say "various kinds of software".
November 22, 2009
rolig commented on the word software
I would say that the -ware words (silverware, hardware, earthenware) all tend to be collective nouns and take singular verbs. That doesn't mean, however, that someone cannot distinguish between different "softwares" (in the sense of different "kinds/species of software", not different individual programs) and be perfectly well understood. But this would be an anomalous usage.
November 22, 2009
glen commented on the word software
License, Licence or Licensed
March 20, 2010