Computer software is a general term used to describe a collection of computer programs, procedures, and documentation that perform some tasks on a computer system. The term includes application software such as word processors which perform productive tasks for users, system software such as operating systems, which interface with hardware to provide the necessary services for application software, and middleware which controls and coordinates distributed systems (wikipedia).
The United States has more than fourteen million businesses online and executing daily operations with three types of software. The types of software initiatives used by businesses at all levels to include the military discussed in this paper are proprietary software, open source software, and free software. The conclusion of this paper will decide the recommended best method of software application as it applies to business.
Since 1995, the role and application of software has constantly evolved at a remarkable and unstoppable rate.
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English: Conceptual Map of the FLOSS (Free/Libre O...
English: Nanda Kumar talks in a seminar 'free and ...I relate to 1995 for the reason that my first real experience with software was during that year. Prior to 1995, it was a Disk Operating System (DOS) with a black screen, green characters, and five and a half inch floppy disks. The keyboard and central processing unit were one piece of hardware. Initially, Microsoft dominated (and some say monopolized) the free market place with a new operating system and windows based program applications. It was the only software that worked with the newly designed and revolutionary windows operating systems.
Contemporarily, there are hundreds of software programs available for use on and off the technical market, legal and illegal. Everything from wordprocessors to music creation and production products are available for consumer purchase andSoftware 3utilization. Many of these software applications are free to use with a simple online registration, while others are made globally available for purchase, and some applications...