Software Applications

Software may be applied in any situation for which a prespecified set of procedural steps (i.e, an algorithm) has been defined. Information content and determinacy are important factors in determining the nature of a software application. Content refers to the meaning and form of incoming and outgoing information.
Information determinacy refers to the predictability of the order and timing of information. An engineering analysis program accepts data that have a predefined order, executes the analysis algorithm(s) without interruption and produces resultant data in report or graphical format. Such applications are determinate. A multiuser operating system, on the other hand, accepts input that have varied content and arbitrary timing, executes algorithms that can be interrupted by external conditions, and produces output that varies as a function of environment and time. Applications with these characteristics are indeterminate.
The following software areas indicate the breadth of potential applications.
System Software:
System software is a collection of programs written to service other programs. Some system software (e.g., compilers, editors and file management utilities) process complex, but determinate, information structures. Other systems applications (e.g., operating system components, drivers, telecommunications processors) process largely indeterminate data. In either case, the system software area is characterized by heavy interaction with complier hardware; heavy usage by multiple users, concurrent operation that requires scheduling, resource sharing and sophisticated process management; complex data structures; and multiple external interfaces.

Real-time Software:
Software that monitors/analyzes/controls real-world events as they occur is called real time. Elements of real-time software include a data gathering component that collects and formats information from an external environment, an analysis component that transforms information as required by the application.

Business Software:
Business information processing is the largest single software application area. Discrete "systems" (e.g., payroll, accounts receivable/payable, inventory) have evolved into Management Information System (MIS) software that accesses one or more large databases containing business information. Applications in this area restructures existing data in a way that facilitates business operations or management decision making.

Engineering and Scientific Software:
Engineering ans scientific software have been characterized by "number crunching" algorithms. Application ranges from astronomy to volcanology, from automotive stress analysis to space shuttle orbital dynamics, and from molecular biology to automated manufacturing.

Embedded Software:
Intelligent products have become commonplace in nearly every consumer and industrial market. Embedded software resides in Read Only Memory and is used to control products and systems for the consumer and industrial markets. Embedded software can perform very limited and esoteric functions (e.g., keypad control for a microwave oven) or produce significant function and control capability.

Personal Computer Software:
The personal computer software market has burgeoned over the past two decades. Word Processing, Spread sheets, Computer graphics, multimedia, entertainment, database management, personal and business financial applications, external network and database access are only a few of hundreds of applications.

Web-based Software:
The web page retrieved by browser are software that incorporates executable instructions (e.g., CGI, HTML, Perl or Java) and data (e.g., hypertext and a variety of visual and audio formats). In essence, the network becomes a massive computer providing an almost unlimited software resource that can be accessed by anyone with a modem.

Artificial intelligence software:
Artificial intelligence software makes use of nonnumerical algorithms to solve complex problems that are not amenable to computation or straightforward analysis. Expert systems, also called Knowledge-based systems, pattern recognition (image and voice), artificial neural networks. theorem proving, and game playing are representative of applications within this category.