At the dawn of development computer technology the concept of programming languages ​​and the sequences of commands created with their help, which a little later began to be called applications, appeared. In fact, these are software products (specifically software). That is, a given set of commands allows you to perform a particular task or ensure the functioning computer system generally. What are they?

Software products: basic classification

Let's make a reservation right away: in the wilds computer technology We will not climb, but we will try to figure out what they are and what programs are, so to speak, in simple terms.

Today there are several types of classification software, or software. Among the main types are:

• system software;

Sometimes this list also includes development and administration tools in the form special utilities, but, by and large, they can be attributed to system applications.

Types of software products by use

There is another classification that involves the use of software products by the type of access rights to them and cost. This may include the following concepts:

• proprietary software with the monopoly of the copyright holder, which provides only the rights to install and use it, while retaining the intellectual property right;
• commercial (paid) software, which implies the purchase of a software product and an official license;
• shareware, which can be used for a certain period of time (usually 30 days), after which you must purchase a license or register the product;
• free (freeware) software - programs and applications that do not require a license or payment;
• free software with (GNU license) that anyone can change or modify as they wish.

Now let's look at some types of entire software packages and individual applications of each type in a little more detail.

Firmware

This type of software belongs to the system part. In other words, these are basic level tools that provide interaction between the computer software environment (operating system or installed applications).

Today they are called drivers - small programs designed to software part computer system recognized and ensured the correct operation of any "iron" component. As a rule, all settings are stored in a special chip on motherboard, which has its own software environment, called the BIOS. And it is the BIOS that stores not only basic settings hardware, but also diagnoses it when the computer terminal is turned on (if all conflicts or failures are not detected, a characteristic single sound signal when starting the computer through the system speaker).

OS

Probably, it is not necessary to say that operating systems are the main part of the software that communicates between the computer and the user. Roughly speaking, this is a kind of layer, thanks to the interface of which the user gets access to certain system functions and perform certain tasks using applications. different type and level.

To date, they are known enough a large number of and not all of them are equal. Most have but there are even text "OSes". In any case, they include the most powerful tools to ensure the functioning of all components and the user's work in the system, including language translators and many other things.

Development tools

The development of software products of any type, be it an OS or any application, is carried out on the basis of any programming language, which includes not only a certain set of commands, but also translators, language interpreters, compilers, etc. (sometimes even disassemblers) .

Many languages ​​use manual input of commands, say, in text mode, you can even find entire specialized platforms that allow you to work with languages ​​like Delphi or Java without special knowledge, so to speak, on an intuitive level. By the way, the same applies to web site development, when pages and their relationships are created based on the built-in capabilities that such software products have. Examples? You are welcome! The same MS editor Office Word, WordPress, etc.

Administration Tools

System administration is an integral part of any software environment. Indeed, the timely detection and correction of problems and errors in the operation of a single computer, terminals in local network or even in the functioning of entire Internet resources hosted on remote servers, avoids many problems in the future.

For example, in the standard set of Windows systems (and not only in them) there are also special programs and applications that allow, for example, to check for bugs hard disk to test random access memory etc. It goes without saying that there are specialized third-party utilities that have extended sets of tools in their functionality. With their use, system administration reaches a new, higher level.

As most interesting example you can bring a program to find and fix system errors on the hard drive of a Belarusian developer called Victoria, which has much more features than the standard Windows utility. The program can generally "remagnetize" hard drives, recovering bad sectors, but without affecting the information stored in the clusters. And this is only a small fraction of applications in this area. And if we also consider applications for system administrators allowing you to control any local computer in a network or even the functioning of such a network system, you simply wonder what progress has come to: there are so many utilities here today that you can’t describe everything.

Ensuring information security

With regard to protecting information and ensuring the security of any system, there are also such tools here. Such products, the software modules of which are written in languages top level, allow you to counteract threats of any type.

But it's not just about antiviruses. Equally, this can be attributed to all sorts of annoying ads that prevent the penetration, after all, even virtual firewalls called firewalls or firewalls.

Internet Access Tools

The previous type of applications focused on providing information security, is very closely related to access to the Internet, because today most of the threats come from there.

As for the provision of access itself, the main means are the so-called Internet browsers, which operate on the basis of strictly defined network settings(Computer IP address, subnet mask, primary and secondary gateways, DNS, WINS, and proxy servers, etc.). Such applications are often referred to as application programs.

Application software

Now let's move on to the largest class of programs - application software. Applications of this type are strictly focused on the performance of specific tasks, for example, mathematical, office, entertainment, scientific, and many others.

It is simply physically impossible to list everything, but several areas can be identified with certainty: working with documentation and spreadsheets ( office programs and workflow systems), accounting, multimedia processing (graphics, audio and video), design systems, platforms for mathematical and scientific calculations or modeling, database tools, mail clients and browsers, file managers, etc. The list of such applications is endless.

Basic set of Windows OS

Now consider the main software products that are available in any Windows example. It goes without saying that it is a stretch to call such a set universal, because in other operating systems such sets can differ significantly. Nevertheless, due to the fact that it is these operating systems that are most widely used in our country, we will discuss this particular package.

If anyone paid attention, after the first Windows installation in the main menu you can find programs sorted by purpose: standard, service, administrative, etc. But not everyone knows that this is only a small part of the iceberg. The fact is that many utility utilities are not displayed in the menu. Most of them can be called either from command line, or from the Run menu.

In addition, the “clean” Windows system completely lacks the main office suite, although there are still viewers for some documents (the same Word Pad). Thus, it turns out that after installing the “OS” itself, the user has to install the main office suite on his own. However, this does not cause difficulties.

Well, about calculators, notepads, file managers, Internet browsers and much more, you can not say at all - they are available in every system.

Utility Programs

Finally, consider the products software features which allow not only to carry out diagnostics or optimize the operation of the system, but also are an additional tool when working with certain types of data.

The first type of application is often referred to as an optimizer. They find and fix system-level errors in the “OS” itself, and also allow you to disable some background processes that are unnecessary for the user and consume excessive amounts of resources, thus speeding up the system as a whole.

In Windows, there are practically no such tools, well, except perhaps standard means checks and sorry unused components or background services have to be disabled manually, and without special knowledge this can lead to unpredictable consequences. But optimizers work in automatic mode, disabling only what will not lead to critical failures.

The same goes for editing and defragmenting system registry, which can contain a huge number of useless, outdated or incorrect links, which at least increases the load time for specific applications and the entire system at startup.

Removing applications with the standard Windows uninstaller is also not always done correctly. Often, at the end of the process, a bunch of garbage remains in the system in the form residual files, folders, or entries in the same registry. Here, unique utilities like iObit Uninstaller come to the rescue, which cleans the system entirely, after which the user does not have to search for and remove the remaining objects manually.

Another example is updating device drivers. There is also no automatic mode. But third-party utilities like Driver Booster deal with this in an elementary way, and update drivers exclusively from official sources (hardware manufacturer websites).

Finally, one of the most popular are archivers, because even when downloading files from the Internet with a sufficiently large initial volume, they are packed into special archives to reduce their “weight”. In addition, large folders can be divided into several separate archives, and programs like WinRAR, WinZIP or 7Zip allow you to process such data in an elementary way.

Instead of an afterword

Finally, it remains to be said that, of course, these are far from all software products that can be found today. However, it seems that even with such a minimal description, any user will be able to feel the difference between programs for different purposes and draw general conclusions about what they are like and what they serve.

Application programs are designed to solve specific functional tasks user.

General purpose application software- a set of programs for solving common universal problems. These programs are used by most computer users.

Types of general-purpose application software: text editors, word processors, spreadsheets, graphic editor etc.

Application software for special (professional) purposes- a set of programs for solving narrower tasks and professional tasks of various subject areas (architecture, construction, music and film industry)

Types of application software for special purposes: desktop publishing systems, electronic encyclopedias and textbooks, computer-aided translation systems, server-side DBMS, editors 3D graphics etc.

Software Products. The main characteristics of the software. PP classes

Software-- complex interrelated programs to solve a specific problem of mass demand, prepared for implementation.

The main characteristics of the programs are:

• completeness and consistency of processing functions;
• the volume of program files;
• requirements for the operating system and technical means of processing;
• The amount of disk memory
• The amount of RAM for running programs;
• The type of processor
• operating system version.

Classes of software products by area of ​​their use:

1. System software

Designed to perform various auxiliary functions: computer resource management; creation of copies of used information; checking the operability of computer devices; extradition background information about the computer.

The structure of system software includes: operating system; antivirus programs; archiving programs; network maintenance programs, etc.

• 2. Packages application programs - directly provide performance of works necessary for the user. Examples of application programs: text editors; systems computer graphics(educational, scientific, engineering, etc.); spreadsheets; database management systems; publishing systems; accounting software; computer-aided design systems; expert systems; systems artificial intelligence(spell check, translation, text recognition); browsers; training programs, etc.
• 3. Toolkit programming technologies(facilitate the process of creating new computer programs in a specific programming language). Examples of programming systems: Quck Basic; Turbo Basic; Visual Basic; Pascal; C++; Delphi etc.

By a software product (SP) we mean software (software) as a result of human activity, put on the mass market as a commodity and having a non-zero use value.

It is very important to distinguish between production software product and project software. Circulation PP is produced so that it can be used in many places various users. Therefore, he has no customers, and the decision to start development is made based on the expected market demand. Word processors, spreadsheets, database management systems, electronic dictionaries, spelling correctors, crackers, translators, programs optical recognition characters - all these are examples of circulation software. Millions of people around the world use them.

Project software is created for one, rarely for several users, or is developed as part of a technology that can be sold to another organization to be used as part of a hardware and software complex. For example, a part of the ParaGraph International team dealing with character recognition problems is working in this direction. With no more than a dozen potential customers, however, this company is a giant in its field.

Thus, if the project usually has one or more users, then the issue of continuing development is not so acute, and the competition is for the right to develop. On the contrary, a mass-production software product is intended for hundreds of thousands of potential users, and when it appears on the market, competition with other products of the same class is inevitable. At the time of the decision to start development, the company takes on significant financial risk. At the same time, the manufacturer must be clearly aware that the issue will not end with the release of one version, since the software life cycle involves its improvement.

Software Product Life Cycle

Another important difference between software and many other products is that a separate copy of a software product has a low cost. This property, unique for the manufacturer, allows the introduction of new forms of interaction with the client after the first sale of software. We mean upgrade, that is, the right to upgrade the software to the same, but a new, improved version for a small fee. The concept of upgrade allows the user to calculate different versions PP is one PP, while for the manufacturer, different versions sometimes act as different projects and, accordingly, completely different products.

For the manufacturer, the life cycle of a software product consists of three phases:

1. Development.

2. Usage.

3. Continued development.

Please note that use is accompanied by ongoing development - the development of new versions and sub-versions that take into account the shortcomings previous version and new opportunities are being realized.

Like any other product, a software product goes through four stages before it hits the market. First, an idea (concept) of a new product arises, which is subjected to careful technical analysis, as a result of which requirements for a future product are developed. At the same time, an economic analysis is carried out, taking into account potential sales, production costs, the level and payback period, market competition, required investments, short-term and long-term profits, and the degree of risk.

Exists various ways dividing the software development process into stages. Some of them are distinguished large quantity stages, with others - less. Apparently, six stages are inevitable. Software Development: Requirements Definition Design

Command Writing - Programs Linking Testing Documentation

The first activity, defining requirements, is especially difficult for large Type V systems, and we will cover it in great detail shortly.

The design that is meant here is the design of the programs, and not of the system as a whole, of which these programs are a part. We will study this process in more depth after we consider the definition of requirements.

The third point is the writing of instructions, the reduction of a software project or simply a program to a sequence of machine instructions. We will call this process programming.

Linking is a combination, linking separate parts of a program written by different people or groups into one large software system.

Characteristics of the software product

All programs according to the nature of use and categories of users can be divided into two classes - utility programs and software products (products).

Utility programs (“programs for themselves”) are designed to meet the needs of their developers. Most often, utility programs play the role of a service in data processing technology or are programs for solving functional problems that are not intended for wide distribution.

Software products (products) are designed to meet the needs of users, wide distribution and sale.

Currently, there are other options for the legal distribution of software products that have appeared using global or regional telecommunications:

freeware- free programs, freely distributed, are maintained by the user himself, who is authorized to make the necessary changes to them;

Shareware - non-commercial (shareware) programs that can be used, usually free of charge. Subject to the regular use of such products, a contribution of a certain amount is required.

A software product is a set of interrelated programs for solving a specific problem (task) of mass demand, prepared for implementation as any kind of industrial product.

Software products can be created as:

Individual development under the order;

Development for mass distribution among users.

As a rule, software products require maintenance, which is carried out by specialized firms - distributors of programs, less often - development firms. Maintenance of programs of mass application is associated with large labor costs - correction of detected errors, creation of new versions of programs, etc.

Maintenance of a software product - support for the operability of a software product, transition to its new versions, making changes, correcting detected errors, etc.

Software products, unlike traditional software products, do not have a strictly regulated set of quality characteristics that are specified when creating programs, or these characteristics cannot be accurately specified or evaluated in advance, because the same processing functions provided by the software tool may have different depth of elaboration. Even the time and cost of developing software products cannot be determined in advance with a great degree of accuracy. The main characteristics of the programs are:

Algorithmic complexity (logic of information processing algorithms);

Composition and depth of study of the implemented processing functions;

Completeness and consistency of processing functions;

The volume of program files;

Requirements for the operating system and technical means of processing on the part of the software tool;

The amount of disk memory;

The amount of RAM to run programs;

Processor type;

Operating system version;

Availability computer network and etc.

Software products have a variety of quality indicators that reflect the following aspects:

How well (simple, reliable, efficient) you can use the software product;

How easy is it to operate the software product;

Is it possible to use the software product if the conditions for its use change, etc.

Tree of characteristics of quality of software products

The mobility of software products means their independence from the technical complex of the data processing system, operating environment, network technology data processing, specifics subject area multiplatform software product can be installed on various models computers and operating systems, without restrictions on its operation in a computer network. The processing functions of such a software product are suitable for mass use without any changes.

The reliability of a software product is determined by the uninterrupted and stable operation of programs, the accuracy of performing the prescribed processing functions, and the ability to diagnose errors that occur during the operation of programs.

The effectiveness of a software product is evaluated both from the point of view of its direct purpose - the requirements of the user, and from the point of view of the consumption of computing resources necessary for its operation.

In the conditions of the existence of the market for software products important characteristics are:

Price,

Number of sales;

Time spent on the market (duration of sales);

The fame of the developer and the program;

Availability of software products of similar purpose.

If the software product is not created to order and is expected to enter the market software tools, marketing is carried out in full: competing software products and analogues are studied, user requirements for a software product are summarized, the potential sales market capacity is established, and a price and sales forecast is given. In addition, it is important to evaluate the material, labor and financial resources necessary for the development of a software product, the approximate duration of the main stages of the software product life cycle.

If a software product is created as a custom software product for a specific customer, it is also important at this stage to correctly formulate and document the task for its development. An erroneously understood requirement for a software product can lead to undesirable results during its operation.

The design of the structure of a software product is associated with the algorithmization of the data processing process, the specification of processing functions, the development of the structure of the software product (architecture of software modules), the structure information base(database) tasks, the choice of methods and means of creating programs-programming technologies.

All programs according to the nature of use and categories of users can be divided into 2 classes: utility programs and software products (products).

 Utility Programs (utilities) intended for use by the developers themselves. Most often, these are software solutions for functional tasks that are not intended for wide distribution.

 Software - a set of interrelated programs for solving a specific problem (task) of mass demand, prepared for implementation as any type of industrial product.

The software product must be properly prepared for operation, have the necessary technical documentation, provide a service and guarantee the reliable operation of the program, have a manufacturer's trademark, and it is also desirable to have a state registration code.

Software products are intended for wide distribution and sale.

The process of creating software products is quite long, it is associated with changes in the technical and software environment for the development and operation of programs, with the emergence and development of an independent industry - the information business, which is characterized by the division of labor of software development firms, their further specialization, the formation of a market for software and information technologies. services.

The software product is developed on the basis of industrial technology for performing design work using modern programming tools. The specificity lies in the uniqueness of the process of developing algorithms and programs, depending on the nature of information processing and the tools used.

As a rule, software products require maintenance, which is carried out by specialized software distribution companies (distributors), less often by software developers. Maintenance of programs of mass application is associated with large labor costs - fixing errors, creating new versions of programs, etc.

Main characteristics of programs

algorithmic complexity.

Composition and depth of elaboration of implemented functions.

Completeness and consistency of functions.

Size of program files.

Requirements for the OS and hardware from the side of the program.

The amount of disk space.

Operating memory size.

Processor type.

OS version.

Availability of a computer network, etc.

Software product quality indicators (pp)

Mobility – independence of software from technical means of information processing, OS, network technology. Mobile PP is suitable for mass use without any changes.

Reliability - uninterrupted and stable operation, the ability to diagnose errors that occur.

Efficiency - the minimum possible consumption of computing resources and the maximum possible speed.

Modifiability - Ease of making changes.

Communication - the property of integration with other programs, ensuring the exchange of data in common presentation formats.

Accounting for the human factor - providing a friendly interface, the presence of a context-sensitive tooltip or training system, good documentation.

Question 1. Characteristics of the software product. Software engineering, its goals..

PP- a complex of interconnections. programs for solving defined. samples (tasks) mass. demand, prepared for implementation as any other type of industrial. products.

PP must be properly prepared for operation, have the necessary technical. documentation, provide service and guarantee reliability. work pr-we, have a trademark of the manufacturer, and it is also desirable to have a state code. registration. Only then prog. the complex can be called PP.

All programs according to the nature of use and categories of users can be divided into two classes:

• utility programs("programs for themselves") - designed to perform the tasks of their developers. Most often, utility programs play the role of a service in data processing technology or are programs for solving functional problems that are not intended for wide distribution;

• software products(products) - designed to fulfill the tasks of users, wide distribution and sale.

PP can be created as:

• individual. R elaboration under the order (the specifics of data processing for specific users are taken into account);

• development for massdissemination among users (it is necessary to ensure the universality of the data processing functions performed, the flexibility and customization of the software for the conditions of a particular application).

PPs have a variety quality indicators(fig), which reflect the following aspects:

• how well (simple, reliable, efficient) PP can be used;

• how easy it is to operate the SP;

• Is it possible to use software when changing the conditions for its use, etc.

Mobility PP means their independence from technical. complex with data processing, operations. environment, network technology of data processing, the specifics of the subject. region, etc. Mobile (multi-platform) software can be installed on various models of computers and operating systems, without restrictions on its operation in computing conditions. with children. The processing functions of such PP are suitable for the masses. use without any changes.

Reliability the work of the software is determined by the stability and uninterrupted operation of the programs, the accuracy of the fulfillment of the prescribed processing functions, the possibility of diagnosing errors that occur during the operation of the pr-m.

effect PP is evaluated both from the standpoint of the requirements of the user, and from the point of view. flow calculated resources needed for its exploitation. The expense will be calculated. R resources is estimated through the volume of external. memory to accommodate th pr-m and the amount of operas. memory to run them.

Accounting for the human factor means providing friendship. interface for end user operation,