Software Definition and 996 Threads

Software is a collection of instructions and data that tell a computer how to work. This is in contrast to physical hardware, from which the system is built and actually performs the work. In computer science and software engineering, computer software is all information processed by computer systems, including programs and data. Computer software includes computer programs, libraries and related non-executable data, such as online documentation or digital media. Computer hardware and software require each other and neither can be realistically used on its own.
At the lowest programming level, executable code consists of machine language instructions supported by an individual processor—typically a central processing unit (CPU) or a graphics processing unit (GPU). A machine language consists of groups of binary values signifying processor instructions that change the state of the computer from its preceding state. For example, an instruction may change the value stored in a particular storage location in the computer—an effect that is not directly observable to the user. An instruction may also invoke one of many input or output operations, for example displaying some text on a computer screen; causing state changes which should be visible to the user. The processor executes the instructions in the order they are provided, unless it is instructed to "jump" to a different instruction, or is interrupted by the operating system. As of 2015, most personal computers, smartphone devices and servers have processors with multiple execution units or multiple processors performing computation together, and computing has become a much more concurrent activity than in the past.
The majority of software is written in high-level programming languages. They are easier and more efficient for programmers because they are closer to natural languages than machine languages. High-level languages are translated into machine language using a compiler or an interpreter or a combination of the two. Software may also be written in a low-level assembly language, which has strong correspondence to the computer's machine language instructions and is translated into machine language using an assembler.

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  1. L

    ANSYS Software for Simulating Fluid Phase Change in Steam Generators

    Hi, guys there is a quesetion: Could ANSYS software be used for simulate system temperature and flow fields when fluid phrase change, such as in steam generators.
  2. C

    Engineering Transitioning from Software Development to Engineering

    Hello. I graduated 1.5 years ago with a major in Computer Engineering. I have been programming since I was a young child so it seemed very natural for me to go into software development. Throughout my undergrad I focused on the easiest path to me (computer science classes were a breeze) while...
  3. R

    Which software is used for creating simulated cosmic systems?

    Hey, does anyone know what software is used on the astrophysics videos made by NASA? Or similar modeling software where I can play around a bit creating solar systems and stuff like that? Thanks
  4. K

    Simulation software for modeling a dusty fission reactor variant.

    Hi, all. Could anyone recommend some good software for modeling nuclear physics? I have concept nuclear rocket that I wanted to attempt to model the engine for to see how practical it would be. In case it's relevant: The design is a subcritical fast dusty fission fragment reactor driven by a...
  5. B

    Airflow modeling software on a small scale

    Hi there, I think this is in the right section if not please inform me and move my thread. I want to design and build a UAV in a copter format whether it be quad, hexa, octa, ect. I want to make a modeling software so that I can design the most efficient blade/motor for my specific needs. I am a...
  6. J

    Control systems design software

    Are there any software programs for purchase that allow control system modeling and design for individual use under $1000
  7. P

    Software for calculating aircraft aerodynamic coefficients

    Hi, I want a software that can generate aerodynamic coefficients (CD, CL, CY,Cl,Cm,Cn, etc) I am aware of some specialized software (e.g. AVL, open source from MIT, LinAir Pro, commercial, etc). But was wondering whether I can use 'common' software like AutoCAD Mechanical or Solidworks...
  8. S

    Software for atomic orbitals oveplap in molecules

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  9. D

    Fortran [Fortran] Is anyone familiar with the Elk-code software?

    Dear all, Are you familiar with the Elk-code software? It is a software about FLAPW (full potential linear augumented plane wave).Recently,I am reading the source code,but I meet many difficulties. For example,I've a question related to charge density.In the Elk source code, the charge...
  10. C

    Taking good notes fast - on computer? By hand? software?

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  11. A

    MHB What software can I use for 3D drawing and measurement?

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  12. K

    Do you know of any software I can use to graph this equation?

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  13. A

    Exploring Real Materials with DFT: Ground-State Theory and Beyond

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  14. H

    Improve Your Transformer Design Process with Affordable Coil Design Software

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  15. adjacent

    Offline Server Software for Making Changes & Uploading | MySQL Supported

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  16. S

    BS in Mathematics MS in Software Engineering?

    I graduated in December 2013 with a BS in Mathematics (minor in Applied Statistics). I have taken this semester off to job search and think over things before pursuing a Master's degree. Originally, I was planning on going for a Master's in Mathematics and try to get a job as an instructor at...
  17. gfd43tg

    Chemical Process Flow Diagram Software

    Hello, Does anyone know of any free software that will allow me to easily create chemical process flow diagrams, that have all the symbols for various components (distillation columns, heat exchangers, etc)? Thank you
  18. H

    (Free) data visualization software

    Greetings, I have never worked with any good data visualization tools, but it is a skill I would very much like to learn. Does anyone know of some good free data visualization software? If so, could you please describe it a little bit as well? Eg., is it code-based or drag-and-drop...
  19. J

    Where can I get a free data-collection and analysis software?

    I am using Logger Pro 3 in my school, and I need a bit more skill and practice using it, also sometimes I need it for home-work. Any cheap/free alternatives you know of? http://www.vernier.com/products/software/lp/ as can be seen in the link it costs 312$
  20. J

    Software capable of modeling ground grid performance during faults cau

    For a University project I need to somehow model the effective performance of a ground grid in the event of a fault caused by a lightning strike. We would need to prepare different test cases for different sizes and grid configurations in order to carry out different analysis and find the...
  21. S

    What software can I use to visualize transformations of the plane?

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  22. J

    Multi-body dynamics sim software

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  23. U

    Differential Equation Solver Software: Find Your Solution Now

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  24. M

    Can You Recover Lost Files from a Raw File System without Software?

    Hi, do you know any free software for raw file system or is there any way to rescue files without using software program?
  25. T

    Software to find similarity of two molecules

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  26. StevieTNZ

    Spreadsheet Software for Windows/Ubuntu - No Limit on Characters

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  27. R

    Software to transform sentences

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  28. E

    Recommended software for converting 2D images to 3D CAD model.

    Hello, Does anybody know/had experience with software that can turn 2D images to 3D models in CAD program, preferably in an offline environment (not on cloud)? The resulting model has to be accurate enough for aerospace engineering purposes. from looking online, I really didn't find...
  29. mesa

    Need software for running primality checks.

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  30. Z

    Software to do polynomial calculation

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  31. andrewkirk

    LaTeX Copying latex codes between PF and external Latex software

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  32. A

    Software assignment - Evaluate the limit & compare the series

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  33. S

    Assistance required about MS PortMon software

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  34. P

    Image reduction and analysis software for windows

    I'm not sure if this question belongs here, if that is the case I'm sorry. I've been desperately trying to install IRAF on windows. Nothing seems to work. I've considered installing a Linux distro but since I'm using windows 8 that is not an option. So my question is: has anyone been able to...
  35. ABD EL HAMEED

    Engineering Bioinformatics vs software engineering

    Hello, So today at my first day in my first year at computer science I saw those two specialties but I was confused which one to choose cause I can only choose one of them I would like if anyone would offer me some help choosing also telling me which jobs will be available to each specialty...
  36. C

    Which degree is right for me to have master's in software engineering?

    I've always been fascinated to software's. But my university doesn't provide bachelor in software engineering.There are 2 majors :-Computer Science and Computer Engineering with 143 credit hours each. Which degree would be right for me so that I can follow the software engineering later in my...
  37. A

    Searching 4 graph optimization software

    I'd like 2 solve the following problem (well, routinely solve a bunch of such problems): Let us have a number of points (vertices), that can be interconnected. Not any 2 points are connected. Each connection is assigned a value. I want 2 find the maximum path in the graph, that is, the one with...
  38. STEMucator

    LaTeX What Is the Best Latex Software for Mac That Supports .doc and JPEG?

    Hey guys, I wasn't sure where to post this so I figured here would be the most appropriate. Does anyone know of any good latex software for mac? Preferably one that allows me to save things in a .doc format. If it can also allow me to drag and drop photos (jpeg/jpg) format inside of...
  39. M

    Engineering Can an electrical engineer be a software engineer and vice versa?

    Or are differences in how one engineer is trained such that you either become one or the other but not both?
  40. mesa

    Need software for calculating primes

    Does anyone have software I can run on my PC that can calculate primes to 8.0 x 1020?
  41. H

    Determination of Modal loss factor by Finite Element Software

    Dear all, Please tell me the steps are used to find Modal loss factor of composite constrained layer damped beam by using Finite Element software such as ANSYS etc.
  42. M

    Best free software to make to do lists and get things organized?

    Is there any, at all? Open to suggestions. No witty remarks like "a slip of paper and a pen"
  43. A

    Does it matter in which language a given software was written in?

    I have seen many articles stating that some 'xyz' software was written in c++ or java or python. Does it matter what language it is written in? Ultimately the software is in machine language right? Why should the language matter?
  44. T

    Microsoft Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool(MRT)

    Does anyone know what this is, I found it one day(today) on my computer and I am not sure what it is or what to do with it, I ran it it and... it is still running, does anyone know if this is real software or some fake software.
  45. C

    Best 2D animation/drawing software for science youtube videos?

    Hi which 2D animation software would be good for adding simple animations in science class and for youtube presentations?. Eksamples would be: how galvanic cells work, simple biology drawings of cells, DNA etc. I’d like a program that’s quite straight forward but also gives me a lot of...
  46. M

    Which FEA Software is Best for Basic Static Analysis and Thermal Conduction?

    We currently are running PTC Creo 2.0 for our CAD software and are looking into bringing some basic FEA capabilities in house. Should we just bite the bullet and get Creo Simulate extension? Or so I bother to spend the time looking into other packages? I have used Algor in the past, but they...
  47. fsonnichsen

    Seeking Affordable Raytrace Software for Throughput

    This is somewhat of an extension of tosik's recent post. I work a bit with weak optical signals for PMTs and spectrometers and I am always trying to optimize the light collected by a system. Galilean collimators, grin lenses, Keplerian telescopes and other constructs are useful for capturing...
  48. H

    Tensor software for General Relativity

    I have used GRTensorII and Cadabra for some time. And I think Cadabra have great potential for GR. But the current vision of Cadabra only deals with abstract tensor analysis, not with writing out of explicit components. So ,(eq :)when I try to check my final tensor expressions of solutions of...
  49. A

    Minimal Programming Mathematics Software

    After using Matlab here and there whilst I was at university, I thought that although it was very powerful, its use was extremely cumbersome and slowed down what should be fairly simple processes like making 3D plots and solving ODEs, PDEs etc. That got me wondering if there were any programs...
  50. T

    Help with software developer career

    So i started my new career last week as an entry level software developer/analyst. Something that's been bothering me is that I'm not really a technology buff. I love to program because i like to solve problems/puzzles. Probably the same reason i like math. If i had to describe myself i...
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