In this twenty first century, technology runs the show, and a good many of the machines relied on run software. Just trying to think about what life would be like if software disappeared overnight can be a headache; power stations would fail when their diagnostic programs no longer exist, traffic would be a mess (although many cars just wouldn't make it out of their driveways), and forget about space exploration.Certainly, its easy to take computer software for granted in our bionic present; but which, of the many digital wares out there, are the best?
Which Software Reigns Supreme
One thing to consider when answering this question would be the overall usefulness of a particular software. Web browsers are an immensely useful tool in this age when information is so drastically important, but increasing specialization for smart-phones and tablets may soon be driving down popularity of browsers as younger crowds turn to using applications such as “Twitter” and “Facebook” for iPhone.
Software for writing text documents have always been useful, since the early days of personal computing, and will probably continue to be as such, well into the foreseeable future. Programs for keeping computers and networks protected, such as firewalls and security suites, are quite imperative in this day and age, now that just about any conceivable set of important data is stored digitally in some form. And none of these programs would even be possible without software used to write programming languages, or compilers for translating code written in those languages for the computer to understand.
Usability Determines All
Probably the most important parameter to think about when addressing this issue is the quality of a particular software. This includes measures of its stability, and the ease at which the software is integrated into an existing system. The operating system called “UNIX” is notorious for its strong backbone, and its ability to be reconstructed for use in most any digital system.
It has been rebuilt and imitated countless times; Mac borrowed much of the code used in its “OS-X” from BSD, which was built using UNIX code, and the growing evermore popular Linux operating systems are modeled after UNIX. Systems based on UNIX have been used to create the most secure government networks in the world, have tracked the discoveries of elementary particles, and comprise the charming intellectual capabilities of the Mars Rover as it traverses the wastes of Earth's second closest planetary neighbor.
And because most UNIX based systems have source code open to the public, when something goes wrong, all it takes it some know how and a whole lot of coffee to get it working. There is also much room for creativity with such open-source systems, easily paving the way for crucial developments in software, and in turn, technologies for the software to control.
It is certainly a daunting task to try and pin down the best of the best in software. Whether a computer is being used to create works of art, keep tabs on a favorite celebrity, or to keep up with taxes, the choice for software is very personal, and the sometimes violent verbal battles fought in online bulletin boards prove this.
As long as a program or set of programs runs easily on the system it was meant for, and performs the intended task without much issue, it can be anyone's best friend; and of course its always a plus if one has the ability to hack it up and make it do things it was never intended to do.
Linden GrayAbout the Guest Author:
Linden Gray is a computer programmer and a long time Apple enthusiast. For cheap software Linden highly recommends Software King. Visit them online to learn more about the products offered. http://www.softwareking.com/
