Why do we need computer programs and mobile applications? What is the program

The user's main tool for working with a computer is a program. It is this that allows a person to interact with a computer that operates with numbers (ones and zeros).

Introduction

All processes that occur on a computer - be it moving the mouse cursor across the screen, listening to music, watching videos, playing games, using the Internet or typing text - would be impossible without the use of various programs. Moreover, most of the internal components of a computer simply cannot work without special programs, and without their use the computer would be an ordinary useless piece of hardware.

So what is a computer program? Essentially it is a set of instructions called code that is executed computer technology. The code itself consists of special teams and algorithms written in a specific programming language. The main purpose of the program is to receive some data, then process it using its own algorithm and produce a result that can either be seen, for example, by what is happening on the screen, or not seen at all if this is not required.

Collectively, those programs that are already on your computer are called software or for short BY. Programs can also be named applications or software, from the English word “software”.

There is absolutely no need for the average computer user to understand what language and how the program was written. It is much more important to know that software can be of different types and have completely different purposes.

In general, for personal computers and in particular for Windows systems, exists great amount programs aimed at different types works With the help of some, you can process graphics and text, others will help bring order to your system or hard drive, others are designed for working on the Internet, others are responsible for the operation of the internal components of the system, and so on. All this software diversity is usually divided into two large groups: application software and system software.

Application software

This type of program includes creative applications and work tools designed for the creation and processing of information by the user himself. Essentially, with this class of programs you work on a computer.

There is no single classification of application programs due to the wide variety of their types, so let's look at only the main and most popular categories of applications.

Internet and networks. This type of software is designed to work on the Internet or local networks. It can be attributed to various browsers(web browsers), file downloaders, FTP clients, programs for working with by email, Internet pagers and others.

Office applications and text. Programs designed primarily for working with various types of electronic documents (text, spreadsheets, presentations). This popular group includes entire office packages and hotel editors, translators, text and speech recognizers, programs for viewing documents in various formats and reading e-books, as well as converters and transcoders.

Multimedia. Applications designed to work with audio and video files. These include all kinds of players, programs for recording files on optical media, audio/video editors and editing programs, converters and encoders between various formats and others.

Graphics and design. From the name it is clear that this type of software is intended for creating and processing various types images. And here there are types of editors, both professional and quite simple, many types of viewers for different graphic formats, converters and transcoders, as well as programs for design and modeling.

Education and science. Educational and educational multimedia applications are among the most popular software products today. Among them you will find interactive tutorials, dictionaries, reference books, trainings, keyboard trainers, scientific books, textbooks, tests and many other educational materials on almost any topic.

Games and entertainment. This section probably does not need any special comments. Numerous computer gaming applications, ranging from simple solitaire games to real masterpieces of three-dimensional graphics with amazing special effects and gigantic budgets, are designed to diversify the leisure time of fans of electronic entertainment.

Safety. Very important type programs, without which almost no one can do modern computer connected to the network. Their main purpose is to protect your computer from malware and attackers trying to get unauthorized access to your PC in order to steal confidential data. These include antivirus applications, antispyware, firewalls ( firewalls), data encryption programs, password managers, as well as comprehensive security packages.

System software

This is an extensive set of programs that manage internal components computer (processor, RAM, input/output devices, etc.) and ensuring their interaction with application (user) programs. Simply put, system programs are designed to provide normal operation computer, its settings and maintenance.

The most important system program can confidently be called operating system. It is she who is the main intermediary between the computer hardware and all other applications.

No less important for the normal operation of the computer are drivers and firmware- special microprograms that provide correct operation both internal computer components, and external peripheral devices.

The most numerous class of system software are utilities- a huge number of useful (and sometimes not so useful) small programs designed for testing or monitoring software and the hardware of your computer, as well as improving its performance.

The selection and use of utilities should be approached with caution, especially for novice users, since many of them can make serious changes to “vital” parts operating system, which in turn can lead to unstable work computer and the occurrence of all sorts of errors. Although the right utility can really make your life a lot easier in some situations.

The same applies to system programs basic system input/output (BIOS) and system self-test (POST), responsible for bootstrap computer and subsequent launch of the operating system.

Types of distribution and commercial status of programs

Probably, almost every user understands that there are paid and free programs. But probably not everyone knows that to distribute software, its authors and developers came up with several different ways at once.

Free programs (freeware).

Perhaps many users are initially quite skeptical about free software, believing that in general they are small auxiliary programs or utilities created by independent programmers. But in fact, very serious projects from well-known manufacturers can also be free.

Moreover, most OpenSource programs (applications with open source) can be used free of charge, including the operating room Linux system, and the most powerful graphics GIMP editor, and the most popular office suite OpenOffice.org, as well as many other equally useful applications.

Thus, as practice shows, among free software you can find a replacement for almost all commercial programs, although with certain reservations.

This type of software distribution appeared relatively recently, but quickly became popular with both users and developers. The thing is that, on the one hand, consumers can use the applications for free, and on the other, the authors still receive money for their work, but only from advertisers.

As a rule, during the installation process of this type of program, you will be asked to install additional software on your computer, for example, some kind of browser add-on or computer testing utility. In most cases, you can refuse this, you just need to be more careful and not miss the right dialog box.

In other cases, the program window may contain a banner image, each time you click on it you will be taken to the advertiser’s website. Although of course you don’t have to click on it.

Also, you may encounter that after installing the application your start page in the browser. That is, when you launch your browser, the first thing you will see is a page with advertising. Although this can be easily fixed.

Despite all the attractiveness of this type of program, treat them with caution, since adware can not only direct you to malicious sites, but also steal your confidential data.

Shareware programs (shareware andtrial).

This is probably the most popular way to distribute commercial software products.

Initially, programs of this type can be used for free. However, in this case, developers can either limit the functionality of the product or the time of its use. After the expiration of the period allotted for testing the program, or another “trial” period (usually about 30 days), the application stops running, displaying a message that it is time for you to purchase a license for its further use.

In some cases, after the trial period has expired, you will be able to continue using the program, but it will lose some of its capabilities, turning into a less functional free version.

Situations are also possible when the application continues to remain fully operational, but at the same time from time to time it will annoyingly remind you that it’s time to pay. For example, this happens in popular WinRar archiver And file manager TotalCommander.

If you decide to buy the application you like, then after transferring the required amount, you will be sent in exchange either digital code, which will need to be entered in a special field, or key file, which must be copied to the specified location. After this, the program will become registered, and all functional restrictions will be removed.

Commercial programs.

Nowadays, it is quite rare to find programs, and even software packages, that you will not be allowed to use for free for a certain period. After all, no one wants to buy a pig in a poke. Even products such as graphics editor AdobePhotoshopor system computer-aided design Autocad, which costs several thousand dollars, has “trial” periods.

Probably the only applications for which you will have to shell out money right away are computer games. Although many of them still have free demo versions.

Upgrade kits (upgrade).

Most successful commercial software projects has been developing and improving for many years, which is why an application or application package may have many different versions. By purchasing any program, you acquire the rights to use only it current version at the time of purchase and all updates for it. If you later want to use more new version application, you will have to pay again.

True, at the same time, shell out money for full version programs are completely optional. In most cases, you can purchase what is called an upgrade kit that installs on top of the old version and costs 30-50% less.

Forms of program distribution

Finally, let's look at the forms in which developers usually distribute their software.

Boxed versions.

In this case, the program distribution is written to a beautifully designed optical disk, which together with the Talmud technical documentation Packed in a large colorful box. Purchasing software in this form is only justified if you are purchasing expensive design or multimedia packages. Buy it regular programs for home or utility in boxed versions - the most expensive and irrational option, unless you want to buy the application as a gift for someone.

As a rule, boxed versions are sold in specialized computer stores and supermarkets.

OEM versions.

In essence, this is an ordinary CD or DVD with a program recorded on it and packaged in a paper envelope. At the same time, the program itself can cost you several times less than the boxed version, although there is one “but”. You can only buy the OEM version of the application with a new computer, or in some cases, when purchasing individual components, such as a motherboard or processor. It is especially profitable to buy an operating system in OEM versions. Keep this in mind when purchasing a new computer.

Slim versions.

This form of program distribution is purely Russian know-how. Due to the low demand for colorful, but at the same time expensive boxed versions, many developers began to release their products in the most ascetic design - a CD packed in a plastic box with a colored cover. As a rule, inexpensive home programs, utility kits, and computer games are distributed in this form.

Electronic versions.

Today, this is the most popular and profitable form of purchasing software products. You download the distribution kit from the developer’s website at any time desired application and install it on your computer.

In this case, most likely, you will not have to pay money right away. You will have time to get to know the program thoroughly and buy it only if you are completely satisfied with its functionality. Otherwise, you can simply delete the product you don’t like and download another one.

One more an undeniable advantage purchasing programs from in electronic format is the price. In any case, it will be lower than that of the boxed or even slim version.

Also keep in mind that on the Internet there are many huge electronic software stores, the assortment of which cannot be compared with a regular computer supermarket.

Conclusion

For beginners and inexperienced users, at first it is quite difficult to navigate and even more so to find the necessary and useful applications among the variety offered by software authors and developers. To make it easier for you to find the right software product, we will give you some tips.

Free or shareware small programs and utilities in the greatest number contained on numerous software portals, which are not difficult to find on the Internet. At the same time, any self-respecting site that distributes software always sorts it by type. To narrow down your search, choose the right program category, for example, don’t look for a media player in the “Text” section. If you carefully read the article, then you already know that most likely all players will be placed in the “Multimedia” category.

Don't neglect brief description programs, since from it you can learn not only the basic functionality of the application, but also the minimum system requirements, as well as the size of the downloaded distribution, which may be important for people with a low-speed Internet connection.

Trial versions of popular commercial products or their distributions that allow you to use applications in the “trial” period should be searched directly on the developer’s websites or large file-sharing resources.

Computer program

Computer program- a sequence of instructions intended for execution by the control device of a computer. A program is one of the software components. Depending on the context, the term in question may also refer to the source code of the program. Computer programs, as an object of copyright and other rights, belong to the category of intangible assets.

A program is a set of data and commands presented in an objective form, intended for the operation of a computer and other computer devices in order to obtain a certain result, including preparatory materials obtained during the development of a computer program, and the audiovisual displays generated by it.

Creating programs

Most often, the program image is stored as an executable module (a separate file or a group of files). From this image, usually located on disk, executable program in RAM can be built by a software bootloader.

Recording the source code of programs using programming languages ​​makes it easier for humans to understand and edit. This, in particular, is helped by comments, which are allowed in the syntax of most languages. To be executed on a computer, the finished program text is converted (compiled) into machine code.

Some programming languages ​​make it possible to bypass the need for pre-compilation of the program and translate it into machine code instructions directly during execution. This process is called dynamic compilation and it allows for greater program portability between different hardware and software platforms while maintaining many of the benefits of compilation.

Legal aspects

Programs with publicly available source code are called open source.

Computer programs are subject to copyright in most countries. In some countries computer programs may be protected by patents. Author's and some others [ which?] intellectual property rights allow you to restrict access to the source code of programs.

see also

Notes

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

See what “Computer program” is in other dictionaries:

- (SOFTWARE), a set of commands arranged in stages that allow the COMPUTER to complete a given task. Typically a computer can perform most various tasks, including word processing, calculations, drawing, messaging, and... ... Scientific and technical encyclopedic dictionary

A sequence of instructions intended to be executed by a control device computer Dictionary of business terms. Akademik.ru. 2001... Dictionary of business terms

computer program- code - [A.S. Goldberg. English-Russian energy dictionary. 2006] Topics energy in general Synonyms code EN computer codecode ...

computer program- 3.10 computer program: A set of ordered instructions and data that describe operations in a form suitable for execution by a computer. Source … Dictionary-reference book of terms of normative and technical documentation

computer hyphenation program - Special program or an option in layout systems designed to automatically hyphenate words in text according to specified rules. Hyphenation can be newspaper (rougher) or book (observing all... ... Technical Translator's Guide

COMPUTER SHELL PROGRAM- COMPUTER PROGRAM SHELL. See authoring systems... New dictionary of methodological terms and concepts (theory and practice of language teaching)

computer program [code] for detailed process analysis- - [A.S. Goldberg. English-Russian energy dictionary. 2006] Energy topics in general EN best estimate code ... Technical Translator's Guide

computer program [code] for solving the Navier - Stokes equations- (for unsteady flows in turbomachines) [A.S. Goldberg. English-Russian energy dictionary. 2006] Energy topics in general EN Navier Stokes computer code ... Technical Translator's Guide

PROGRAM

PROGRAM

(Greek, from pro - before, forward, and grapho - niche). A brief outline, outline, presentation, content of an essay, publication, book or magazine, teaching something. A statement of the beliefs of a party.

Dictionary of foreign words included in the Russian language. - Chudinov A.N., 1910 .

PROGRAM

1) a list of educational subjects and an indication of their content, distribution. them by class; 2) a list of priority cases and issues to be discussed Ph.D. societies at a meeting; 3) the intended course of action; 4) the direction of the magazine, newspaper and, in general, the totality of issues discussed by the Ph.D. periodical press organ; 5) the order of the concert, literary evening, etc.; 6) in general, a schedule, a brief outline of the content, etc.

A complete dictionary of foreign words that have come into use in the Russian language. - Popov M., 1907 .

PROGRAM

1) a list of subjects proposed for teaching in various. textbook institutions, courses and classes; 2) the list of priority matters to be discussed at the meeting is different. societies; 3) a list of numbers to be performed at the concert, literature. evening, at the circus, etc., as well as in general any announcement about the order of the proposed festivities and shows; 4) the course of action planned by a party; 5) the direction that the periodical press intends to follow; 6) in art - drawings, sculptures. works, architecture. drawings, etc., performed by students of the Academy of Arts on a given topic.

Dictionary of foreign words included in the Russian language. - Pavlenkov F., 1907 .

PROGRAM

Greek, from pro, forward, before, and grapho, writing. Destiny.

Explanation of 25,000 foreign words that have come into use in the Russian language, with the meaning of their roots. - Mikhelson A.D., 1865 .

Program

((gr. program announcement, instruction)

1) plan of intended activities, works,

2) a statement of the main tasks and goals outlined by the government, political party or public organization; CPSU program - a brief, scientifically formulated statement of the goals and objectives of the party in the struggle to build communism;

3) educational paragraph - a brief systematic presentation of the content of training in a specific subject taught in an educational institution, the range of titles, abilities and skills to be acquired by students;

4) a list of theatrical, concert, circus, variety acts, radio and television programs, as well as a printed index of roles performed, acts, performances, programs and performers;

5) in computer technology - a complete and accurate description in a certain language formal language the process of processing information to solve a given problem on an electronic computer.

New dictionary of foreign words. - by EdwART,, 2009 .

Program

programs, g. [ Greek programma – announcement]. 1. Plan (activity, work). 2. A statement of the main provisions and goals of the activities of a political party, public organization or individual government or public figure. Political program of the new president. 3. Summary content and methodological guidelines of the course, subject taught in the educational institution. History program. 4. List separate rooms, performed at an evening, concert, circus performance, etc. 5. Action plan, task for a computer or mechanisms with software; description in a special formalized language of the process of implementing such a plan.

Large dictionary of foreign words. - Publishing House "IDDK", 2007 .

Program

s, and. (German Program Greek programma public announcement, order, decree).
1. Plan activities, some. works, etc. P. research.
|| Wed. schedule .
2. A statement of the main tasks and goals intended by someone. (government, political party or individuals). P. transition to the market.
3. Summary of Contents academic subject. P. In Russian.
|| Wed. abstract
4. Contents of theatrical, concert, circus performances, radio and television programs, as well as a leaflet, brochure with a list of performances, performances, programs, etc. P. concert. Television p.
Program- theater p.
5. inf. A consistent and accurate description in a certain formal language of the information processing process for solving a problem on a computer.
Program- related to program 2, 3, 5, programs.
|| Wed. algorithm
6. decomposition Each of several channels, on which a television or radio broadcast is conducted. By the first program is news, the second is a film.

Dictionary foreign words by L. P. Krysin. - M: Russian language, 1998 .

Synonyms:

See what "PROGRAM" is in other dictionaries:

Cm … Synonym dictionary

program- y, w. program m., German Program gr. programma public announcement. 1. Contents or plan of what l. activities, work, etc.; a pre-developed set of actions and activities for the implementation of something. BAS 1. Plan... ... Historical Dictionary of Gallicisms of the Russian Language

Programs, women [Greek programma announcement]. 1. Plan (activity, work). Mechanical Engineering Program. Test program. Program of work of the congress. 2. Statement of the main provisions and goals of the activities of a political party, public... ... Ushakov's Explanatory Dictionary

Genre music review Production ... Wikipedia

Program “A” is a Soviet and Russian music program aired on the First Program of Central Television, on the RTR and TVC channels. Specializes primarily in unusual and promising musical phenomena, alternative and non-commercial music, ... ... Wikipedia

Soviet and Russian music program aired on central television. Specializes primarily in unusual and promising musical phenomena, alternative and non-commercial music, Russian rock. The editors determined... ... Wikipedia

program- Data intended to control specific components of an information processing system in order to implement a specific algorithm. [GOST 19781 90] [GOST 28806 90] [GOST 28397 89] program A number of projects and activities that... ... Technical Translator's Guide

A sequence of machine instructions designed to achieve a specific result. Program in accordance with GOST 19781 90 data intended for managing specific components of the information processing system in order to implement... ... Financial Dictionary

Computer program is a set of instructions executed by computing technology (computers). In most cases, programs can be represented in the form of object (binary) and source code.

For the user, one of the main differences is the nature of the program:

Application programs- These are programs with which the user can interact directly. These include " text editors", "browser", "websites", "games".

System programs- These are programs that provide user interaction with the computer and create an environment in which to perform application programs. These include “drivers” and “operating systems”.

Synonyms for the word program are: “ application», « BY», « software», « software" Thus, a computer is a combination of “software” and “hardware”.

Software can be divided according to the following criteria:

Target "operating system" - Since different "operating systems" create different environments for application software, it is very important for which operating system a particular "program" was created. The most famous operating systems are SuSe Linux, Ubuntu Linux, NetBSD, FreeBSD, OpenBSD MacOS and Microsoft Windows.

The target platform is a variety of "hardware" that supports a set of different instructions, so most programs are built for a specific "hardware". The most popular platforms: “x64”, “x86”, “ARM”, “IA64”, “Itanium” and others.

Typically, to create software, it is necessary to write the source code of the program in a certain “programming language”, further “compile” the program, as well as “debug”, “test” and subsequent distribution of the software. In the 30-50s of the twentieth century, all source texts were written as “machine code”, but soon the first programming language “ASSEMBLER” was created, the use of which greatly simplified the process of creating a program. Subsequently, languages ​​more " high level", and the creation of programs moved from technical specialists, who are responsible for the functioning of specific hardware systems, to specialists in creating software, who came to be called “programmers”. When " personal computers“spread quite widely, “programming” has turned into a separate industry, which employs a huge number of specialists. Today whole educational establishments are entirely aimed at training specialists for this industry. In the CIS, “programmers” have always been treated in a special way. After the collapse of the USSR, most of the enterprises that were directly involved in production were destroyed computer technology. This led to the fact that all CIS countries purchased such equipment abroad, in states that had developed production technologies hardware. Because of this, there was a delay in receipts, and there was also a shortage of computer equipment in the CIS countries, which means programmers managed with fewer working hours with equipment and fewer hardware resources (such as computing speed, memory, information transfer speed, etc.) . If we add to such conditions the excellent mathematical training Russian specialists (a consequence of high-quality education in the USSR) and the ability to invent, we will receive the image of a domestic “programmer”, respected, but at the same time not always understood, not only in Russia, but abroad. The popularity of the Internet has taken the software industry to another level, as it has become easier to sell and distribute programs. This happened thanks to the emergence of instant payment systems (SMS, electronic money, credit cards, terminals, etc.), the emergence of a new type of software - “web sites” - also played a significant role. At first they looked like an electronic version printed publications(magazines, newspapers, books), but later they turned into full-fledged applications. The development of the Internet has led to the fact that software, like most other industries, has become a victim of “pirates” - companies and individuals who illegally distribute software. The struggle between “shield and sword” has been going on for many years, and different ways decentralized distribution of illegal copies of software. Thanks to these technologies, responsibility for the distribution of illegal programs falls on millions of users at once, and this makes finding and punishing those involved in the process almost impossible.

Anyone who uses a computer or mobile equipment, one way or another, install applications that perform a particular task. But not every user clearly understands what a computer program is, how it works, how it is created, etc. We will have to clarify this issue.

What is a computer program in general terms?

Based on general definition, which is offered by many Internet resources, for some reason the concept of a program or application in most cases is associated exclusively with executable files in the format EXE, COM, etc. We beg to differ with this statement.

Almost all modern computer programs, the classification list of which will be given a little later, do not work by themselves. Yes, I have executable file, but this is not enough. We need some more additional components, loaded into the same RAM.

However, the very concept of a program as such can be reduced to the fact that it is a certain set of commands and instructions transmitted to the central processor for processing or performing corresponding calculations, and in a strictly defined sequence.

In order for the machine to understand the command sent at a certain moment for processing and execution, regardless of the programming language in which the application is written, a universal tool is used - binary code, which is a sequence of zeros and ones. You can also find the use of ternary or hexadecimal code, but, as a rule, in currently their use is highly limited.

Computer program classes

As for the classification of any software, today there are quite a lot of systems that include division by type.

However, in all classification systems the following computer programs are distinguished (the list is given below):

• primary input/output systems (BIOS, UEFI);
• system programs and their components (operating systems and their own services);
• service and maintenance software;
• development environments (program creation);
• application software (narrowly focused user programs installed on a computer to perform specific tasks).

It should not be surprising that even operating systems or BIOS are included in the list. Any modern OS ensures user interaction with computer software and hardware through a command or GUI, and the primary system is responsible for storing information about all “hardware” components and testing the equipment at the stage of turning on the computer.

How are applications created?

There is no point in delving into development too much, since here you may need at least basic knowledge programming languages.

It is enough to note that creating computer programs comes down to writing code in the language itself (or using development environments such as the Java SDK), testing the application in the environment itself, and compiling it (converting it into machine-readable code).

How do most programs work?

The user of computer programs does not always understand how it all works. The simplest applications, consisting of a single executable file, are disappearing into oblivion. Today, any more or less serious program uses executable files only to launch the main interface, after which dynamic libraries containing executable codes and commands, and also calls to the drivers that control the computer hardware to activate their corresponding functions.

In terms of how applications work, this explanation is very primitive, however, if you don’t delve into the essence system processes, even the average user will understand how it all functions.

Practical use

Using computer programs in most cases comes down to running an executable file in EXE format, which is created after installing the application on the computer (in mobile devices other formats apply). The same executable components are provided for installation, usually named Setup.exe (for system updates Setup.msi). But it is not always the case.

For example, some software components presented exclusively in the form dynamic libraries DLLs are only capable of running in a different software environment.

The most striking example is VST synthesizers and effects that connect to music editors and sequencers through an appropriate interface or host. What is a computer program in this sense? This is not even a program, but a component that contains a set of commands that are executed when connected to the interface and loaded into RAM. Only from the “RAM” is a message sent for processing central processor, and not vice versa, as is the case with executable files.

Compatibility issues

It is clear that to create some universal application, which would work on absolutely all known operating systems and devices, is impossible even in principle. Nevertheless, such attempts are being made, and quite unsuccessfully (according to at least, there is something similar in Windows).

What are they worth? cloud services, allowing access to storing or editing information of any type without physically installing software on the user terminal. Storages or editors can be accessed from any device (PC, laptops, smartphones, tablets). And multimedia is not discussed at all. Through the web interface, the user of any device gets access to media content (the same YouTube hosting).

Instead of a total

As you can see, the question of what a computer program is has quite a lot of answers. On the one hand, this seems to be a set of commands, however, if you look at the question a little more broadly, we can conclude that this is a set of codes or components that determine the behavior of the operating system as a whole and the operations performed by the hardware.

Thus, it is not difficult to conclude that any program or application in itself is worthless if there is no software environment (OS) in which it can work, or devices installed on it. motherboard, the functions of which will be required to perform certain tasks at the current moment.

It remains to add that only the simplest interpretations of computer programs, the principles of their creation and application were given here. In fact, everything is much more complicated; considering all aspects can take quite a lot of time. However, if you dig deep into the relevant literature, you will find detailed instructions for any particular software product not so difficult (as a rule, such descriptions are present even on download sites in the form preliminary information about the capabilities of downloadable applications).