Computer software belongs in the abstract domain, defining its role in modern society is sometimes tricky. The analogy between computer programs and TV programs is a good illustration of their importance as a cog in the advancement of new technologies and the communications revolution we are witnessing today.
Software is to a computer what programs are to a TV set. What is the use of having a TV if no programs are broadcast? The same is true for the computing world: the computer and its peripherals are useless without a wide array of programs to make them useful.
Just as there are TV programs aimed at distinct audiences and broadcast on special channels, there are hundreds of computer programs that answer to quite different needs. Take for example a personal accounting package, a browser, or integrated management software which gives real-time information to decision makers in an organization. The fields of activity and issues solved by computer programs are as wide ranging as can be imagined.
Considering the immense presence of software in our everyday lives, industry, and government, it can definitely be classed an inexhaustible technological resource which supports users as they manipulate data, gathering and saving it in databases or files. Having easy access to large quantities of information, decision makers can act with greater confidence. When an organization uses software dedicated to its field of operations, it has the essential tools to perform in a constantly changing environment. Acting instead of reacting, that is what the virtual world has to offer.
“Are you aware that you are at the very heart of a communications revolution?”
The use of Internet and Internet applications is growing at an astonishing rate. Never before in human history has it been so easy to broadcast an idea or information, to rally people, and to reach our fellow humans. And what about the ease with which we can get answers to our messages on the Web! Software packages govern the way in which we communicate and interact on the vast medium we call the Internet. They direct the way we go about computing and manage unfathomable quantities of information.
These few lines illustrate how software has become crucial for new technologies. Today’s world gives us no choice but to admit that software is a vital resource for the good functioning and evolution of modern societies.
Which, naturally, leads to these two questions:
The first answer that comes to mind is more than likely: businesses which have huge financial means... unlimited means. After all, they are the ones which benefit and make large profits from these resources.
However, a new revolution is under way, and the answer to the second question is paramount: tomorrow’s software will be developed by programmer communities and will be made available to all, whatever their pocketbook.
Free software is synonym to equal access to leading-edge technology. Read this to find out more.