Introduction
Over the past few years, there has been a surge of interest in Open Source Software (OSS) development. Interest in this process, which involves software developers at many different locations and organizations sharing code to develop and refine software programs. You must be wondering what an Open Source Software (OSS) is. Open source software is a computer software with its source code made available and licensed with a license in which the copyright holder provides the rights to study, change and distribute the software to anyone and for any purpose. Open source software is usually developed in a public, collaborative manner. Source code is the part of software that most computer users don't ever see; it's the code computer programmers can use to change how a piece of software works. Programmers who have access to a computer program's source code can improve that program by adding features to it or fixing parts that don't always work correctly.
A Brief History of Open Source Software
There is a tradition of sharing and cooperation in software development. But in recent years, both the scale and formalization of the activity have expanded dramatically with the widespread use of the internet. During the early 1960s to the early 1980s, many key features of the computer operating systems and the internet were developed in academic environments such as MIT and Berkeley. There were also central corporate research facilities where researchers did a lot of research and programming such as Bell Labs and Xerox’s Palo Alto Research Center. Software’s can be either written in source code or object/binary code. Source code is the code that uses programming languages such as Basic, C, and Java. Object/binary code is a sequence of zeros and ones that communicate directly with the computer, but it is more difficult for the programmers to go back to modify or to
1. There are several advantages to proprietary products over open source products: better quality control issues in creating products; a firmer control over the licensing, either the technology the product is based on or what material (music in this case) can be used with the proprietary device; the potential to build brand loyalty (for example Sony memory cards only work in their products, if you’ve already bought these cards you could be more likely to purchase additional Sony products in the future); pricing – companies could possibly charge a premium price for their proprietary products as there could be few to no competitors in a specific market space; vertical markets (if Sony is providing the device, memory card and music the majority of revenues are staying in-house); and proprietary products could potentially create barriers to entry.
The Operating Systems and Productivity Software Publishing Industry is primarily comprised of companies that develop and publish operating systems and productivity software for computers and servers. According to the 2013 IBIS World Industry Report, “an operating system is the interface with which computer users interact, and productivity software includes basic applications like word processors, spreadsheets and slideshow creation tools.” (IBIS 2013) Over the next five years, revenues for the $38.6 Billion industry is expected to grow at an annualized rate of 6.8% to $53.6 billion (IBIS 2012). This increase can be attributed to the overwhelmingly high demand for integrated cloud computing servers and the high end databases and software that accompany the new technology.
The subject of this term paper will be about computers in the 1950’s. The divisions that will be covered are; the types of computers there were, the memory capacity of computers, the programming languages of that time, and the uses of the computers for that time. Information will be gathered from the Internet, from books, and from magazines, and from the encyclopedia.
It is well known that the team work is far better than performing a task individually. Such kind of practice plays a very important role in software engineering. A lot of things can be achieved together with the combination of diversified people, as they input different tactics and skills so that the main objective of a certain mission can be accomplished appropriately. Even though teaming up and working for a project is essential and helpful; there exist some issues that could bring interruptions and conflicts in the team.
News of source code theft jolted the software industry on February 12, 2004.2 Cyber criminals had stolen source code from Windows 2000 and Windows NT4.0. Windows 2000 and NT are the platforms on which the widely used home operating system of today, Windows XP, is based on. Luckily, only a small portion of code was stolen. Not nearly enough to build the entire Windows operating system. Through the use of peer-to-peer networking, the code was distributed in an underground hacker network. Eventually the source was spread onto public-access web sites, by which Microsoft confirmed the code was, indeed, real Windows code.
Software applications are powerful tools in the battle to make businesses more efficient and effective. Many have tried to make do with commercial off-the-shelf software (COTS), only to find that their specific needs demanded professionally developed software. Others insist on reinventing the wheel by developing software in areas where vendors are offering an already mature, reliable and relatively cheap version to buy.
While developing a software many complex activities are required which in turn have dependencies along them. Large software projects require the involvement of programmers, documentation specialists, program managers, architects, database analysts, system analysts, , and trainers and last but not the least testers. Along with their independent responsibilities these persons are also responsible to maintain and keep a check on the software system quality as well.
The personal computer underwent drastic changes with the introduction to advanced computing software and hardware. The evolution of computers did not develop on its own; key influential figures such as Steve Jobs and Bill Gates led the revolution of technology. These well-known individuals competed with each other by continually innovating and creating more and more advanced technology. Computer technology moved forward when Intel created 64-bit technology and advanced kernels to compliment the upgrade in processing power. Not only is the evolution of computer technology in itself relevant for modern study, but the adoption of computers for use in other fields of study, such as engineering and architecture, was produced through this revolution. The evolution of a simple concept expanded the proficiencies of the personal computer due to competition between companies at an attempt to control the market. Through fighting each other for dominance over which company was the best, computer companies changed the way society interacted with each other and implemented the personal computer into other forms of study such as Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM); this was made possible because of the development of computer hardware and software. The greatest contribution to the innovation of the personal computer was not changed by a single person, but was byproduct of competitors in the technology world. The most recognized battle between companies over innovation in technology would be Apple verses Microsoft.
Watson, J. (2008). A history of computer operating systems (pp. 14-17). Ann Arbor, MI: Nimble Books.
Many different types of programming languages are used to write programs for computers. The languages are called "codes". Some of the languages include C++, Visual Basic, Java, XML, Perl, HTML, and COBOL. Each of the languages differs from each other, and each is used for specific program jobs. HTML and JAVA are languages used to build web pages for the Internet. Perl and XML can produce codes that block students from getting on certain inappropriate web pages on their school server. One of the most prominent programming languages of the day would have to be C++.
Mohamed Sami, 15 March 2012, Software Development Life Cycle, available from accessed on: 08 April 2014
The field of Computer Science is based primarily on computer programing. Programming is the writing of computer programs using letters and numbers to make "code". The average computer programer will write at least a million lines of code in his or her lifetime. But even more important than writting code, a good programer must be able to solve problems and think logicaly.
If the nineteenth century was an era of the Industrial revolution in Europe, I would say that computers and Information Technology have dominated since the twentieth century. The world today is a void without computers, be it healthcare, commerce or any other field, the industry won’t thrive without Information Technology and Computer Science. This ever-growing field of technology has aroused interest in me since my childhood. After my twelfth grade, the inherent ardor I held for Computer Science motivated me to do a bachelors degree in Information Technology. Programming and Math, a paragon of logic and reasoning, have always been my favorite subjects since childhood.
Software engineering encompasses various principles from both the computer science field and the computer engineering field to develop practical uses of software within hardware we use on a daily basis. With the passage of time, technology dependent on software has become increasingly prevalent. As a result, there will be a high demand for software engineers to sustain the eventual abundance of new and more complex computers.
Software engineering is important in today’s society because we use the products of software engineering almost daily. We use the products of software engineering in objects as simple as our car keys to objects as complicated as supercomputers. The past, present, and future of software engineering is quite interesting. This paper will provide information about this field of study and why software engineering is going to be around a while.