Learn About: Software Development

What It Is:

Software development refers to the process of creating, designing, deploying and supporting software.
Software itself is the set of instructions or programs that tell a computer what to do. It is independent of hardware and makes computers programmable.

The Different Types:

System software to provide core functions such as operating systems, disk management, utilities, hardware management and other operational necessities.

Programming software to give programmers tools such as text editors, compilers, linkers, debuggers and other tools to create code.

Application software to help users perform tasks. Office productivity suites, data management software, media players and security programs are examples.
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Careers:

Software engineers apply principles to build software and systems to solve problems. They use modeling language and other tools to devise solutions. Software engineering solutions adhere to the scientific method and must work in the real world, as with bridges or elevators. Their responsibility has grown as products have become increasingly more intelligent with the addition of microprocessors, sensors and software.

Software developers have a less formal role than engineers and can be closely involved with specific project areas — including writing code. At the same time, they drive the overall software development lifecycle — including working across functional teams to transform requirements into features, managing development teams and processes, and conducting software testing and maintenance.

The work of software development isn’t confined to coders or development teams. Professionals such as scientists, device fabricators and hardware makers also create software code even though they are not primarily software developers. Nor is it confined to traditional information technology industries such as software or semiconductor businesses.