Equipment and Software

For other uses, see Tool (disambiguation).

A modern hammer is directly descended from ancient hand tools

A tool is a device that provides a mechanical or mental advantage in accomplishing a simple machine, or a combination of them. For example, a crowbar simply functions as a lever. The further out from the pivot point, the more force is transmitted along the lever.

Philosophers once thought that only humans used tools, and often defined humans as tool-using animals. But observation has confirmed that monkeys and other animals, mostly primates, but also some birds (ravens, for instance), and sea otters can use tools as well. Later, philosophers thought that only humans had the ability to make tools, until zoologists observed birds[1] and monkeys[2][3][4] making tools. Most anthropologists believe that the use of tools was an important step in the evolution of mankind. Humans evolved an opposable thumb (useful to hold the tools) and an increase in intelligence (aiding in the use of tools).

Most tools can also serve as weapons, such as the hammer and the knife. Similarly, people can use weapons, such as explosives, as tools.

Varieties of tools

• Devices often typify newly invented or specific-purpose tools.
• Instruments are concrete or abstract tools, especially if they are refined.
• Utensils aid in eating.
• Machines can function as ordered systems of tools or as super-tools.

Physical tools

• Hand tools such as pliers, adze, or axe
• Agricultural tools such as scythe or sickle
• Power tools such as drill or wood router
• Machine tools such as lathe, milling machine or shaping machine
• Hydraulic tools such as the Hurst tool or hydraulic ram
• Heat-based tools such as soldering iron, welding torch and thermic lance
• Eating utensils such as chopsticks, fork, knife, or spoon
• Writing instruments such as ballpoint pen​ ​​or pencil
• Special use tools such as Buggy whip or whetstone
• Multitools such as Swiss Army knife or Leatherman

Toy tools make popular playthings. Some simply consist of a cheap or small version of the real thing, such as a shovel and bucket to use on the beach or in a sandbox. Others are less functional, e.g. a dull plastic knife, or not functional at all.

Mental tools

• Language
• Logic
• Tradition
• Algorithms
• Memorization, such as being mindful that physical tools may be recalled from a list

In computing, the term \"tools\" can also apply to software programs that assist people doing work on computers, such as Computer Aided Software Engineering tools, Lint programming tool, software or web-based collaborative tools, software development tools, programming tools.

Slang Usage

Stemming from a double-entendre where a "tool" is a phallus; this became a popular word in the 1990's. Individuals may be described as "tools", as an insult meaning that someone is a klutz or easily taken advantage of.

Functions of tools

Many tools or groups of tools serve to perform one or more of a set of basic operations, such as:

• Cutting (knife, scythe, sickle, ...)
• Concentrating force (hammer, maul, screwdriver, whip, writing implements, ...)
• Guiding (set square, algorithm, straight edge, tradition, ...)
• Protecting
• Seizing and holding (pliers, glove, wrench, ...)

History

It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with History of technology. (Discuss)

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Tool

Use of tools started at the beginning of the Stone age. Humans have fabricated knives, amongst the oldest tools, since that time.

Mechanical devices, though known to Alexandrian Greeks, experienced a major expansion in their use in the Middle Ages with the systematic employment of new energy sources: water (waterwheels) and wind (windmills).

Machine tools occasioned a surge in producing new tools in the Industrial revolution. Advocates of nanotechnology expect a similar surge as tools move down-scale.

WikiProject Metalworking: This article is part of Metalworking hand tools.

"Software" redirects here. For other uses, see Software (disambiguation).

A screenshot of computer software in action.

Computer software (or simply software) is that part of a computer system that consists of encoded information, as opposed to the physical computer equipment (hardware) which is used to store and process this information. The term is roughly synonymous with computer program but is more generic in scope.

The term "software" was first used in this sense by John W. Tukey in 1957. In computer science and software engineering, computer software is all information processed by computer systems, programs and data. The concept of software was first proposed by Alan Turing in an essay.

Relationship to hardware

Computer software is so called in contrast to computer hardware, which is the physical substrate which is required to store and execute (or run) the software. In computers, software is loaded in RAM and executed on the central processing unit. At the lowest level, software consists of a machine language specific to an individual processor. Machine language consists of groups of binary values signifying processor instructions and data. Software is generally written in high-level languages that are easy and efficient for humans to use. High-level languages are compiled into machine language.

Relationship to data

Software has historically been considered an intermediary between electronic hardware and data, which the hardware processes according to instructions defined by the software. As computational science becomes increasingly complex, the distinction between software and data becomes less precise. Data has generally been considered as either the output or input of software. However, data is not the only possible output or input. For example, configuration information can also be considered input, although not necessarily considered data. The output of a particular piece of software may be the input for another piece of software. Therefore, software may be considered an interface between hardware, data, or software.

System, application and programming software

Practical computer systems divide software into three major classes: system software, application software and programming software, although the distinction is somewhat arbitrary, and often blurred.

System software helps run the computer hardware and computer system. It includes operating systems, device drivers, diagnostic tools, servers, windowing systems, utilities and more.

Application software allows a user to accomplish one or more specific tasks. Typical applications include office suites, business software, educational software, databases and computer games. Most application software has a graphical user interface (GUI).

Programming software usually provides some useful tools to help programmer to write computer programs and software using different programming language in a more convenient way. The tools include text editor, compiler, interpreter, linker, debugger, and so on. Integrated development environment (IDE) merges those tools in a software bundle, and programmer may not need to type a lot of commands for compiling, interpreter, debugging, tracing, and etc., because IDE mostly has a GUI.

Software program and library

Software program is usually the directly executable part of a software. Software libraries are software components that are used by stand-alone programs, but which cannot be executed on their own.

Users see three layers of software

Starting in the 1980s, application software has been sold in mass-produced packages through retailers

Users often see things differently than programmers. People who use modern general purpose computers (as opposed to embedded systems) usually see three layers of software performing a variety of tasks: platform, application, and user software.

Platform software 

Platform includes the basic input-output system (often described as firmware rather than software), device drivers, an operating system, and typically a graphical user interface which, in total, allow a user to interact with the computer and its peripherals (associated equipment). Platform software often comes bundled with the computer, and users may not realize that it exists or that they have a choice to use different platform software.

Application software 

Application software or Applications are what most people think of when they think of software. Typical examples include office suites and video games. Application software is often purchased separately from computer hardware. Sometimes applications are bundled with the computer, but that does not change the fact that they run as independent applications. Applications are almost always independent programs from the operating system, though they are often tailored for specific platforms. Most users think of compilers, databases, and other "system software" as applications.

User-written software 

User software tailors systems to meet the users specific needs. User software include spreadsheet templates, word processor macros, scientific simulations, graphics and animation scripts. Even email filters are a kind of user software. Users create this software themselves and often overlook how important it is.

See also: Software architecture.

Software creation

Look back to Computer software

Software operation

Computer software has to be "loaded" into the computer's storage (also known as memory and RAM).

Once the software is loaded, the computer is able to operate the software. Computers operate by executing the computer program. This involves passing instructions from the application software, through the system software, to the hardware which ultimately receives the instruction as machine code. Each instruction causes the computer to carry out an operation -- moving data, carrying out a computation, or altering the flow of instructions.

Kinds of software by operation: computer program as executable, source code or script, configuration.

Software quality and reliability

Software reliability considers the errors, faults, and failures related to the creation and operation of software.

See Software quality, Software testing, and Software reliability.

Software patents

The issue of software patents is very controversial, since while patents protect the ideas of "inventors", they are widely believed to hinder software development. See Hacker ethic

See also

• Shared meanings: System software, Application software, Computer programs,

• Computing
• Computer programming
  • Programming languages
  • Text editors
  • Compilers
  • Algorithms
  • Software development process
  • Software development tools
  • Software maintenance
  • Software optimization
  • Application Programming Interface (API)
  • Software brittleness
• Software engineering

• Software licenses
  • Open source software
  • Software piracy
• Software as a Service
• Shovelware
• Freeware
• Postcardware
• Shareware
• Origins of computer terms
• Uninstaller
• Free software