With the world now getting modern-day after day with new inventions and technologies being tested and added, we have actually come to a quite simple world compared to the earlier centuries.
These new innovations have created human living into a very easy one. Two of these creations are Software and Web development.
Software vs Web Development
The main difference between these two modern inventions is that Software compromises a larger topic than Web Development. Web Development is only connected to creating and designing the sites/pages on the web. Software, on the other hand, is a program or a set of programs that help in completing any particular task.
The software comprises almost everything that we see today, from using an ATM machine to a mobile phone. In layman’s term, it is simply a collection of programs that is a nonphysical object. It executes various operations of computer hardware. Coding backs up the process of Software. Without it, there is no Software.
Web Development is the process to create and maintain the website that we see on the Internet. It consists of all the things starting from designing the outlook of the website, how fast and proficient it is to how it should be regularly updated with the newest trends.
Comparison Table Between Software and Web Development
| Parameters of Comparison | Software | Web Development |
| Another name | Application | Website development |
| Main use | To generate programs and complete tasks. | To create, search and use old and new sites. |
| Discovered by | Alan Turing | Sir Tim Berners-Lee |
| Year of Discovery | 1935 | 1989 |
| Examples | MS-Word, ATM Machine | HTML, XML |
What is Software?
Software, one of the best innovations from the ”Information age” that is also known as “”Computer age”” or “”Digital age”” that shown a rapid growth of changing to Information technology from the traditional industrial uses. The term ”Software” was first used by statistician John W. Turkey in 1958 in an article that he published.
There are mainly two types of Softwares: Application and System but a third one, Utility Software, is also used.
Application Software: It is a software that does the complete work Examples include: M.S Office, Browser
System Software: A Software that is operated by the hardware of the computer is called System Software. It fulfils the gap between a human being and the hardware (ex, computer) since both the bodies are users of different languages. Operating System and Complier are a couple of examples for this particular system. These are directly connected with the hardware of the electronic.
Utility Software: They are those types of Softwares that help in completing a particular task, not complete it but help. They don’t fully complete a task and rather, just like a real-life utility, are there just to help in completing a program. For example, calculators, in the process of defragmentation of computer/laptop, etc.
What is Web Development?
These are sites that run on Web browsers. All the interface that we see, the texts, images and blogs, etc., are all made with the use of Web Development. It is also a big part of the Information age. Until 1992, it was just used to send and receive data from each other, mostly by scientists and researchers, but in that year, Tim Berners-Lee made a re-casted the use of Web again, and the web now came in use to actually read stuff. The people could search any term and would be shown results belonging to it.
Next year, in 1992, the web improved more and images could now be seen on the same page just as the text. It was then and now; it has really changed, and the world is literally at your fingertips.
There are generally two categories of Web development now:
Back end Development: Server-side programming is also a name that can be used for back end development. It is the main part where the coding of the website takes place. Users don’t see this, but it acts as the root of the tree.
Front end Development: It is the practice of converting the data that we have to get from the back end designing into a graphical one. It is the thing that a user first looks upon when he or she opens a particular website. Basically, it is the looks of a site. It is also known as client-side programming.
Often, people who want to hire somebody to make a website for them have a person or a team for front end development and another for back end development.
Some common examples of Web Development are some known languages, including HTML, XML and JavaScript.
Main Differences Between Software and Web Development
- There are no types of Web Development. It consists of all the sites that we see around the web. Software, on the other hand, has many types, with Application and System Software being the most common.
- The use of Software is being used since 1935; it is a much older process as opposed to Web Development, which came about approx. 50 years after it.
- Software is a more complex concept compared to Website Development.
- Website Development requires the use of the internet for everything, while Software does not always require hosting.
- It is easier in Website Development to update and customize, while once the software is ready, it is harder than Website Development to customize.
Conclusion
It is calculated that today 6.8 billion people everyday use the internet. It is a big fact and just shows how much the Information Age has progressed. Without the use of these two processes, there wouldn’t be any change in the era that we are living in today. With the groceries dropping on our porch to talking to our friends living on another continent. This all possible with the invention of Software and Web Development.
Though the topics intertwine with each other, both have quite different aspects to them. They are both great inventions from the information age, and today, work on the internet wouldn’t be completed without them.
References
- https://books.google.co.in/books?hl=en&lr=&id=S_8Yf1wTKNoC&oi=fnd&pg=PR5&dq=software+definition&ots=B8SA2aCDJN&sig=jjUitBUiduH1apLdKzuXmOXGw40
- https://lib.hpu.edu.vn/handle/123456789/29084