What is a software?
Simply said a software is a set of computer instructions that tell the computer how to work compared to hardware which are physical components.
What is a desktop software ?
A desktop software is a software you
downloaded and installed on your computer. One can also here the word client software as it is running on your own machine. I general those software do
not need an access to the internet in order to work. In fact the main
idea is that they offer you to work offline.
Typically, that's the case with the following software:
- Video editing software.
- Video games.
- Text editor/Spreadsheets/Presentation.
A client computer is a computer which is requesting things, so to say
files. A server computer, from the other side, is the one answering the
requests and owning the files. That’s why we often talk about
communication exchange client/server, it means that an individual is
asking for a file and the server is answering to it.
What is a server software ?
Server software are running on the server, so to say an external machine own by a third party. Let's imagine that you are connecting yourself on one of the major social network own by a GAFAM, so to say Facebook, Facebook is not a software installed on your computer, though it is a set of programs set on the servers of Facebook which are running in order to give you the results that you are seeing through your browser.
Server computers are set in order to answer requests made by clients.
What is a firmware?
A firmware is a small program injected into a device in order to perform specific actions. It is not that easy to explain the differences between a firmware and a software, but so to say a firmware is restricted to a single use. In general, this is a read only program that you can only update.
What is a mobile app ?
Nothing more than a software running on a mobile device.