<programming> (Or "computer program", "program", "code") The
	instructions executed by a computer, as opposed to the
	physical device on which they run (the "{hardware}").

	The term was coined by the eminent statistician, {John Tukey}.

	Programs stored on {non-volatile storage} built from
	{integrated circuits} (e.g. {ROM} or {PROM}) are usually
	called {firmware}.

	Software can be split into two main types - {system software}
	and application software or {application programs}.  System
	software is any software required to support the production or
	execution of application programs but which is not specific to
	any particular application.  Examples of system software would
	include the {operating system}, {compilers}, editors and
	sorting programs.

	Examples of application programs would include an accounts
	package or a {CAD} program.  Other broad classes of
	application software include {real-time} software, {business
	software}, scientific and engineering software, {embedded
	software}, personal computer software and {artificial
	intelligence} software.

	Software includes both {source code} written by humans and
	executable {machine code} produced by {assemblers} or
	{compilers}.  It does not usually include the data processed
	by programs unless this is in a format such as {multimedia}
	which depends on the use of computers for its presentation.
	This distinction becomes unclear in cases such as {spread
	sheets} which can contain both instructions (formulae and
	{macros}) and data.  There are also various intermediate
	compiled or {semi-compiled}, forms of software such as
	{library} files and {byte-code}.

	Some claim that {documentation} (both paper and electronic) is
	also software.  Others go further and define software to be
	programs plus documentation though this does not correspond
	with common usage.

	The noun "program" describes a single, complete and
	more-or-less self-contained list of instructions, often stored
	in a single {file}, whereas "code" and "software" are
	uncountable nouns describing some number of instructions which
	may constitute one or more programs or part thereof.  Most
	programs, however, rely heavily on various kinds of {operating
	system} software for their execution.  The nounds "code" and
	"software" both refer to the same thing but "code" tends to
	suggest an interest in the implementation details whereas
	"software" is more of a user's term.

	(2002-07-21)

1. <language, programming> {programming language}.

	2. <human language> {natural language}.

	(1998-09-07)

<algorithm, programming> A detailed sequence of actions to
	perform to accomplish some task.  Named after an Iranian
	mathematician, Al-Khawarizmi.

	Technically, an algorithm must reach a result after a {finite}
	number of steps, thus ruling out {brute force} search methods
	for certain problems, though some might claim that brute force
	search was also a valid (generic) algorithm.  The term is also
	used loosely for any sequence of actions (which may or may not
	terminate).

	{Paul E. Black's Dictionary of Algorithms, Data Structures,
	and Problems (http://www.nist.gov/dads/)}.

	(2002-02-05)

Common term for "computer", usually when considered at the
	hardware level.  The {Turing Machine}, an early example of
	this usage, was however neither hardware nor software, but
	only an idea.

	[Earlier use?]

	(1995-02-15)

<messaging> (Plural "fora" or "forums") Any discussion group
	accessible through a dial-in {BBS} (e.g. {GEnie}, {CI$}), a
	{mailing list}, or a {Usenet} {newsgroup} (see {network,
	the}).  A forum functions much like a {bulletin board}; users
	submit {postings} for all to read and discussion ensues.

	Contrast real-time {chat} or point-to-point personal {e-mail}.

	[{Jargon File}]

	(1998-01-18)

<jargon, architecture> (Via the technical term {virtual
	memory}, probably from the term "virtual image" in optics)
	1. Common alternative to {logical}; often used to refer to the
	artificial objects (like addressable {virtual memory} larger
	than physical memory) created by a computer system to help the
	system control access to shared resources.

	2. Simulated; performing the functions of something that isn't
	really there.  An imaginative child's doll may be a virtual
	playmate.

	Opposite of {real} or physical.

	[{Jargon File}]

	(1994-11-30)

<messaging> /yoos'net/ or /yooz'net/ (Or "Usenet news", from
	"Users' Network") A distributed {bulletin board} system and
	the people who post and read articles thereon.  Originally
	implemented in 1979 - 1980 by Steve Bellovin, Jim Ellis, Tom
	Truscott, and Steve Daniel at Duke University, and supported
	mainly by {Unix} machines, it swiftly grew to become
	international in scope and, before the advent of the
	{World-Wide Web}, probably the largest decentralised
	information utility in existence.

	Usenet encompasses government agencies, universities, high
	schools, businesses of all sizes, and home computers of all
	descriptions.  In the beginning, not all Usenet hosts were on
	the Internet.  As of early 1993, it hosted over 1200
	{newsgroups} ("groups" for short) and an average of 40
	megabytes (the equivalent of several thousand paper pages) of
	new technical articles, news, discussion, chatter, and
	{flamage} every day.  By November 1999, the number of groups
	had grown to over 37,000.

	To join in you originally needed a {news reader} program but
	there are now several web gateways such as {Deja
	(http://www.deja.com/)}.  Several {web browsers} include news
	readers and {URLs} beginning "news:" refer to Usenet
	newsgroups.

	{Network News Transfer Protocol} is a {protocol} used to
	transfer news articles between a news {server} and a {news
	reader}.  The {uucp} {protocol} was sometimes used to transfer
	articles between servers, though this is probably rare now
	that most sites are on the {Internet}.

	{Stanford University} runs a service to send news articles by
	{electronic mail}.  Send electronic mail to
	<netnews@db.stanford.edu> with "help" in the message body.
	[Still?  URL?]

	{(http://www.openmarket.com/info/internet-index/current-sources.html)}.

	{Notes on news
	(http://www.ifi.uio.no/~larsi/notes/notes.html)} by Lars Magne
	Ingebrigtsen <larsi@ifi.uio.no>.

	[Gene Spafford <spaf@cs.purdue.edu>, "What is Usenet?",
	regular posting to {news:news.announce.newusers}].

	(1999-12-17)