Software

[Whateverman]

The word.

Here's one definition I came across:

Software, instructions that tell a computer what to do. Software comprises the entire set of programs, procedures, and routines associated with the operation of a computer system. The term was coined to differentiate these instructions from hardware—i.e., the physical components of a computer system. A set of instructions that directs a computer’s hardware to perform a task is called a program, or software program.​

That's fine - but it grates on my nerves every time I hear someone say the equivalent of "a software". It hurts as badly as if the person had said "I'm going to bring my thirsty friend a water".

Though I've seen this usage in a bunch of places, here's the one that bugs me the most (probably because it's most-common):

"With Paycom, employees enter and manage their own data in a single, easy to use software".

Ug! It's like chewing tinfoil...

 

[The Pixie]

The word.

Here's one definition I came across:

Software, instructions that tell a computer what to do. Software comprises the entire set of programs, procedures, and routines associated with the operation of a computer system. The term was coined to differentiate these instructions from hardware—i.e., the physical components of a computer system. A set of instructions that directs a computer’s hardware to perform a task is called a program, or software program.​

That's fine - but it grates on my nerves every time I hear someone say the equivalent of "a software". It hurts as badly as if the person had said "I'm going to bring my thirsty friend a water".

Though I've seen this usage in a bunch of places, here's the one that bugs me the most (probably because it's most-common):
...

Actually I think "I'm going to bring my thirsty friend a water" is not so bad; I would takje it as short for a drink of water. But a software, yes, I agree. I presume that is why the word "app" was invented.

 

[Whateverman]

Actually I think "I'm going to bring my thirsty friend a water" is not so bad; I would takje it as short for a drink of water. But a software, yes, I agree. I presume that is why the word "app" was invented.

I was thinking about "a water" yesterday...

It's slang for "a glass of water" or "a bottle of water"; a container which contains the noun. "A software" is more about grammatical sloppiness than slang.

Anyhoo, it's just something that's been on my mind for a while, but that I'd never given voice to...

 

[LifeIn]

I presume that is why the word "app" was invented.

It is an abbreviation of the word "application", which is a specific kind of software that is distinct from the operating system. For example, Windows is operating system software, but Photoshop is an application that runs in Windows and other operating systems.

 

[Whateverman]

It is an abbreviation of the word "application", which is a specific kind of software that is distinct from the operating system. For example, Windows is operating system software, but Photoshop is an application that runs in Windows and other operating systems.

I don't know ANYONE in the field who uses the term in a sentence like "a software". I'm a developer myself, and I see / hear developers talking geeky stuff literally every hour of the day...

"An application" makes sense. "A piece of software" makes sense too.

"A software" is just a commercial written by someone who barely knows how to use a computer

ps. I read a lot when I was a kid. By the time I was in my mind teens, my vocabulary was excellent, and I did well in classes like English Lit (etc) and creative writing. I say this not to brag, but to explain that weird grammar has always stuck out like a sore thumb. This commercial bugs me as much as the idea of chewing tin foil freaks other people out; it's just soooo wrong

 

[Challenger007]

I don't know ANYONE in the field who uses the term in a sentence like "a software". I'm a developer myself, and I see / hear developers talking geeky stuff literally every hour of the day...

"An application" makes sense. "A piece of software" makes sense too.

"A software" is just a commercial written by someone who barely knows how to use a computer

ps. I read a lot when I was a kid. By the time I was in my mind teens, my vocabulary was excellent, and I did well in classes like English Lit (etc) and creative writing. I say this not to brag, but to explain that weird grammar has always stuck out like a sore thumb. This commercial bugs me as much as the idea of chewing tin foil freaks other people out; it's just soooo wrong

It's just that some synonymous words exist in order to give color to speech or text, so that the word "program" does not endlessly repeat itself, but it is replaced by synonymous words.