different between software vs crapware

English

Etymology

From soft +? -ware, by contrast with hardware (“the computer itself”). Coined by Paul Niquette in 1953; first used in print by Richard Carhart in 1953.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?s?ft?w??/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /?s?ft?w??/
• (cot–caught merger, Canada) IPA^(key): /?s?ft?w??/
• Homophone: softwear
• Hyphenation: soft?ware

Noun

software (uncountable)

1. (computing) Encoded computer instructions, usually modifiable (unless stored in some form of unalterable memory such as ROM).
   • 1958, John W. Tukey, "The Teaching of Concrete Mathematics" in The American Mathematical Monthly, vol. 65, no. 1 (Jan. 1958), pp 1-9:

     The "software" comprising the carefully planned interpretive routines, compilers, and other aspects of automative programming are at least as important to the modern electronic calculator as its "hardware" of tubes, transistors, wires, tapes and the like.

   Hyponyms: application software, data-oriented software, kitchen table software, on-premises software, malware, schlockware, shareware, shovelware, spyware, system software

2. (military) The human beings involved in warfare, as opposed to hardware such as weapons and vehicles.
   • 1991, New York Magazine (volume 24, number 5, page 33)

     […] preview of horrific images to come, as the hardware stage of the war yields to the software — or human — stage.

Usage notes

Software is a mass noun (some software, a piece of software). By non-native speakers it is sometimes erroneously treated as a countable noun (a software, some softwares).

Hyponyms

• See also Thesaurus:software
• embedded software

Derived terms

Related terms

Descendants

• ? Amharic: ????? (soft?wer)

Translations

See also

References

Further reading

• software on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• forwaste, softwear

Czech

Etymology

Borrowed from English software.

Noun

software m

1. (computing) software

   Synonyms: programové vybavení, (rare) programové prost?edky

Declension

Derived terms

See also

• hardware

Further reading

• software on the Czech Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^cs

Dutch

Etymology

From English software.

Pronunciation

Noun

software m (uncountable)

1. software (encoded computer instructions)

   Synonym: programmatuur

Derived terms

• gijzelsoftware

Related terms

• hardware

Italian

Etymology

Borrowed from English software.

Noun

software m (invariable)

1. (computing) software (encoded computer instructions)

Related terms

• hardware

Norman

Etymology

Borrowed from English software.

Noun

software m (uncountable)

1. (Jersey, computing) software (encoded computer instructions)

Portuguese

Etymology

Borrowed from English software.

Noun

software m (plural softwares)

1. (computing) software (encoded computer instructions)

Related terms

• hardware

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from English software.

Noun

software n (plural (rare) software-uri)

1. (computing) software (encoded computer instructions)

Declension

Synonyms

• soft

Related terms

• hardware

Spanish

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English software.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?softwe?/, [?sof.t?we?]

• IPA^(key): /?sofwe?/, [?so.fwe?]

Noun

software m (plural softwares)

1. (computing) software (encoded computer instructions)

   Synonym: programa

Derived terms

See also

• hardware

English

Etymology

From crap +? -ware.

Noun

crapware (uncountable)

1. (computing, informal) Unwanted software that comes pre-installed with personal computers or mobile devices.
   • 2008, "Can Apple's Best Topple the PC Competition?", Maximum PC, Future US, Inc. (ISSN 1522-4279), No. 96, page 26

     We suspect that its extra pound of heft is made up entirely of crapware—the Vaio ships with a ludicrous number of useless preinstalled applications. We understand the economic necessities of subsidizing inexpensive PCs with third-party crapware, but there's no excuse for whoring out a notebook of this price.

   • 2009, Eric Griffith, "Make the Most of Your New PC", PC Mag, Ziff Davis Inc. (ISSN 0888-8507), Volume 28, No. 1, page 68

     Big-name system vendors typically install software on their consumer PCs at the factory. These "extras" go by many names: bundleware, begware, bloatware, and my favorite, crapware. That's because a lot of it is just that: useless crap. […] A few vendors, like Sony and Dell, offer some options to avoid crapware, but usually just for small businesses. Boutique manufacturers, like Velocity Micro, do a better job of providing a clean system.

   • 2011, Guy Hart-Davis, The Healthy PC: Preventive Care, Home Remedies, and Green Computing, 2nd Edition, McGraw Hill Professional ?ISBN

     All crapware programs can be useful—but each program is likely to be useful to only a few of the people the PC manufacturer inflicts it on. The PC manufacturers claim they install crapware to provide useful software, but the real reason is that the software companies pay them to include it.

   • 2012, Woody Leonhard, Windows 8 All-in-One For Dummies, John Wiley & Sons ?ISBN

     I hate it when the computer I want comes loaded with all that nice, “free” crapware. I'd seriously consider paying more to get a clean computer. You don't need an antivirus and Internet security program preinstalled on your new PC. lt'll just open and beg for money next month. Windows 8 comes with Windows Defender, and it works great — for free. Browser toolbars? Puh-lease.

Translations