Size of the industry

Software Magazines' Software 500 survey can be used to gauge the value of the commercial software industry. The Software 500 survey consists of data from the largest 500 public and private software companies, as ranked by Software Magazine. Total worldwide revenues in 2007 for companies in the Software 500 list were $451.8 billion, up 14.7% from 2006, when total Software 500 revenue was $394 billion.



Software Magazines' Software 500 survey can be used to gauge the value of the commercial software industry. The Software 500 survey consists of data from the largest 500 public and private software companies, as ranked by Software Magazine. Total worldwide revenues in 2007 for companies in the Software 500 list were $451.8 billion, up 14.7% from 2006, when total Software 500 revenue was $394 billion.
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Computer software or just software is a general term used to describe a collection of computer programs, procedures and documentation that perform some tasks on a computer system.
The term includes:
• Application software such as word processors which perform productive tasks for users.
• Firmware which is software programmed resident to electrically programmable memory devices on board main boards or other types of integrated hardware carriers.
• Middleware which controls and co-ordinates distributed systems.
• System software such as operating systems, which interface with hardware to provide the necessary services for application software.
• Software testing is a domain independent of development and programming. It consists of various methods to test and declare a software product fit before it can be launched for use by either an individual or a group. Many tests on functionality, performance and appearance are conducted by modern testers with various tools such as QTP, Load runner, Black box testing etc to edit a checklist of requirements against the developed code. ISTQB is a certification that is in demand for engineers who want to pursue a career in testing.

• Test ware which is an umbrella term or container term for all utilities and application software that serve in combination for testing a software package but not necessarily may optionally contribute to operational purposes. As such, testware is not a standing configuration but merely a working environment for application software or subsets thereof.


Software includes websites, programs, video games, etc. that are coded by programming languages like C, C++, etc.
"Software" is sometimes used in a broader context to mean anything which is not hardware but which is used with hardware, such as film, tapes and records.