Software is simply a series of instructions and information that tell a computer exactly how to perform a particular task. There are many forms of software, including those for operating systems and printers. A new form of software is available today, known as “open source.” This type of software allows users to modify or create their own programs. For example, instead of having to purchase a license each time they want to change something in a program, they simply have to use their Open Source software where they can do it at no cost. In this article, we’ll take a look at what is Open Source and what it means for those who use it.
The term “Open Source” is often confused with “open hardware.” However, the two are very different. Open Hardware refers to any piece of hardware that has been modified to allow an individual to make changes or add on to the underlying device. On the other hand, Open Source refers to the user interface or desktop environment of a program or application software package that is written in such a way as to give the user freedom to alter or customize the program. This is opposed to traditional physical hardware, in which the entire system is set up and actually performs the job itself.
In order to understand Open Source, it’s helpful to understand exactly what the computer system software does. Typically, this type of program and hardware is sold as a bundle or CD that includes installation instructions, setup instructions, and so forth. Often, there is also a manual that walks through the installation process. This manual often describes the various components of the software program, the actions that need to be performed to install the software, and the specific instructions that go along with changing certain areas of the computer system software or the hardware.
As it turns out, most computer systems also include operating systems and standard desktop programs such as Office as well as other utility programs. Among the things that the computer software manufacturer provides air support for common computer hardware components such as RAM, hard disk space, graphics card, video card, sound card, printer, Ethernet cable, modem, USB cable, and so forth. These pieces of hardware are necessary to run the majority of typical computer programs and to operate the computer hardware itself.
On the other hand, hardware that is part of the computer system itself, called device drivers, are not part of the main packaged with the operating system and are therefore not part of the supported components. However, they are part of every supported device by the operating system and they come with detailed instructions for their proper functioning. Often, many new computer system users become confused when installing these device drivers because they are under the impression that the device drivers will automatically work with all the available device drivers. However, this is not the case at all because sometimes, device drivers can’t be found for a particular device, and the only option is to install the missing or outdated device driver.
Fortunately, there are many examples of good and stable device drivers that can be downloaded from the official Apple website. The examples of stable and quality device drivers include the ioresp, usb, advm, macbook Air, Macintosh HD, Macintosh laptop, and so forth. Some other examples of software which are not part of the OS X but provide great functionality include RealPlayer, Kazaa, Giganews, FAP Turbo, Zonealarm, iPods, Rhapsody LE, and so on. The complete list of examples of this kind of software can be found at Apple’s website.