Classic Episode: What Is Software? (Remastered)

Classic Episode: What Is Software? (Remastered)

Author: David Kopec, Rebecca Kopec February 6, 2023 Duration: 32:04

We're out sick this week, so we remastered our first ever episode. It's a little more general in scope than what we typically cover on the podcast, but we think it still holds up. We'll see you in two weeks!

We define software. What is software? How is it different than hardware? What is the language of software? What are the different kinds of software? Who makes software? How do they make it?

Follow us on Twitter @KopecExplains.

Theme “Place on Fire” Copyright 2019 Creo, CC BY 4.0

Find out more at http://kopec.live


Ever wondered how the apps on your phone actually work, or what really happens when you click "download"? Kopec Explains Software is here to demystify those everyday digital mysteries. Hosted by David and Rebecca Kopec, this conversation breaks down complex, software-related ideas into clear, relatable concepts you can grasp. The focus isn't on jargon or textbook definitions, but on building a genuine, intuitive feel for how technology operates. Each episode picks apart a different facet of the software world, from the fundamentals of coding to the ethics of artificial intelligence, translating technical subjects into plain English. You'll come away not just with new knowledge, but with a clearer framework for understanding the digital systems that shape our lives. It’s a straightforward, engaging resource for anyone with curiosity about the technology they use daily, whether you're a seasoned professional looking for a fresh perspective or a complete novice starting from scratch. Tune into the podcast for thoughtful discussions that make the vast and often intimidating landscape of software feel accessible and genuinely interesting.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 100

Kopec Explains Software
Podcast Episodes
#117 Early Video Game Console Software [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 13:49
Early video game consoles (1977-1994) had primitive hardware, no operating systems, and software that was distributed on ROM chips embedded in plastic cartridges. Yet, some of the most iconic gaming software of all time…
Classic Episode: What is an Operating System? (Remastered) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:45
We're travelling this week, so we remastered a classic episode from 2020. It's our second episode—operating systems explained for laypeople. Checkout the show notes below for other classic episodes about operating system…
#116 The Smallest Possible Programming Language [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 11:46
How small can a programming language be and still be a programming language? In order for a programming language to be able to compute the same sorts of problems as any other language it must be Turing-complete. Amazingl…
#115 Why Do Strong Passwords Matter? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 11:21
Strong passwords are so annoying to type-in and they're even more annoying to remember. Yet just about every modern website and app requires them. Why do we need special characters and numbers and different cases in ever…
#114 What is an Instruction Set Architecture? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 19:58
An instruction set architecture (ISA) is a specification of the instructions that a microprocessor understands as well as the infrastructure necessary to support those instructions including registers and a way to commun…
#113 The Go Programming Language [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 21:12
Go, a Google-backed programming language, is by some measures one of the ten most popular programming languages in the world. Although it's a general purpose language, it's also an opinionated one. The team of veteran la…
#112 Functional Programming [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 22:10
Functional programming languages fit within a declarative paradigm and often have several key characteristics in common: immutable data types, pure functions, a distaste for global state, a preference for recursion over…
#111 The Apple Lisa [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 12:59
Last month marked the 40th anniversary of the Apple Lisa. The Lisa was an important evolutionary link in the history of the personal computer between the innovations at Xerox's PARC laboratory where the graphical user in…
#110 What Is Mastodon? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 11:32
Mastodon is a social network currently attracting significant buzz in the tech world. A lot of its new users are part of an exodus from Twitter. But how does Mastodon differ from Twitter? It's open source, run by a non-p…
#109 How Is Memory Managed by Programmers? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 13:02
Different programming languages employ different memory management techniques. The most common are manual memory management, tracing garbage collectors, and reference counting. For the programmer, each of these technique…