Is "a software" really never correct? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Why don't we use the indefinite article with 'software'?
In France I have always been told that saying "a software" is not correct English (as a nominal compound), and that "a piece of software" or "a software program/package/product/system" must be used instead.
Recently I have doubts... is there any case where it is actually correct?
Examples found on the Internet:
- SalsaJ, a software for data analysis at school
- So if you sold a software which required your customer to pay a monthly fee, [...]
Solution 1:
No, this is always wrong. Both examples you provide contain incorrect usage of the term "software." (A mistake is still a mistake even if many people make it.)
However, there might be special cases where you'd see the article preceding software.
For example:
A software solution would be better for the problem than a hardware one.
The indefinite article "a" modifies "solution", not "software", in this case in spite of preceding "software" in this case.
Solution 2:
Think of it this way: would you say "a tableware" or "a glassware"? The word "ware" means "commodity". Everything that applies to "tableware" and "glassware" also applies to "software".
The correct usage is "a piece of software" or something in that vein. I prefer "a program" or "a computer program" myself. Other alternatives are: an application, a computer application, an app, a software tool.
(FWIW: as a software developer myself, I assure you that devs never use the term "a software" when they communicate.)
Solution 3:
It can be used correctly but not in the manner in which you have demonstrated.
Use in adjective form as in "A software package" is acceptable.
Solution 4:
It is true that the use of 'a software' (in speech at least), as suggested in the question, has become rampant in recent times.
"What is MS Word?"
"I know. It's a software.""This process takes too much time."
"There should be a software for this."
But that does NOT make it grammatically/technically correct.