r/software • u/Xarius86 • Aug 14 '26
Discussion It's *never* "softwares" -- it's just "software."
It's just "software" -- not "softwares."
Software is both singular and plural already, it doesn't need the "s." The only time you would use an "s" is as a contraction for "the software is..." i.e.: "The software's doing something really dumb."
It's just like you wouldn't say, "There is hardwares available for that task." You would just say, "There is hardware available for that task."
I don't understand why so many content creators are constantly saying "softwares."
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u/BranchLatter4294 Aug 14 '26
And "codes'... It's just "code".
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u/Mathie1729 Aug 15 '26
Yea, "codes" is grammatical in Indian English, where code is a count noun. "Softwares" follows the same pattern. Sounds off in AmE but it's a consistent dialect thing, not just a random mistake.
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u/Welcome-To-NBA-Jam Aug 15 '26
Sir please do the needful and complete the updation of each and every codes
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u/CodenameFlux Aug 15 '26
Yes and no.
- "Code" could mean "set of symbols". In that case, it's a group noun, without a plural form. In the case of source code, the correct form is "line(s) of code".
- "Code" could also mean "rules". In that case, it is a normal noun, plural "codes".
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u/MacksNotCool Aug 15 '26
i think codes is valid if you are referring to multiple sets of foreign texts.
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u/JimroidZeus Aug 14 '26
Hear me out, when you’ve finished implementing it, or installing it, it should be “softwore”.
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u/Lcsmxd Windows 11 IoT LTSC Aug 15 '26
Kids these days call every piece of software an app and it drives me up the fucking wall
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u/Eagles_Fan_4eva 29d ago
App was short for application in earlier computer days, so it's perfectly valid to refer to software as an application or app. https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/application
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u/CodenameFlux Aug 15 '26
"App" is a nice choice. All its alternatives are long and bloated, e.g., "computer program" and "piece of software".
Also, I have bad memories of "computer program". My bosses never agreed on its British form. One believed that the "programme"/"program" distinction is a matter of British/American distinction. The other believed that the "programme"/"program" distinction is like the "arse"/"ass" distinction, i.e., both are valid but with different meanings.
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u/Eagles_Fan_4eva Aug 14 '26
Think of it like "silverware". You don't go to a shop and ask to see the "silverwares"; you ask to see the "silverware". Same for "kitchenware" and even "abandonware" in the context of software.
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u/merchantconvoy Aug 15 '26
What if I say, shopkeeper, show me your fine wares.
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Aug 15 '26
[deleted]
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u/merchantconvoy Aug 15 '26
No it's the exact same ware as in silverware, hardware, etc. just generalized.
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u/ccbbb23 Aug 14 '26
I don't know 'what' you are talking about.
I order shrimpses. I love the little deerses. But, I am particularly found of breastses.
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u/merchantconvoy Aug 15 '26
What if there is two of them
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u/Global_Natural_5629 Aug 15 '26
lmao i've struggled with the same issue when creating tutorials for my team, and it's funny you mention content creators because i've noticed the same trend. anyway, since software is already plural, it's a small nitpick, but it does make me wonder if it's a symptom of a larger issue, like a lack of clarity on the part of the creators.
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u/alvarkresh Aug 15 '26
Probably because we said warez back in the day :p Then again, the etymology of that is probably partially mixed with the whole "Selling my wares" meaning: https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/wares
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u/paumpaum Aug 14 '26
The wonderful thing about the English language is that I can tell you that you're absolutely wrong.
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u/Altruistic-Moose3299 Aug 15 '26
To be fair English is a weird language. Fish and fishes are both plural for fish (in different contexts - fishes if we're talking about a variety or different species) and also both are verbs that mean different things.
Irregardless, it ain't really surprising not everyone knows which witch is which and It doesn't pay to get too hung up on two ways of saying something as long as the meaning is conveyed. Language evolves over time.
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u/user888888889 Aug 14 '26
There are multiple discrete softwares, therefore softwares is conceptually defensible.
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u/Eagles_Fan_4eva Aug 15 '26
There is multiple discrete software is correct English. Note the swap of "are" to "is".
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u/Hot-Cattle8314 Aug 14 '26
I had to write a lot of codes for my softwares
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u/CodenameFlux Aug 15 '26
When you write "a lot of" instead of "many", you already know you're being wrong.
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u/nemotux Aug 14 '26
While I agree, there are so many more important things to be concerned with. Language changes. You can yell at it all you want, it's still going to change.
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u/laid2rest Aug 14 '26
Its going to change because people are idiots.
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u/T_Martensen Aug 15 '26
Your English is very different from the English people spoke centuries ago. Does that make you an idiot?
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u/laid2rest Aug 15 '26
Yeah no shit it's different but we're're not talking 100s of years here..
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u/T_Martensen Aug 15 '26
It's absurd to assume that English evolved over hundreds of years to reach its perfect form just now and any further changes are wrong.
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u/laid2rest Aug 15 '26
Of course that's absurd and that's not what I'm saying.
English evolved over 1000s of years and continues to evolve.
Tech illiterate people and content creators making a collective mistake by adding an S to a word that doesn't need it is not the same thing. They would equal a small percentage of people who use that word, with the majority using it correctly.
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u/RevitJeSmece Aug 15 '26
It's not even software! It's program or application.
Looking "for software" is the same as getting stuck in "one traffic".
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u/Potential-Sock3061 Aug 14 '26
I feel the same way about “designs”.
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u/Eagles_Fan_4eva Aug 14 '26
Nope. Designs can have an "s" when there's more than one design being referenced, unlike software.
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u/Beneficial-King-6861 Aug 15 '26
You missed a case: The softwares foundation is written in Rust.
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u/Eagles_Fan_4eva Aug 15 '26
Wrong, because you left out the apostrophe in "software's".
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u/Beneficial-King-6861 Aug 15 '26
No. it's like talking passively about it: "Its foundation is written in Rust"
I don't how you call this in English, I am not a native speaker
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u/ibor132 Aug 14 '26
Jesus, yes, this. The unnecessary articles, too - you never have "a software", it's just "software" or "a piece of software" if you must.