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Software component

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A software component is a modular unit of software that encapsulates specific functionality.[1] This is an important concept in software development, as prudent component design can help manage complexity, with the benefits of reusability, maintainability, and separation of concerns.[1]

There are many different types of components that are used to construct software systems.[2] The abstraction levels of components can range from individual functions to a large subsystem, such as an engine or a web service.

History

The idea of reusable software components was promoted by Douglas McIlroy in his presentation at the NATO Software Engineering Conference of 1968.[3] (One goal of that conference was to resolve the so-called software crisis of the time.) In the 1970s, McIlroy put this idea into practice with the addition of the pipeline feature to the Unix operating system.

Brad Cox refined the concept of a software component in the 1980s.[4] He attempted to create an infrastructure and market for reusable third-party components by inventing the Objective-C programming language.[5]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Pandey, Pankaj (11 July 2023). "Tutorial notes: Software Components and Connectors". medium.com. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
  2. ^ Spacey, John (6 October 2023). "7 Examples of Software Components". simplicable.com. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
  3. ^ McIlroy, Malcolm Douglas (January 1969). "Mass produced software components" (PDF). Software Engineering: Report of a conference sponsored by the NATO Science Committee, Garmisch, Germany, 7-11 Oct. 1968. Scientific Affairs Division, NATO. p. 79.
  4. ^ Rainer Niekamp. "Software Component Architecture" (PDF). Gestión de Congresos - CIMNE/Institute for Scientific Computing, TU Braunschweig. p. 4. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-03-28. Retrieved 2011-07-29. The modern concept of a software component largely defined by Brad Cox of Stepstone, => Objective-C programming language
  5. ^ Brad Cox (1991). Object Oriented Programming: An Evolutionary Approach. Addison Wesley. ISBN 0-201-54834-8.
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