What are web and software developments

Recently, a friend called me from the UK asking for coaching in web development. As I was explaining the course content to him, he asked: "Are we going to learn web development or software development?" I smiled.

This question highlights a common confusion. In today's economy, these two terms are often used interchangeably, but there is a subtle difference between them. However, in practice, this difference doesn't significantly impact how we approach the work. The key lies in the use of the words web and software, and we can all agree that "development" stands for "programming."

The web is a technology used for sharing information on the Internet. Its core feature is the use of special content formats like HTML and XML. HTML, in particular, gave birth to websites. In the early 90s, websites were built entirely using HTML. Over time, in 1998, CSS 2 was introduced as a language that adds styles (beauty) to HTML tags (websites).

During those days, people who created websites were called "webmasters." They were responsible for the entire website—content, creation, maintenance, and marketing.

In the midst of this, JavaScript was making its debut, having been introduced in 1995. Initially, it was invented to add dynamism (tiny animations) to web pages. We enjoyed these tricks with JavaScript back then. Dynamism in early websites referred to animated interface elements, but today, it denotes much more: user interaction, real-time updates, and user-generated content.

As a programming language, JavaScript offered many features such as control structures, data types, and data structures, which inspired people to create more interactive and creative interfaces than just plain webpages. With the arrival of XML HttpRequest in 2000, the AJAX concept was born, allowing webmasters to make requests to server-side logic and create dynamic websites that could collect and manipulate data from users. That even gave new perspectives to Javascript.

This concept, simple as it might sound, gave birth to the idea of creating application software using technologies that were initially meant for websites. Before this, assembly language and FORTRAN were used to create most application software.

This new possibility in the browser led to a significant shift. Many software developers began creating websites, but with the intention of them being application utilities for users. Essentially, they were creating software by leveraging web technologies.

So, web development is actually software development using web technologies. These applications are called web applications. Sometimes, we also refer to them as websites, as that's what they are at their core. Now, with the advancement of web technologies—be it HTML, JavaScript, or CSS—there is almost no limit to the types of applications that can be created using this approach.

Some great examples of web applications that we use every day are Facebook, Amazon, Google Docs, Trello, Spotify, Airbnb, Gmail, LinkedIn, Netflix, PayPal, and Discord.

In conclusion, while web development and software development can seem distinct, they have converged in many ways. Web development has evolved to become a vital branch of software development, with web technologies enabling the creation of powerful, complex applications that we rely on daily.