Information about software tools: Structure, sources, and contents

Abstract

The content of the term software tools (STs) is discussed in the light of the current development trends in information and communication technologies. The list of possible classification areas of STs is presented that is critical to binding scientific and technical information (STI) to these areas. The main categories of objective representation of STs, available sources of STI on STs, and peculiarities of obtaining (retrieving) STI from these sources are characterized. A 28-group classification of STI about STs by contents (subject matter) is suggested. The areas where it is possible to utilize the suggested classification systems for describing and grouping STI units in databases and databanks are specified.