Identify and describe five or more of the current trends in contemporary software platforms

What will be an ideal response?

1. Growing use of Linux and open-source software—Open-source software is produced and maintained by a global community of programmers and is downloadable for free. Linux is a powerful, resilient open-source operating system that can run on multiple hardware platforms and is used widely to run Web servers.
2. HTML5—This is the next evolution of HTML which simplifies embedding multimedia, rich media, and animation in the browser.
3. Cloud-based services—In cloud-based services and software, users rent applications or storage space from online providers rather than running these applications or themselves or using local storage.
4. Web services and service-oriented architecture—Web services are loosely coupled software components based on open Web standards that are not product-specific and can work with any application software and operating system. They can be used as components of Web-based applications linking the systems of two different organizations or to link disparate systems of a single company.
5. Software outsourcing—Companies are purchasing their new software applications from outside sources, including application software packages, by outsourcing custom application development to an external vendor (that may be offshore), or by renting software services from an application service provider.
6. Cloud-based services—Companies are leasing infrastructure, hardware, and software from vendors, paying on a subscription or per-transaction basis.
7. Mashups and apps—Mashups are programs created by combining two or more existing Internet applications. Apps are small programs developed for mobiles and handhelds, turning them into more robust computing tools.