Draft:Plushware

Plushware is intended to be an extension of existing terms such as hardware, firmware and software.

Hardware-Software
The term software was chosen as a contrast to the term hardware. Hardware refers to the physical components of a computer. In contrast to hardware, data or files (which consist of data) are immaterial. The terms hardware and data/files are on the same hierarchical level. Files can, among other things, be divided based on their executability. Executable files (programs) and non-executable files. The latter are usually generated by corresponding programs. For example, a word processing program generates text files categorized as non-executable files. The term software, as a term on the same hierarchical level as hardware, should actually encompass all data, not just executable or non-executable files associated with the program. However, a definition of software has been established that understands software as a collective term for programs and files associated with the programs. However, this definition excludes all other non-executable files that do not belong to the program. The notion of software as a contrast to hardware has solidified. However, this is not the case in the common meaning of the term software, as software is actually subordinated to the category of "data".

Firmware
In computer science, this term refers to software embedded in an electronic device. Thus, it occupies an intermediate position between hardware and software but is on the same hierarchical level.

To both remain in the image of the different levels of firmness, which also express the levels of changeability, and to maintain the use of the suffix "-ware," the term "Plushware" is suggested here. Plushware is, therefore, non-executable files that do not belong to the executability of a program (documents, images, music files, etc.). Additionally, this term would maintain the "tradition" of originality in naming conventions within computer science (see Spam, Bluetooth, Cookies, Breadcrumb, etc.).