How to reference software programs in a dissertation?

Question

Currently I'm writing my dissertation and I'm using IEEE to reference books in Bibliography.

Some of my work includes text like this:

  [...]There are different vendors and open source software which provide this product:

    - Asterisk PBX
    - Freeswitch
    - Cisco Unified Communications Manager
    - Microsoft Lync

I want to reference each of the items in the list to their website. Should I use common footnote with the number as super index? Like

- Asterisk PBX^1
- Freeswitch^2
- Cisco Unified Communications Manager^3
- Microsoft Lync^4

With each number as footnote in the page pointing to the website URL?

1 www.asterisk.org

2 www.freeswitch.org

3 www.cisco.com/cucm

4 www.microsoft.com/lync

Or at the end as bibliography with just the website using IEEE as I'm already doing with other text and books.

The audience is Computer Science University staff in UK which may not be familiar with all the software listed.

Answer 1

This site Naval Postgraduate School has examples of how to cite for computer software and programs...

and this site CiteThisForMe will also help by giving examples or putting the information together for you by the names you give them.

As for referencing the websites as footnotes, if the paper itself is electronic, and you are able to click the link to the site, go ahead and use the footnote. If not, just add them in with the Bibliography.