What is Software

 

Software

Software, simply are the computer programs. The instructions given to the computer in the form of a program are called Software. Software is the set of programs, which are used for different purposes. All the programs used in computer to perform specific task is called Software.

Software is a collection of programmes, documentation and procedures.

Software = Programmes + Documentation + Procedures

Programmes :

Set of instructions

Documentation:

“What is”, Documentation describes information about software such as software names, software requirement, features and functions of software etc.

Procedures:

“How to”, Procedures describe the working procedure of software i.e. how to operate software.

 

Types of software

1. System software:

System software is computer software designed to operate the computer hardware and to provide and maintain a platform for running application software.

a) Operating System Software

An operating system (OS) is software, consisting of programs and data that runs on computers and manages the computer hardware and provides common services for efficient execution of various application software.

Example :- DOS, Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7/8/8.1/10, Unix/Linux, MAC/OS X etc.

b) Utility Software

Utility software is system software designed to help analyze, configure, optimize or maintain a computer. A single piece of utility software is usually called a utility or tool. Utility software usually focuses on how the computer infrastructure operates.

Examples areWindows Explorer (File/Folder Management), Windows Media Player, Anti-Virus Utilities, Disk Defragmentation, Disk Clean, BackUp, WinZip, WinRAR etc…

 

2. Application software:

Application software, also known as an application, is computer software designed to help the user to perform singular or multiple related specific tasks. Examples include enterprise software, accounting software, office suites, graphics software, and media players.

a) Package Software Multiple software programs that work together (or performs similar functions) and is bundled and sold together as a software package. Examples are :- Ms. Office 2003, Ms. Office 2007, Macromedia (Dreamweaver, Flash, Freehand), Adobe (PageMaker, PhotoShop)

b) Tailored or Custom Software Custom software (also known as bespoke software) is a type of software that is developed either for a specific organization or function that differs from or is opposite of other already available softwareSAGE (Accounting), Galileo/Worldspan (Travel) etc.