Types of Software

Introduction

Software is programs or instructions that

tell the computer what to do and how to do
it
Computers need software to do even a
simple job, without software computers
cannot function
 Types of Software
Two types:
System software
It is the background software that enables the
application software to interact with each other
Application software
It is a group of programs designed to accomplish a
single task or a group of related tasks
 System Software
Also known as Operating System (OS) and Disk Operating System
(DOS)
OS allows applications software to communicate with the hardware
DOS is a group of programs which manages the most basic
operations of a computer system
DOS is a link between the users and the computer system
Example of OS are Window XP, Window 7,VISTA, Linux, Macintosh,
etc
DOS programs reside on a floppy disk or hard disk
 Functions of OS

Control the hardware, the memory and the

application software
Manages the information on the disk
Runs computer programs
Manages the startup process
 Application Software
It is a group of programs designed to accomplish
a single task or a group of related tasks
It divided into two categories:
User-designed application software
Software that is created or designed by big companies and
government department
Ready-made application software
A collection of programs designed for general use
 User Designed Application Software

Also known as Bespoke Software or Tailor-

Made Software
These type of software are designed and
developed specifically for the company or
organization
 Advantages

The Company will get the exact

software/system that they need
The software will work exactly how they
want it to work
The software will only have the features
that they specifically need in their business
 Disadvantages

Takes a long time to develop

Cost a great deal of money to develop
such system
Company need to employ a team of people
such as analysts, programmers
There will be little in the way of user
support and online help
 Ready-Made Designed Application
Software
Also known as Package Software or
Package
It usually comes with manuals
Manuals are instruction on how to run the
application software
Example Word Processing, Power Point
 Package is generally written in one of the
programming language by a team of
computer specialists.
These specialist is called programmers
A company or organization which writes
packages is called a software house
A package is specific to an operating
system
 Advantage of using
Ready-Made Packages
User-friendly
Cheap
Easily Available
 Disadvantages of using
Ready-Made Packages
Rigid
Functions cannot be changed
Some may not suit own specific
requirement