COMPUTER SOFTWARE

What is software ?
A sequence of instructions written in a language that can be
understood by a computer is called a computer program.
The term software refers to the set of computer programs,
procedures, and associated documents that describe the
programs and how they are to be used.
The programs, routines, and symbolic languages that control
the functioning of the hardware and direct its operation.

There are two ways in which we can acquire a program. One

is to purchase an existing program, referred to as packaged
software and other is to prepare a new program from
scratch, is called customized software.
 What is software
  

HARDWARE

SYSTEMS SOFTWARE

APPLICATION SOFTWARE

USER

Figure: Relationship between hardware, software and the

user of computer.
 
 Types of Software
• Computer instructions and data anything that can be
stored electronically is software. The storage devices
and display devices are hardware.
The distinction between software and hardware is
sometimes confusing because they are so integrally
linked. Clearly, when you purchase a program, you
are buying software. But to buy the software, you
need to buy the disk (hardware) on which the software
is recorded.
• Computer software is normally classified into two
broad categories:
 Systems software
 Application software
 System Software
System package or system software is a set of one or more
programs designed to control the operation of a computer
system. They are designed to make the computer easier to
use. System Packages support the following:
• the running of other software packages.
• Communicating with other peripheral devices such as
printers, hard disk and tape devices etc.
• Support the development of other types of software.
• Monitor the use of various hardware resources such as
CPU.
That is, Refers to the operating system and all utility
programs that manage computer resources at a low level.
System packages offer several advantages and
conveniences to application programs.
Most commonly used systems software are:
 Operating Systems – An operating system is the
most important system software and is must to
operate a computer system. It manages a
computer’s resources very effectively, takes care
of scheduling multiple jobs for execution and flow
of data and instructions between the input/output
units and the main memory.
 Programming language translators – A
language translator is a system software which
translates a computer program written by a user
into a machine understandable form.
 Utility programs
 Application software
It is a set of one or more programs designed to carry out
operations for a specified application. It is also known as
application package.
The programs that constitute an application package are
known as application programs and the person who
prepares application programs is known as an application
programmer.
e.g., a payroll package, package for processing examination
results, package for inventory control.
 
Application software can be further classified into
a) Special purpose application software
b) General purpose application software
Special Purpose Application Software
They are used to perform a specific task, for a single
profession, e.g., nuclear energy scientists use special
programs for exploding the nuclear bombs.
 
General Purpose Application Software
These are other type of application software used by
millions of people for doing varied tasks. Commonly used
general-purpose software are:
 Word-processing Software
 Spreadsheet Software
 Database Software
 Graphics Software
Difference between System and Application
Software
System software offer several advantages and conveniences to application
programmers and computer user. Good systems software allows application
packages to run on the computer with lesser time and effort. Without system
software, application packages cannot be run on the computer system.
However, the production of systems software is a complex task that that requires
extensive knowledge and considerable specialized training in computer science.
Systems programmers, who prepare systems software, are highly trained computer
specialists and important members of the computer architecture team. Because of
its technical complexity, systems software is rarely developed in-house. They are
normally developed and distributed by the computer manufacturers. The customer
who buys or leases a computer system would usually receive, in addition to the
hardware, some software needed for the effective operation of his computer.
 
The systems software is an indispensable part of a total computer system. Its function
is to compensate for the differences that exist between the user needs and the
capabilities of the hardware. A computer without some kind of systems software
would be very ineffective most likely impossible to operate.