3.1. Concept of Software

3.1.1 Definition of Software

Software is the collection of computer programs, procedures and documentation that performs different tasks on a computer system. The types of software are system software and application software.

3.1.2 Categories of Software

·         System Software

·         Application Software

a)      System Software

System software is a form of computer software designed to operate the computer hardware, and to provide a platform for running application software. It helps the computer hardware and the computer system to run. System software is a collection of operating systems, device drivers, servers, windowing systems and utilities. Some common type of system software is given below:

        i.            Operating System

      ii.            Utility software

    iii.            Language processor

Operating  System

The operating system is the most important program that runs on a computer. Every  general-purpose computer must have an operating system to run other programs.Operating systems perform basic tasks. It is the first program loaded into memory; when the computer is turned on and brings life to the computer hardware. Without it, you cannot use your word processing software, spreadsheet software or any other applications.

Without an operating system, you cannot communicate With your computer. When you give the computer a command, the operating system relays the instructions to the “brain” of the computer, called the microprocessor or CPU. You cannot speak directly to the CPU because it only understands machine language. When you are working in an application software program, such as Microsoft Word, the commands that you give the applications are sent through the operating system to the CPU. Windows 2000, Windows 95/98, Mac OS, UNIX and DOS are all the examples of operating systems.
Some functions of OS are given below. 

Recognize the input from the keyboard. 

Send output to the display screen. 

Keep track of the files and directories on the disk. 

Control peripheral devices such as disk drives and printers. 

Provide security and back up. 

Provide interface between hardware and software. 

Manage memory. 

Schedule processes. 

 

Utility Software

Utility programs help to manage, maintain and control computer resources. These programs are available to help you with the day-to-day chores associated with person computing and to keep your system running at peak performance. 

Some examples of utility programs include: 

Virus Scanning Software is the utility program designed to protect your computer from computer viruses.

Backup software is the software that assists you in backing up your files and even the entire computer hard drive. It is important for you to back up your files regularly. 

Scandisk is a utility provided with Windows computers. Scandisk scans your disks to see if there are any potential problems on the disk, such as bad disk areas. Since the disks are magnetic media, all the disks, including your hard drive can be corrupted. 

Disk Defragmenter software assists you in reorganizing your disk drives, After files are saved, deleted and resaved again, the disk can become fragmented -the available space is in the small blocks located throughout the disk. Disk defragmenters gather those free spots and put them together to enable you to continue and save your data in the most efficient manner.

 

Language processor

It is a special type of computer system software that can be used to translate the program written in one language into another language. It is most compulsory for the low level language and high level language. The types of language translator are given below.

·         Compiler 

·         Interpreter 

·         Assembler

b)     Application Software

It enables the users to accomplish certain specific tasks. Similarly, it can be used to solve the application type of problem. Business software, databases and educational software are some forms of application software. Other application software is word processors, spreadsheet, presentation packages etc. Application software utilizes the capacities of a computer directly to a dedicated task. Application software is able to manipulate text, numbers and graphics. It can be in the form of software focused on a certain single task like Word processing, spreadsheet or playing of audio and video files.

Types of Application Software 

·         Package software 

·         Tailored software 

Package Software: Package software is mainly designed by software companies to generalize the tasks. They are general purpose software. Some common types of package software are given below.
Word Processing Software: This software enables the users to create and edit documents. The most popular examples of this type of software are MS-Word, WordPad, Notepad and some other text editors.

Database Software: Database is a structured collection of data. A computer database relies on database software to organize the data and enable the database users to achieve database operations. Database software allows the users to store and retrieve data from databases. Examples are Oracle, MS Access, etc.

Spreadsheet Software: Excel, Lotus 1-2-3 and Apple Numbers are some examples of spreadsheet software. Spreadsheet software allows the users to perform calculations. They simulate paper worksheets by displaying multiple cells that make up a grid.

Multimedia Software: They allow the users to create and play audio and video media. They are capable of playing media files. Audio converters, players, burners, video encoders and decoders are some forms of multimedia software. Examples of this type of software include Real Player and Media Player.

Presentation Software: The software that is used to display information in the form of a slide show is known as presentation software. This type of software includes three functions, namely, editing that allows insertion and formatting of text, methods to include graphics in the text and a functionality of executing the slide shows. Microsoft PowerPoint is the best example of presentation software.

Web Based Software: The software that is based on the web is called web based software. This type of software can be used with the internet only. Web based software, (or a web based application) is a software that runs on a server (computer connected to the Internet), while the users connect to it from their computers with an Internet browser. Therefore, web based software is accessible from any part of the world. Some examples of web based software include Facebook, Google, eBay, Amazon.

Tailored Software: Tailored software is specific purpose software. It is also called a small type of software. These types of software are developed for specific tasks. They are written in high level languages such as JAVA, C, C++, COBOL (Common Business. Oriented Language) etc. Examples are banking software, hospital software, hotel reservation software, billing software etc. 

Mobile Apps

Apps are a form of software which is used to display information. Mobile Apps means software that is used on mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. They are also known as mobile applications. In other words, a mobile app is a software application developed specifically for use on small, wireless computing devices, such as smartphones and tablets. This type of software is specific purpose software. Examples of such software are Gaming apps, Hotel reservation apps, E-commerce apps, Bill payment apps.