What is Software in Computer-Types of Software

Introduction

Hello Readers, in this article I am going to explain the main and very crucial part of computers. This important part of computers is software. As we know every computer is a combination of two major components one is hardware and one of them is software. In this article, you will learn about what software is. Moreover, you will be able to understand the types of softwares, their features, and much more. Additionally, this article will help you to learn about the history, applications, and the difference between hardware and software, etc. Before going in-depth about the topics of this article, let’s learn what is software.

What is Software?

The collection or combination of data, set of instructions, or programs that are used to operate a computer, and execute a specific task is called software. In other words, we can say that it guides computers on how to run and execute the task. It combines with hardware to make computers functional. Hardware is a physical component of the computer. Software is designed in binary language(zeros and ones). In computer systems, It is considered as a variable part and hardware is an invariable part of the computer.

There are different types of software. Before types of software, you will learn about the history of software.

History of Software

The term software was not used until 1950. Beyond this different types of software were developing at that time, but commercially they were not available for the common people. So in this people, particularly scientists as well as top businessmen started to develop their software. After learning what is software? The brief history of the software is explained below.

Different types of Software

(a)-System Software

System software is the kind of software or programs that are designed to run hardware and a computer application program. This type of software acts as a coordinator, and it coordinates the activities as well as functions of hardware and software among computer systems. Furthermore, it monitors and controls the functions or operations of computer hardware and offers a platform or an environment for all the other kinds of software to work in. For example, an operating system (OS) is a system software that manages all other computer programs. Different types of system software are explained below.

Types of System Software

1-Operating System

The basic or main computer program or software that runs a computer is an operating system. In computer systems, it is a key software that loads in a computer memory whenever a computer system gets ON. Primarily such a type of software or operating system manages all the resources like the Central Processing Unit(CPU), hard disk, Computer memory, printer, etc. The operating system helps the user to provide an interface where he can easily interact with the computer system. This operating system also helps other computer software by offering different services.

2-Device Drivers

It is a kind of software that controls or operates some specific hardware devices that are connected to your system. Such types of software help the devices to perform their functions. Every device requires a driver to connect with a computer system such as a modem, printer, computer mouse, etc. It means before connecting any new device to the computer system we require a driver to run it smoothly. Many device drivers connect different hardware devices like printers, hard disks, floppy disks, Computer mouse, etc. to a system are given below.

3-Firmware

In types of system software firmware is one of the unique system software. It is a kind of software that is embedded in a system’s Read-only memory(ROM) permanently to offer low-level control for some particular system device hardware. In this case, instructions are permanently stored on your computer hardware device. Some devices that use the firmware are given below.

4-Utility

Utility software is designed to support analyzing, configuring, optimizing, and maintaining the system. Such a program helps to support the infrastructure of computer systems. No doubt a computer can work without the right utility software or program, but its presence enhances the efficiency of computer systems. Some examples of utility software are as.

5-Language Processor

It is a beauty of system software that it translates the human-readable language into machine language etc. It is possible due to the language processor that converts the human-readable language to machine language. Language processor converts high-level programming languages like JavaScript, C++, Python, etc. commonly known as source codes to a set of instructions that are readable by machines.

Features Of System Software

System software has different features, some of which are explained below.

(b)-Application software

It is a common type of software. It is an end-user program or application that performs specific functions to help users finish their certain tasks. This kind of software application is designed based on the interest of users. Researching online, drafting documents, playing games, watching movies, graphic designing, etc. are included in software applications. There are different types of application software, some of which are explained below.

Types of Application Software

1-Word Processors

Such types of software applications are used for typing data, making notes, and general documentation all over the world. These applications are also called general-purpose applications or software applications. These software applications help the user to store and edit data easily. Some common examples of word processors are as.

2-Database Software

Database software is also known as Database Management System(DBMS). It is commonly used to create, modify, manage, and organize massive amounts of data quickly. Such types of software applications are used in companies or organizations to manage their data.

Some common examples of database software are as.

3-Multimedia Software

Multimedia Software is commonly used and very useful software nowadays. It is used to create images, record and watch videos as well as music, etc. It is also used to create animation videos, gives, posters, video editing, etc. by different companies at large scale.

Multimedia pieces of software that are used at most are given below.

5-Productivity Software

Such type of software is used for multiple tasks such as word processing, preparing presentations and spreadsheets, etc. For example, Spreadsheet apps help the users to organize and compute data to complete the task. This spreadsheet can be used to create budgets, make reports and charts, plan business data, and much more. To support these tasks the common software to be used are LibreOffice, Google Workspace, etc.

6-Graphics Software

As we are studying different types of software in this article. Graphics software is also one of the most important software that is used for graphic designing and editing. This software has a great impact on the field of graphic design. It provides a variety of designs to the designer to create awesome designs. Some important and commonly used graphic software are Adobe Illustrator and CorelDRAW.

7-Gaming Software

With the development of technology, lots of changes occur in our daily lives. Similarly, video gaming is very common among our youngsters. There are different types of games that people play on the internet or online. This is all possible due to gaming pieces of software. There are different types of gaming software for each category. For PC there is a specific gaming software while for mobile there is a dedicated gaming software for mobiles.

8-Communication Software

Communication software helps to run communication applications. These communication applications are widely used and play a very important role in our daily lives. These applications are faster and easy to use. Communication applications based on communication pieces of software. These pieces of software are very smart, and they bring a change in the communication world. Due to this communication software, we can communicate with our friends and family at long distances in the world via audio-video calls. Skype, Zoom, WhatsApp, IMO, Microsoft Outlook, etc. are the best examples of communication applications.

9-Freeware

As it is clear from the name these pieces of software are free of cost and these can be easily downloaded from the internet anytime. Companies develop such types of pieces of software to get maximum reach. These pieces of software are useful in our daily lives. Audacity, Adobe Reader, etc. are examples of freeware pieces of software.

10-Shareware

Shareware is also like freeware software. There is a minor difference between them. Freeware is free of cost and its usage is unlimited. While shareware is not free for unlimited usage. Initially, it can be used on a trial basis for a limited period of time. Later we have to get its paid subscriptions. These subscriptions may be monthly or yearly. It all depends on the companies and what they are offering to the users. There are different types of freeware pieces of software available. The most commonly used freeware pieces of software are PHP Debugger, WinZip, Adobe Acrobat Photoshop, etc.

11-Open Source

These types of software are also available free for use on the internet, but the question is what is the difference between freeware and open-source pieces of software? The answer is that open-source software is available with their source code. That’s why such types of pieces of software are called open-source pieces of software. It means the user can make changes and add features to open-source software. Apache Web Server, Thunderbird, ClamWinantivirus, etc. are Open source.

Features Of Application Software

Difference Between System Software and Application Software

There are some differences between application software and system software. Some of them are explained here.