SOFTWARE

What is Software?

• Software is all the intangible parts of the

computer that consists of a series of
instructions that tell the computer what to do
and how to do it.
• So the above L-R, then down - Windows
Media Player, Yahoo Messenger, Windows 7,
Need For Speed Shift, Microsoft Word, FIFA
2010, iTunes and Adobe PDF Reader  are all
software.
  Types of Software
• Software can be divided into two main
groups, application and system software
 Diagram showing the Types of software
 Application Software
Application software can be defined as programs
that allow the user to perform specific tasks. This is
user oriented software. Application software can
be broken down into the following:
• Productivity
• Graphics and multimedia
• Communication
• Home/Personal/Educational
• Entertainmet
Categories of Application Software
• Productivity software (Business) - which is used in business
environments to accomplish specific tasks, e.g.
QuickBooks in doing book keeping;
• Graphics and multimedia  -  Graphics are digital
representations of non-text information such as drawing,
charts or photographs. Multimedia is a combination of
text with graphics, animation, audio, video and/or virtual
reality - paint/image editing, video/audio editing and
multimedia authoring which is software used to combine
text graphics, animation, audio and video into an
interactive presentation.
• Home/Personal/Educational, which is software  used at
home by an individual to complete simple or mildly
complicated tasks, e.g. Word, excel, PowerPoint, software
for doing taxes, clip art, personal finance and desktop
publishing.
• Entertainment - which is software used for relaxing or
relieving stress, e.g. Power DVD, software for playing DVDs
and CDs, Video games.
• Communication - which is software used to enhance or
enable communication with computers, e.g. email, chat
room, instant messaging, web browser, video conferencing.
 System Software
System software can be defined as software that
controls or maintains the operations of the
computer and its devices. They serve as
interfaces between the users, the application
software and the computer’s hardware. System
software can be broken down into the following:
• Operating system Software
• System Utility Programs
•  
 Operating System Software
• Operating system software can be defined as a
set of programs that coordinates all the
activities among the computers hardware and
contains instructions that allow the user to
run application software
 Some functions are:
1) Starting a computer:
Warm boot: Restarting a computer that is
already on
Cold boot: Starting a computer that has been
powered off completely
2) Providing a User Interface; Managing programs;
Managing memory; Scheduling jobs; Configuring
devices; Establishing an internet connection;
Monitoring performance; Managing files.
 Operating system software can be broken
down into the following;
• Stand Alone, which is designed for stand alone
computers such as desktops, workstations and laptops,
e.g. Windows XP, Windows 7, Linux, Mac OS X and UNIX.
• Networking, which is designed for computers that are to
function in a networked environment, e.g. Solaris, Linux,
UNIX, NetWare and Windows Server 2008.
• Embedded, these operating systems cannot be changed
as they reside on a ROM chip, they are found on hand-
held devices, e.g. Windows CE .NET, Palm OS and
Symbian OS.
 System Utility Programs
System Utility Programs can be defined as
software that allows the user to perform
maintenance type task usually related to
managing a computer, its devices or its
programs.
 Classification of Software
• Application software is available in a variety of
forms such as;
• General Purpose (off the shelf)
• Integrated / Software suite
• Custom Built
•  Customization of General Purpose
(Customized)
• Specialized
• General Purpose  Software - this is software that is
massed produced and copyrighted. It meets the needs of a
variety of users and can be bought off the shelf, e.g.
Microsoft word and excel.
• Packaged software – Retailed software that meets the
needs of a wide variety of users and not just one user of a
company. Can be bought from computer stores or off the
net.
• Custom built – this is software designed to meet the need
of a specific individual. Usually built upon request and
costs more than packaged software.
• Customization of General Purpose – this
occurs when a user asks the owner of a
software company to put in place additional
features to a software that already existing
software.
• Specialized – this is software designed for the
performance of one specific task, e.g. software
used to launch a satellite, or to do taxes.