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As time changes so do most of the things in life and the case is similar to information and communication technology. The current scenario is fast changing with new advancements taking place each and every day in each sector. This creates a demand for new software with various sorts of requirements and changes. This leads to the choice of a whole plethora of computer software choices. But as soon as someone hears the word software, they start thinking about complicated stuff. So here we would like to explain about software and their different types and make you a little more familiar with the software world.
Hence to ease out the study of softwares, they are categorized into two broad categories i.e. System Software and Application Software
What is a Software?
A software is a set of instructions or collection of data that tells the computer how to work. The computer basically executes these instructions in a sequential manner to produce the output desired by the user. Hence for different purposes, several different instructions are given and hence gives rise to various softwares in the market. It acts as a mediator between the user and the hardware and also responsible for all the tasks performed by you (the user).
System software helps the user as well as the hardware to function and perform all the basic functionalities. These products endorse a domain or stage for the other programming to handily work in. Henceforth, it is the motivation behind why the system software is very significant in the administration of the whole PC system. Since it runs in the background and isn’t really used by the end-users, it is referred to as low level software.
The first thing to be introduced when the computer is turned on is the system software and afterward it gets stacked in the framework's memory. Organizations typically recruit the best programming improvement organization to assemble framework programming.
The various kind of system software are as follows:
It acts as an interface between user and hardware, and performs basic tasks such as file and memory management, handling input and output processes and controlling the external devices like printer, keyboard, disk drivers etc.
Examples: - Linux, Windows, Ubuntu, MacOS, iOS and Android
time changes so do most things in life and the case is similar with information and communication technology. The current scenario is fast changing with new advancements taking place each and every day in each sector. This creates the demand for new software with various sorts of requirements and changes. This leads to the choice of a whole plethora of computer software choices. But as soon as someone hears the word software, they start thinking about complicated stuff.
So here we would like to explain about software and their different types and make you a little more familiar with the software world.
It is a group of files that facilitate the communication between the hardware devices and the operating system. It is needed by hardware devices like Card Read, Printer, USB devices etc. as their features are unknown by the operating system.
Examples: - Motherboard Drivers, Display Drivers, ROM Drivers, Printer Drivers, USB Drivers
It is a permanent software that is embedded in the system’s memory and the set of instructions get stored on the hard drive forever. It provides the necessary instructions for the device to communicate with the other computer hardware.
Examples: - UEFI, BIOS, Embedded Systems, Computer Peripherals
It is designed to provide support to the computer infrastructure by assisting in analysing, configuring, maintaining as well as optimizing a computer system. It includes anti-viruses, disk defragmenters, management tools etc.
Examples: - Norton and McAfee Antivirus, WinRAR, WinZip, PDisk Cleaner, Windows File Explorer
2. Application Software
Different from system softwares, these are generally made to be used by the end-client. Each program is intended to help the client with a specific procedure, which might be identified with efficiency, inventiveness, as well as correspondence. It assists the user to perform various tasks such as carrying out calculations, making different graphs, models, graphic designing, playing games or making notes. They are task specific and made especially to perform a set number of functions.
The different types of application software are:
They are used for documenting, formatting and performing operations such as storing and printing these documents. (The software used to document this article is also a word processor XD)
Examples: - MS Word, Google Docs, Corel WordPerfect, Apple iWork Pages
They are used to create, manage and organize databases also called Database Management System (DBMS). They are more efficient in storing and retrieving data than manual systems and thus have wide usage.
Examples: - MySQL, Postgres, Clipper, dBase, MS Access
These were developed to create new multimedia content and enhance the visual and auditory features of the existing or previously owned media. It is used to play, create and record songs as well as videos. It is also used for graphic editing and creating animations.
Examples: - Adobe Photoshop, Picasa, VLC Media Player, Windows Media Player, Powerdirector
These are used by the users to access information across various websites and sources by assisting the user to browse the web.
Examples: - Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, UC Browser, Mozilla Firefox
Softwares can also be classified on the basis of their sharing and availability
1. Freeware
As the name suggests, these softwares are available on the internet to download and use free of cost. However, minimal freedom is offered to the end user in terms of modification, redistribution or other improvements that can’t be done without the authors’ approval.
Example: - Team Viewer, Skype, Audacity, Adobe Reader, WhatsApp
2. Shareware
This software is distributed for free to the users but on a set time limit i.e. the software offers a free trial period, upon the completion of which the user needs to pay a fixed amount to continue its services.
Examples: - Adobe Acrobat, PHP Debugger, WinZip, Getright
3. Open Source
These softwares are available to the user either for free or a fixed payment but allows the user to make modifications in the source code. This allows the user to modify the software, add additional features and distribute the software.
Examples: - Mozilla Firefox, Thunderbird, Moodle, OpenOffice, Alfresco
Conclusion
Different types of software serve different purposes according to the code that they are created with.
You must have by now came across this question of how these softwares are created. Read this article to know How Software is Made
Since Software is made by extensive coding in the various programming languages, take a look at this article that showcases how Programming Languages came into existence.
Do new technological advancements fascinate you? One such technological miracle is the creation of Robots. Have a look at this article to gain insights about How Do Robots Affect Our Lives?
Written By: Bhanu Jain
Edited By: Neha Kundu
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