Software

Software is a set of instructions, data or programs used to operate computers and execute specific tasks. It can be divided into two main categories: system software and application software.

System software is a set of one or more programs designed to control and coordinate the operations of a computer system, including the hardware, operating system, device drivers, and other utilities.

• System software includes operating systems, device drivers, compilers, interpreters, linkers, debuggers, assemblers and other utility programs.
• Operating systems are the most important type of system software as they manage the resources of a computer system and provide an interface between the user and the hardware.
• Device drivers are special programs that allow applications to interact with hardware devices such as printers or scanners.
• Compilers are used to convert high-level programming languages into machine language so that computers can understand them. Interpreters are used to execute high-level programming languages directly without compiling them first.
• Linkers are used to combine object code modules into executable programs while debuggers help programmers find errors in their code.
• Assemblers are used to convert assembly language instructions into machine language instructions.
• Uutility programs provide additional functionality such as file compression or virus scanning.

Application software is a set of programs designed to perform specific tasks for end users.

Application software includes word processors, spreadsheets, databases, web browsers, media players and other types of applications that allow users to perform specific tasks on their computers.

• Word processors allow users to create documents.
• Spreadsheets allow users to store data in tabular form and perform calculations on it.
• Databases store large amounts of data in an organized manner for easy retrieval.
• Web browsers allow users to access information on the internet.
• Media players enable users to play audio and video files
• Other types of applications such as games provide entertainment for users.