Types of Computer Software

Introduction to Computer Software

In this article, we will see an outline of the Types of Computer Software. The software can be considered as the language of the computer. The software can be considered as a set of instructions, programs that are used to execute any particular task. The user cannot touch the software but can see through the GUI. The software can be considered as the variable part of the system while the hardware can be considered as an invariable part of the computer. And as there are many types of human language so is with the computer language also. There are different types of computer languages present in the market. There are three types of software systems, application, and programming language software.

Types of Computer Software

Below are the types of Computer Software:

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1. System Software

The system software is a type of computer software that is designed for running the computer hardware parts and the application programs. It is the platform provided to the computer system where other computer programs can execute. The system software act as a middle layer between the user applications and hardware. The operating system is the type of system software. The operating system is used to manage all other programs installed on the computer.

The other purpose of system software is to translate inputs received from other sources and convert them into language so that the machine can understand. The BIOS (basic input/output system) is another type of system software that works when the computer system starts and is used to manage the data between the hardware devices (video adapter, mouse, keyboard and printer) and the operating system. The system software provides the functionality for the user to use the hardware directly using the device drivers program.

The boot is the system software program that loads the operating system in the main memory of the computer or can load in random access memory (RAM). The other example of system software is assembler which has a functionality to take computer instructions as input and then convert it into bits so that the processor can read that bit and perform computer operations.

The other example of system software is a device driver which is used to control some specific device which is connected to computer systems like mouse or keyboard. The device driver software is used to convert input/ output instructions of OS to messages so that the device can read and understand. The system software can be run in the background or can be executed directly by the user.

2. Application Software

The other category of software is application software that is designed for the users to perform some specific tasks like writing a letter, listening to music or seeing any video. For all these requirements there required a specific software for each type and that specific software that is designed for some specific purpose is known as application software. The operating software runs the application software in the computer system.

The difference between system software and application software is the difference in the user interface. In system software, there is no user interface present whereas in application software the user interface is present for each software so that users can easily use the software. The user cannot see the system software like an operating system and cannot work in system software but in an application, software users can see the application software using a graphical user interface and can also work in the application software. The user also has an option to create its user-written software and use the software for its personal use.

The templates are present which can be used by the user to create user-written programs. The application software can be bundled together and that bundle is known as an application suite. An example of an application suite is Microsoft Office. The word processor software is designed by combining various small program to make one single program which can be used for writing text, creating a spreadsheet or creating presentations. The other type of application software is Mozilla Firefox, internet explorer. These kinds of application software can be used for searching any article, text on the web and interact with the outside world.

3. Programming Languages

The programming language is the third category of computer software which is used by the programmers to write their programs, scripts, and instructions which can be executed by a computer. The other name of the programming language is a computer language that can be used to create some common standards. The programming language can be considered as a brick which can be used to construct computer programs and operating system. The examples of programming languages are JAVA, C, C++, and other languages.

There is always some similarity between the programming languages the only difference is the syntax of programming language which makes them different. The programmer uses the syntax and rules of programming language to write their programs. Once the source code is written by a programmer in the IDE (Integrated Development Environment) the programmer then compiles that code in machine language which can be understood by the computer. The use of programming language is in developing websites, applications, and many other programs.

The programming language can be broadly divided into two major elements syntax and semantics. The programming language follows some sequence of operations so that the desired output can be achieved. The programming language is also known as high-level language as the programs written by a programmer are easy to read and easy to understand. The JAVA, C, C++ programming languages are considered as high-level language. The other category of a programming language is a low-level language.

The low level of language includes machine language and assembly language. The assembly language contains a list of instructions that are not easy to read and understand. The machine language contains binary codes that can be read by CPU directly and not present in a human-readable form. The low level of language can be directly understood by computer hardware.

Conclusion

As discussed the software is a program, script which executes on the computer system. And as we discussed there are broadly three types of software system software, application software, and programming language software. Each type of software has its function and runs on the computer system.

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