SOFTWARE AND ITS TYPES
Software- Set of programs is called software.
Program- Set of instructions is called program.
Type of software
There are two types of software
1. System Software
2. Application Software
System Software- System software is a type of computer program that controls the
computers internal functioning. It is designed to run a computer’s hardware and
application programs.
Example- MS Windows, Macintosh, Unix, Linux, Antivirus, C++ compiler etc.
There are three types of System Software
1. Operating System
2. Utility Programs
3. Language Processor
Operating System- An operating system is a system software that manages computer
hardware, software and resources. It acts as an interface between the computer
hardware and the user. Examples- MS Windows, Mac OS etc.
Utility Programs- Utility programs help the computer system run properly because it
performs task related to management of computer functions, like- password
protection, memory management, virus protection etc.
Language processor- A language processor is a special type of software program that
converts the programs written by the users in English language into machine
language.
Common language processors are
1. Compiler
2. Interpreter
3. Assembler
Compiler- It converts the source code (high level language) into object code
(low level machine language) in one go.
Example- C, C++, Java compiler
Interpreter- It converts high level language to machine language line by line.
Example- BASIC, PASCAL. Assembler- It is a system software that converts assembly language
instructions into machine code.
Application Software- It is set of instructions to perform specific task. It is user
friendly software. Even a non- technical person can easily understand and use
application software. Example- MS Word, MS PowerPoint etc.
There are two types of application software
1. General purpose application software- This type of Software is useful for majority of
users. Such type of software is not specific to any business or any organization.
Example- MS Word, MS Excel etc.
2. Customized software- It is specially developed for some specific organization or
other user. Customized software is also known as tailor-made software or custom
made software. Example- software used in Railway stations, Banks, Hospitals etc.
Some other software
1. Graphics Software- It is used to create, edit, store or present pictorial output in the
form of images, graphs, charts etc. Example- Coral Draw, Adobe Photoshop, Picasa
etc.
2. Multimedia Software- Multimedia software are used to create stories, insert
animation, use different type of sounds etc. Example- VLC Media Player, Windows
Media Player etc.
3. Presentation Software- This software is used to display information through
interactive presentations in the form of slides. Example- MS PowerPoint, OpenOffice
Impress etc.
