Software
• Software is a set of programs, which is
designed to perform a well-defined function.
A program is a sequence of instructions
written to solve a particular problem.
• There are two types of software
– System Software
– Application Software
System Software
• The system software is collection of programs designed
to operate, control, and extend the processing
capabilities of the computer itself. System software are
generally prepared by computer manufactures. These
software products comprise of programs written in
low-level languages which interact with the hardware
at a very basic level. System software serves as the
interface between hardware and the end users.
• Some examples of system software are Operating
System, Compilers, Interpreter, Assemblers etc.
• Features of system software are as
follows
– Close to system
– Fast in speed
– Difficult to design
– Difficult to understand
– Less interactive
– Smaller in size
– Difficult to manipulate
– Generally written in low-level language
Application Software
• Application software products are designed to satisfy
a particular need of a particular environment. All
software applications prepared in the computer lab
can come under the category of Application software.
• Application software may consist of a single program,
such as a Microsoft's notepad for writing and editing
simple text. It may also consist of a collection of
programs, often called a software package, which
work together to accomplish a task, such as a spread
sheet package.
• Examples of Application
software are following
Payroll Software
Student Record Software
Inventory Management
Software
Income Tax Software
Railways Reservation Software
Microsoft Office Suite Software
Microsoft Word
Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Powerpoint
• Features of application software are as follows
– Close to user
– Easy to design
– More interactive
– Slow in speed
– Generally written in high-level language
– Easy to understand
– Easy to manipulate and use
– Bigger in size and requires large storage space
Relationship between Hardware and Software
Hardware and software are mutually dependent on each other.
Both of them must work together to make a computer produce a
useful output.
Software cannot be utilized without supporting hardware.
Hardware without set of programs to operate upon cannot be
utilized and is useless.
To get a particular job done on the computer, relevant software
should be loaded into the hardware
Hardware is a one-time expense.
Software development is very expensive and is a continuing
expense.
Different software applications can be loaded on a hardware to run
different jobs.
A software acts as an interface between the user and the hardware.
If hardware is the 'heart' of a computer system, then software is its
'soul'. Both are complimentary to each other.
