Computer
Software And Its Types:
Software
refers to the logical components/parts of a computer. Logical components mean
we can use it and feel it but can’t touch it. Software is a collection of
instructions, procedures, documentation that performs different tasks on a
computer system. Best example is that when we listen music in computer system.
We must need to use a software that play song in computer system. We can also say
Computer that Software is a programming code executed on a computer processor.
The code can be machine-level code or the code written for an operating system.
Examples of software are Ms Word, Excel, Power Point, Google Chrome, Photoshop,
MySQL etc.
Difference
Between Hardware and Software:
|
Hardware |
Software |
|
Hardware
is a physical parts computer that cause processing of data. |
Software
is a set of instruction that tells a computer exactly what to do. |
|
It
is manufactured. |
It
is developed and engineered. |
|
Hardware
cannot perform any task without software. |
software
cannot be executed without hardware. |
|
As
Hardware are physical electronic devices, we can see and touch hardware. |
We
can see and also use the software but can’t actually touch them. |
|
It
has four main categories: input device, output devices, storage, and internal
components. |
It
is mainly divided into System software, Programming software and Application
software. |
|
Hardware
is not affected by computer viruses. |
Software
is affected by computer viruses. |
|
It
cannot be transferred from one place to another electrically through network. |
But
it can be transferred. |
|
If
hardware is damaged, it is replaced with new one. |
If
software is damaged, its backup copy can be reinstalled. |
|
Ex:
Keyboard, Mouse, Monitor, Printer, CPU, Hard disk, RAM, ROM etc. |
Ex:
Ms Word, Excel, Power Point, Photoshop, MySQL etc. |
Different
Types of Software in Details
Typically,
there are two major classifications of software, namely System Software and
Application Software.
1.
System Software
A system software used to according
to need of a hardware component in computer system. Particularly, System
software mange the whole functionality about the hardware component that how
will be hardware component work in computer system. Basically, it manages
computer hardware behavior so as to provide basic functionalities that are
required by the user.
In simple words, we can say that
system software is an intermediator or a middle layer between the user and the
hardware. These computer software sanction a platform or environment for the
other software to work in.
This is the reason why system
software is very important in managing the entire computer system. So, when you
first turn on the computer, it is the system software that gets initialized and
gets loaded in the memory of the system. The system software runs in the
background and is not used by the end-users. This is the reason why system
software is also known as ‘low-level software’. Example: Driver of Printer
Some common system software
examples are:
Operating
System:
Operating System
is a system software that provide interface between end user and hardware of
computer system with the help of application software. It is a collection of
software that handles resources and provides general services for the other
applications that run over them.
Although each
Operating System is different, most of them provide a Graphical User Interface
through which a user can manage the files and folders and perform other tasks.
Every device, whether a desktop, laptop or mobile phone requires an operating
system to provide the basic functionality to it. As an OS essentially
determines how a user interacts with the system, therefore many users prefer to
use one specific OS for their device.
There are various
types of operating system such as real-time, embedded, distributed, multiuser,
single-user, internet, mobile, and many more. It is important to consider the
hardware specifications before choosing an operating system. Some examples of
Operating systems given below:
A.
Android
B.
CentOS
C.
iOS
D.
Linux
E.
Mac
OS
F.
MS
Windows
G.
Ubuntu
H.
Unix
Device
Drivers:
It is a type of software that
controls particular hardware which is attached to the system. Hardware devices
that need a driver to connect to a system include displays, sound cards,
printers, mice and hard disks. Further, there are two types of device drivers:
Kernel Device Drivers and User Device Driver. Some examples of device drivers
are:
A.
BIOS
Driver
B.
Display
Drivers
C.
Motherboard
Drivers
D.
Printer
Drivers
E.
ROM
Drivers
F.
Sound
card Driver
G.
USB
Drivers
H.
USB
Drivers
I.
VGA
Drivers
J.
VGA
Drivers
K.
Virtual
Device Drivers
Firmware:
Firmware is
the permanent software that is embedded into a read-only memory. It is a set of
instructions permanently stored on a hardware device. It provides essential
information regarding how the device interacts with other hardware. Firmware
can be considered as ‘semi-permanent’ as it remains permanent unless it is
updated using a firmware updater. Some examples of firmware are:
A.
BIOS
B.
Computer
Peripherals
C.
Consumer
Applications
D.
Embedded
Systems
E.
UEFI
Programming
Language Translators:
These are mediator
programs on which software programs rely to translate high-level language code
to simpler machine-level code. Besides simplifying the code, the translators
also do the following:
A.
Assign
data storage
B.
Enlist
source code as well as program details
C.
Offer
diagnostic reports
D.
Rectify
system errors during the runtime
E.
Examples
of Programming Language Translators are Interpreter, Compiler and Assemblers.
Utility Software:
Utility software
is designed to aid in analyzing, optimizing, configuring and maintaining a
computer system. It supports the computer infrastructure. This software focuses
on how an OS functions and then accordingly it decides its trajectory to
smoothen the functioning of the system. Software’s like antiviruses, disk
cleanup & management tools, compression tools, defragmenters, etc are all
utility tools. Some examples of utility tools are:
A.
Avast
Antivirus
B.
Directory
Opus
C.
McAfee
Antivirus
D.
Piriform
CCleaner
E.
Razer
Cortex
F.
Windows
File Explorer
G.
WinRAR
H. WinZip
2.
Application Software:
Application Software is a software
that is used to according to need of user. It depends on user choice that he
wants to use it or not.
Application Software, also known as
end-user programs or productivity programs are software that helps the user in
completing tasks such as doing online research, jotting down notes, setting an
alarm, designing graphics, keeping an account log, doing calculations or even
playing games. They lie above the system software. Unlike system software, they
are used by the end-user and are specific in their functionality or tasks and
do the job that they are designed to do. For example, a browser is an
application designed specifically for browsing the internet or MS Powerpoint is
an application used specifically for making presentations. Application Software
or simply apps can also be referred to as non-essential software as their
requirement is highly subjective and their absence does not affect the
functioning of the system. All the apps that we see on our mobile phones are also
examples of Application Software. There is certain software that is exclusively
made for app development like Meteor and Flutter. These are examples
of Application software too.
There are various types of
application software:
Word Processors: These applications
for documentation. Along with that it also helps I storing, formatting and
printing of these documents. Some examples of word processors are:
A.
Abiword
B.
Apple
iWork- Pages
C.
Corel
WordPerfect
D.
Google
Docs
E.
MS
Word
Database Software: This
software is used to create and manage a database. It is also known as the
Database Management System or DBMS. They help with the organization of data.
Some examples of DBMS are:
A.
Clipper
B.
dBase
C.
FileMaker
D.
FoxPro
E.
MS
Access
F.
MySQL
Multimedia
Software: It
is the software that is able to play, create or record images, audio or video
files. They are used for video editing, animation, graphics, and image editing,
Some examples of Multimedia Software are:
A.
Adobe
Photoshop
B.
Inkscape
C.
Media
Monkey
D.
Picasa
E.
VLC
Media Player
F.
Windows
Media Player
G.
Windows
Movie Maker
Education and
Reference Software: These
types of software are specifically designed to facilitate learning on a
particular subject. There are various kinds of tutorial software that fall
under this category. They are also termed as academic software. Some examples
are:
A.
Delta
Drawing
B.
GCompris
C.
Jumpstart
titles
D.
KidPix
E.
MindPlay
F.
Tux
Paint
Graphics Software: As the name
suggests, Graphics Software has been devised to work with graphics as it helps
the user to edit or make changes in visual data or images. It comprises of
picture editors and illustration software. Some examples are:
A.
Adobe
Photoshop
B.
Autodesk
Maya
C.
Blender
D.
Carrara
E.
CorelDRAW
F.
GIMP
G.
Autodest
3D Max
H.
PaintShop
Pro
Web Browsers: These
applications are used to browse the internet. They help the user in locating
and retrieving data across the web. Some examples of web browsers are:
A.
Google
Chrome
B.
Internet
Explorer
C.
Microsoft
Edge
D.
Mozilla
Firefox
E.
Opera
F.
Safari
G.
UC
Browser
Other than these, all the software
that serves a specific purpose fall under the category of Application Software.
However, there exists one more
classification of the software. The software can also be classified based on
their availability and shareability.
This classification is as given
below:
Freeware: Freeware software
is available without any cost. Any user can download it from the internet and
use it without paying any fee. However, freeware does not provide any liberty
for modifying the software or charging a fee for its distribution. Examples are:
A.
Adobe
Reader
B.
Anydesk
C.
ImgBurn
D.
Recuva
E.
Skype
F.
Whats
app
G.
Messenger
Shareware: It is a software
that is freely distributed to users on a trial basis. It usually comes with a
time limit and when the time limit expires, the user is asked to pay for the
continued services. There are various types of shareware like Adware,
Donationware, Nagware, Freemium, and Demoware (Cripplewareand Trialware). Some
examples of shareware are:
A.
Adobe
Acrobat
B.
Getright
C.
PHP
Debugger
D.
Winzip
Open-source: These kinds of
software are available to users with the source code which means that a user
can freely distribute and modify the software and add additional features to
the software. Open-Source software can either be free or chargeable. Some
examples of open-source software are:
A.
Apache
Web Server
B.
GNU
Compiler Collection
C.
Moodle
D.
Mozilla
Firefox
E.
Thunderbird
Closed-Source Software: They are also
known as Closed-source software. These types of applications are usually paid
and have intellectual property rights or patents over the source code. The use
of these is very restricted and usually, the source code is preserved and kept
as a secret.
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