Software And Its Types

The software is basically a set of instructions or commands that tells a computer what to do. Or
in other words, the software is a computer program that provides a set of instructions to execute
a user’s commands and tell the computer what to do. For example like MS-Word, MS-Excel,
PowerPoint, etc. The chart below describes the types of software:

In the diagram above of types of software. Now we will briefly describe each type and its
subtypes:

System Software
System software is software that directly operates the computer hardware and provides the basic
functionality to the users as well as to the other software to operate smoothly. Or in other words,

Types of Software

System Software Application Software

Language Processor Customized Software

General purpose E.g:-
Operating System And Device Driver E.g;- railways
MS-word,Photoshop
E.g:- windows etc. E.g:- Interpreter reservation system
etc.
etc. etc.

system software basically controls a computer’s internal functioning and also controls hardware
devices such as monitors, printers, and storage devices, etc. It is like an interface between
hardware and user applications, it helps them to communicate with each other because hardware
understands machine language (i.e.1 or 0) whereas user applications are work in human-readable
languages like English, Hindi, German, etc. so system software converts the human-readable
language into machine language and vice versa.
Features of system software:
Let us discuss some of the features of System Software:
1. System Software is closer to the computer system.
2. System Software is written in a low-level language in general.
3. System software is difficult to design and understand.
4. System software is fast in speed (working speed).
5. System software is less interactive for the users in comparison to application
software.

Types of system software:

It has two subtypes which are:

1. Operating System: It is the main program of a computer system. When the computer
system ON it is the first software that loads into the computer’s memory. Basically,
it manages all the resources such as memory, CPU, printer, hard disk, etc., and
provides an interface to the user, which helps the user to interact with the computer
system. It also provides various services to other computer software. Examples of
operating systems are Linux, Apple macOS, Microsoft Windows, etc.
2. Language Processor: As we know that system software converts the human-
readable language into a machine language and vice versa. So, the conversion is done
by the language processor. It converts programs written in high-level programming
languages like Java, C, C++, Python, etc(known as source code), into sets of
instructions that are easily readable by machines(known as object code or machine
code).
 3. Device Driver: A device driver is a program or software that controls a device and
helps that device to perform its functions. Every device like a printer, mouse, modem,
etc. needs a driver to connect with the computer system eternally. So, when you
connect a new device with your computer system, first you need to install the driver
of that device so that your operating system knows how to control or manage that
device.

Application Software
Software that performs special functions or provides functions that are much more than the basic
operation of the computer is known as application software. Or in other words, application
software is designed to perform a specific task for end-users. It is a product or a program that is
designed only to fulfill end-users’ requirements. It includes word processors, spreadsheets,
database management, inventory, payroll programs, etc.
Features of application software:
Let us discuss some of the features of Application Software:
❖ An important feature of application software is it performs more specialized tasks
like word processing, spreadsheets, email, etc.
❖ Mostly, the size of the software is big, so it requires more storage space.
❖ Application software is more interactive for the users, so it is easy to use and design.
❖ The application software is easy to design and understand.
❖ Application software is written in a high-level language in general.

Types of application software:

There are different types of application software and those are:
 General Purpose
Software

Application Customized
Software Software

Utility Software

1. General Purpose Software: This type of application software is used for a

variety of tasks and it is not limited to performing a specific task only. For
example, MS-Word, MS-Excel, PowerPoint, etc.
2. Customized Software: This type of application software is used or designed to
perform specific tasks or functions or designed for specific organizations. For
example, railway reservation system, airline reservation system, invoice
management system, etc.
3. Utility Software: This type of application software is used to support the
computer infrastructure. It is designed to analyze, configure, optimize and
maintains the system, and take care of its requirements as well. For example,
antivirus, disk fragmenter, memory tester, disk repair, disk cleaners, registry
cleaners, disk space analyzer, etc.