A software is basically a collection of inter-related program telling the computer what to do. Software is the computerised instructions that operate the computer, execute particular functions or tasks, and manipulate the data. For software (the instructions) to perform various functions, it must be programmed. That is, the instructions need to be written in a programming language that the computer can understand. Without a program, a computer is useless.


There are two kinds of software - System software and Application software.

System Software

System software is computer software designed to operate the computer hardware and to provide and maintain a platform for running application software.

The most basic types of system software are:

  • The computer BIOS (Basic Input Output system) and device firmware, which provide basic functionality to operate and control the hardware connected to or built into the computer.
  • The operating system (prominent examples being Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X and Linux), which allows the parts of a computer to work together by performing tasks like transferring data between memory and disks or rendering output onto a display device. It also provides a platform to run high-level system software and application software.
  • Utility software, which helps to analyze, configure and maintain the computer.
Application Software

Application Software allows end users to accomplish one or more specific tasks. Typical applications include office automation, business software, educational software, medical software, databases and computer games. These software are the general-purpose software. A variety of application software are available as package software. You can readily purchase these softwares from the market or the Web. A software package is a specific software product, such as Microsoft office. Many software packages are also available as shareware, freeware and public domain software.

Application software include applications for the following functions:

  • Word processing is the most common application software. The great advantage of word processing over using a typewriter is that you can make changes without retyping the entire document. Word processors make it easy to manipulate and format documents.
  • Spreadsheets are computer programs that let people electronically create and manipulate spreadsheets (tables of values arranged in rows and columns with predefined relationships to each other). Spreadsheets are used for mathematical calculations such as accounts, budgets, statistics and so on. 
  • Database management applications are computer programs that let people create and manipulate data in a database. A database is a collection of related information that can be manipulated and used to sort information, conduct statistical analysis or generate reports.
  • Presentation packages and graphics are computer programs that enable users to create highly stylised images for slide presentations and reports. They can also be used to produce various types of charts and graphs. Many software applications include graphics components including ; paint program, desktop publishing applications and so on.
  • Communications applications typically include software to enable people to send faxes and emails and dial into other computers.