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Computer Software

System software directly operates computer hardware and provides basic functionality to users and other software. It includes operating systems, language processors, and device drivers. Operating systems manage computer resources and provide interfaces. Language processors convert human-readable code into machine-readable code. Device drivers control and manage devices like printers. System software is closer to hardware, written in low-level languages, and less interactive than application software which performs specialized tasks.

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Ammaz Hashmi
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74 views

Computer Software

System software directly operates computer hardware and provides basic functionality to users and other software. It includes operating systems, language processors, and device drivers. Operating systems manage computer resources and provide interfaces. Language processors convert human-readable code into machine-readable code. Device drivers control and manage devices like printers. System software is closer to hardware, written in low-level languages, and less interactive than application software which performs specialized tasks.

Uploaded by

Ammaz Hashmi
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Computer Software

Software is a set of instructions, data or programs used to operate computers


and execute specific tasks. It is the opposite of hardware, which describes the
physical aspects of a computer. Software is a generic term used to refer to
applications, scripts and programs that run on a device. It can be thought of
as the variable part of a computer, while hardware is the invariable part.
The two main categories of software are
Application software
System software
An application is software that fulfills a specific need or performs tasks.
System software is designed to run a computer's hardware and provides a
platform for applications to run on top of.
Other types of software include programming software, which provides the
programming tools software developers need; middleware, which sits between
system software and applications; and driver software, which operates
computer devices and peripherals.
Early software was written for specific computers and sold with the hardware it
ran on. In the 1980s, software began to be sold on floppy disks, and later on
CDs and DVDs. Today, most software is purchased and directly downloaded
over the internet. Software can be found on vendor websites or application
service provider.
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, 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 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 three subtypes which are


1.Operating systems
2.Language processors
3.Device driver

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.

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).
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:


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.
Difference between system software and application software

Now, let us discuss some difference between system software and application software:

System Software Application Software

It is designed to manage the resources It is designed to fulfill the requirements


of the computer system, like memory of the user for performing specific
and process management, etc. tasks.

Written in a low-level language Written in a high-level language

Less interactive for the users More interactive for the users

System software plays vital role for the Application software is not so
effective functioning of a system. important for the functioning of the
system, as it is task specific.

It is independent of the application It needs system software to run.


software to run.

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