Software

Software (programs)

• Computer instructions are designed to control the input, processing, storage and output.
• Step by step instructions.

Software may be classified as;

Examples

• Application

• System

• Development

• Responsible for running the computer (required to make the computer go).
• Interacts with application software
• Includes the Operating System programs
• Looks after communication with I/O devices.
• Does all the general purpose tasks.
• Interface between hardware and software.
• Detects hardware type and manages it's behaviour.

Examples

MS-DOS, MS-DOS with Windows, OS/2, Unix, Macintosh OS

• MS-DOS : You get in the car and try to remember where the keys are.
• Windows : You get in the car and drive to the supermarket very slowly, because a freight train is attached to the back of the car.
• Macintosh: You get in the car to drive to the supermarket, and the car drives you to church.
• OS/2: After fueling up with 6000 litres of petrol, you get in the car and drive to the supermarket with a motorcycle escort and a marching band in procession.

[71]NZ PC World Feb '93

• The instructions that enable the computer process your data.
• Completes tasks required by user.
• Provides a way for the user to do specific tasks.
• Interface between user and hardware.

Examples

• Wordprocessor, Spreadsheet, Database, Graphics, Communications, Accounting Package, CAD package, etc

• enables a programmer to write Application Software.

Examples

• COBOL, C, Pascal, BASIC, Prolog, Fortran, Ada, Modula-2,...etc