What is Software

Software can simply be defined as the coded instructions that are sent to the computer, which when received by the computer, carries out the tasks the user desires. The commands govern the operation of the computer and all the programs that run on the computer at a given time. Every program installed on your computer is made up of some coded material. This is what the computer reads and carries out the commands required of it during the utilization of the program. The types of computer software can be categorized into three:

1. System software

Also referred to as operating system, it is the software used by the computer to convert and translate inputs from different sources into a machine language. It is the task of an OS to organize the hardware components of a computer. It is also the System software offers a shield of protection to all the other software applications. With the OS, support is also provided to the physical components of computers. Many Os exist in the market. The windows operating system is one that has made a lot of wave in the system software industry. Other operating systems also abound. Among these is UNIX, which is used for large office setups with powerful networks. We also have HP -UX and AIX, used by HP computers. Apache OS is also popular especially with web servers. And of course Linux which is derived from Unix and is making great inroads into the home PC market

2. Application software:

Application software is any software that runs on a computer but is not part of the operating system. Application software covers almost all the day-to -day activities done with the computer. Some examples of application software are Microsoft Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, Outlook and Internet explorer. Then there are the free equivalents of OpenOffice, Mozilla Firefox and Thunderbird, and many others.

3. Programming language software:

These types of computer software are exclusively used by computer programmers. A programming language is a set instructions used for creating application software and operating system. Basic tools used by the programming software are Compilers, interpreters, linkers and text editors. Examples of this kind of software are C, C++, C#, Simlab and Java. Java is a programming language for internet applications. Most professional program developers use the C++ language. The older languages such as FORTRAN, Pascal and ADA are still used but usually not in Microsoft Windows environments. The program can also be used in developing operating systems. PHP is another language used for internet applications. A new class of languages now exists for the mobile devices. These are light weight languages used for designing mobile applications.