Software that controls particular hardware attached to a computer system is called
Typically, the software is divided into two categories: system software and application software. 1. System SoftwareA system software aids the user and the hardware to function and interact with each other. Basically, it is software to manage computer hardware behaviour so as to provide basic functionalities that are required by the user. In simpler terms, device software serves as an intermediary or middle layer between the user and the hardware. The system program is initialized and loaded into the system memory when you first switch on the device. End-users are not aware of the device program, which runs in the background. Device software is often referred to as "low-level software" because of this. Some common system software examples are: Operating System: The most well-known example of System Software is the operating system. It is a collection of software that manages resources and offers general services to other applications that run on top of them. Despite the fact that each Operating System is unique, the majority of them have a Graphical User Interface (GUI) from which a user can access files and directories as well as perform other tasks. An operating system is required for any computer, whether it is a desktop, laptop, or cell phone, to provide basic functionality. Since an operating system decides how a user communicates with a system, many users choose to use a single OS for their computer. Real-time, embedded, distributed, multiuser, single-user, internet, mobile, and many other forms of operating systems exist. Before selecting an operating system, it is important to understand the hardware requirements. Following are some examples of operating systems: Android iOS CentOS MS Windows Mac OS Ubuntu Linux. Device drivers: This is a form of software that controls specific hardware attached to a computer device. Displays, sound cards, printers, keyboards, and hard disks are examples of hardware devices that need a driver to connect to a machine. Furthermore, device drivers are divided into two categories: kernel device drivers and user device drivers. The following are some examples of system drivers: Display Drivers and BIOS Drivers Drivers for Motherboards Drivers for printers Drivers for ROMs Driver for sound card Drivers for USB devices Drivers for USB devices Drivers for Video Graphics Cards Drivers for Video Graphics Cards Drivers for Virtual Devices Firmware: The program that is permanently stored in read-only memory. It's a series of instructions that are permanently stored on a piece of hardware. It contains crucial details about the device's interactions with other hardware. Firmware is classified as "semi-permanent" because it stays unchanged until upgraded with a firmware updater. The following are some examples of firmware: BIOS (Biological Information System) Computer Accessory Apps for Consumers Embedded Systems are programs that run on a computer. UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface Programming Language Translators: These are intermediary programs that enable software to convert high-level language code to machine-level code. The translators also do the following in addition to simplifying the code: Assign a data storage location Make a list of the source code as well as the program's specifications. Make diagnostic reports available. Correct system failures when the program is running. Interpreters, compilers, and assemblers are examples of programming language translators. Utility: Software is intended to assist in the analysis, optimization, configuration, and maintenance of a computer system. It serves as a backbone for the computer network. This program analyzes how an operating system works before deciding on a course to improve the system's performance. Antivirus software, disk cleanup and management software, compression software, defragmenters, and other utility software are all examples of utility software. The following are some examples of utility tools: Avast Antivirus is a free antivirus program. Opus Directory McAfee Antivirus is an antivirus program developed by McAfee. CCleaner by Piriform Cortex by Razer WinRAR Windows File Explorer WinZip is a program that allows you to compress files. 2. Application SoftwareApplication software, also known as end-user applications or productivity programs, assists users in completing tasks such as conducting online research, taking notes, setting an alarm, creating graphics, maintaining an account log, performing calculations, and even playing games. They are located above the operating system applications. Unlike system software, they are used by the end-user and are specific in their functionality or tasks and do the job that they are designed to do. For example, a browser is an application designed specifically for browsing the internet or MS Powerpoint is an application used specifically for making presentations. Application Software or simply apps can also be referred to as non-essential software as their requirement is highly subjective and their absence does not affect the functioning of the system. All the apps that we see on our mobile phones are also examples of Application Software. There is certain software that is exclusively made for app development like Meteor and Flutter. These are examples of Application software too. There are various types of application software: Word Processors: These applications for documentation. Along with that it also helps in storing, formatting and printing these documents. Some examples of word processors are: Abiword Apple iWork- Pages Corel WordPerfect Google Docs MS Word Database Software: This software is used to create and manage a database. It is also known as the Database management system or DBMS. They help with the organization of data. Some examples of DBMS are: Clipper dBase FileMaker FoxPro MS Access MySQL Multimedia Software: It is the software that is able to play, create or record images, audio or video files. They are used for video editing, animation, graphics, and image editing, Some examples of Multimedia Software are: Adobe Photoshop Inkscape Media Monkey Picasa VLC Media Player Windows Media Player Windows Movie Maker Education and Reference Software: These types of software are specifically designed to facilitate learning on a particular subject. There are various kinds of tutorial software that fall under this category. They have also termed academic software. Some examples are: Delta Drawing GCompris Jumpstart titles KidPix MindPlay Tux Paint Graphics Software: As the name suggests, Graphics Software has been devised to work with graphics as it helps the user to edit or make changes in visual data or images. It comprises of picture editors and illustration software. Some examples are: Adobe Photoshop Autodesk Maya Blender Carrara CorelDRAW GIMP Modo PaintShop Pro Web Browsers: These applications are used to browse the internet. They help the user in locating and retrieving data across the web. Some examples of web browsers are: Google Chrome Internet Explorer Microsoft Edge Mozilla Firefox Opera Safari UC Browser Other than these, all the software that serves a specific purpose fall under the category of Application Software. However, there exists one more classification of the software. The software can also be classified based on its availability and sharability. This classification is as given below: 1. FreewareFreeware software is available without any cost. Any user can download it from the internet and use it without paying any fee. However, freeware does not provide any liberty for modifying the software or charging a fee for its distribution. Examples are: Adobe Reader Audacity ImgBurn Recuva Skype Team Viewer Yahoo Messenger 2. SharewareIt is software that is freely distributed to users on a trial basis. It usually comes with a time limit and when the time limit expires, the user is asked to pay for the continued services. There are various types of shareware like Adware, Donationware, Nagware, Freemium, and Demoware (Cripplewareand Trialware). Some examples of shareware are: Adobe Acrobat Getright PHP Debugger Winzip 3. Open-sourceThese kinds of software are available to users with the source code which means that a user can freely distribute and modify the software and add additional features to the software. Open-Source software can either be free or chargeable. Some examples of open-source software are: Apache Web Server GNU Compiler Collection Moodle Mozilla Firefox Thunderbird 4. SoftwareThey are also known as Closed-source software. These types of applications are usually paid and have intellectual property rights or patents over the source code. The use of these is very restricted and usually, the source code is preserved and kept as a secret. |