COMPUTER SOFTWARE
The word software collectively
refers to various kinds of programs used to operate computers and related
devices. A program is a sequence of instructions that a computer can
interpret and execute. Programs can be built into the hardware itself, or
they may exist independently in a form known as software. Hardware describes the
physical components of computers and related devices.
Software may be
distributed on floppy disks, CD-ROMs, and on the Internet. It is usually stored
on an external long-term memory device, such as a hard drive or magnetic
diskette. When the program is in use, the computer reads it from the storage
device and temporarily places the instructions in random access memory
(RAM). The process of
fetching and then performing the instructions is called “running”, or “executing”,
a program. Software programs and procedures that are permanently stored in a
computer’s read-only memory (ROM) are called firmware.
The two main types of
software are System Software and Application Software. Application
software consists of programs that are aimed to help users in solving particular
computing problems. Microsoft Internet Explorer for web browsing, Adobe Photoshop
for developing computer graphics, Yahoo Messenger for instant messaging all
lies in the application software category. The other class of software is the system
software, which encompasses the programs that heavily interact with
computer resources and provide services to other programs. Popular examples in
this are Operating Systems (OS), hardware drivers, compiler etc.
SYSTEM SOFTWARE
