hardware
word used for the physical components of a computer system
peripherals
external devices
input devices
peripherals used to provide data and control signals to a computer system
output devices
peripherals that reproduce or display data or information from a computer system
software
the programs that provide the instructions to control the computer hardware components
application software
provides a tool for a specific purpose
system software
controls the hardware
utility software
helps configure and maintain the computer
application software
designed to perform tasks a user wants to complete (e.g. writing an email)
general purpose software
software that can be used for a variety of tasks
special purpose software
software that can only be used for a one particular task
bespoke software
software that is developed to meet the users specific requirement
system software
controls the hardware of a computer system
operating systems
software that supports a computers basic functions
utility software
category of system software that supports a computer system in operating as safely and efficiently as possible
compression utility software
software specifically responsible for decompressing/compressing files you have saved on your device
disk defragmenter
software that looks at all the data on a hard drive and re-organises it, so that related data is stored together
encryption
the process of using an algorithm to convert plain text into cipher text
encryption utility software
software responsible for both applying the encryption algorithms as well as decrypting data using an encryption key
malware
malicious software designed to cause damage to computer systems, corrupt, steal data or cause disruption of services