Software

Software

• Software refers to programs that control the operation of a computer or the processing of electronic data

Application Software

• Application software provides the services that users require to solve a task

• E.g.:

• Word processing: creating and editing text documents

• Spreadsheet: organising and analysing data in a grid format

• Database management systems: storing, retrieving and managing data in databases

• Control/measurement: uses sensors to measure and control a system

• Applets and apps: specialised software for specific tasks

• Video editing: creating and modifying video files

• Graphics editing: creating and modifying images

• Audio editing: creating and modifying sound files

• Computer Aided Design (CAD): designing and modelling objects in 2D or 3D

System Software

• System software provides the services that the computer requires to operate e.g.

• Compilers: translating high-level programming languages into machine code

• Linkers: combining object files into a single executable program

• Device drivers: controlling hardware components and peripherals

• Operating systems: managing the computer's resources and providing a user interface

• Utilities: tools for maintaining and optimising the computer's performance