Are there different types of software?

Software is a means by which computer systems communicate with users. There are different ways of classifying the types of software, with the major software identified: system, programming, and application software. This article provides insight to the different types of software.

What is software?

Define computer software Broadly, software is defined as a collection of computer programs and related data that provides instructions for the computer hardware, to function. Software includes computer programs procedures and related documentation of the data processing system to be operational. Overview of computer software In 1958, American statistician John Tukey first used the term 'software' which at the very basic level consists of a machine language characterized by binary values specifying processor instructions. Computer software enables the computer system to perform in accordance with the given tasks. It involves all types of software related applications.

Types of computer software

There are various ways of classifying the types of computer software. The main types of software used in computer networking are: system software, programming software and application software. Others well-known software are utility, data backup and recovery, firmware, programming languages, programming tools, and test ware. System software It is the language for the computer hardware that helps in running the operating system. It is a collection of operating systems, from drivers to systems utilities. It helps application programmers with computer’s memory and internal complexities. Programming software It is used by programmers to develop the programming languages necessary to run computer software. Examples are compilers, interpreters and linkers. Application software It enables the end-users computer applications to accomplish specific tasks. Examples of application software are Visio, word processors, video games, business software, inventory management software, and databases. Utility software It helps in management of computer hardware and application software. Typical examples are disk defragmenters, systems utilities and virus scanners. Data backup and disaster recovery software It provides functions for copying of data files. It serves as support to user needs in relation to data and files backup and disaster recovery by preserving the original files, and allowing an easy retrieval of the data backed up.
Firmware It is low-level software stored on programmable memory devices. It is treated like hardware and run by other software programs. Programming languages This software are for writing computer programs. They define the syntax and semantics of computer programs. Examples are COBOL, PL1, FORTRAN. Later applications are written in more sophisticated programming languages. Programming Tools They help conduct computing tasks depending on software categories. So, for programmers, these could be debugging tools, and for systems and design, these could be systems design tools. Test ware This is used in different types of testing a software package.