SOFTWARE
What is SOFTWARE?
• Computer software is defined as the
programs that control the computer system.
Software includes the operating system,
system utilities, computer languages, and
computer applications.
• The software components of a computer
system are the intangible parts:
– the data
– the computer programs
Two types of software
• Application Software - Performs useful work
on general-purpose tasks.
• System Software - Includes all programs that
help the computer function properly. Enables
the application software to interact with the
computer and helps the computer manage its
internal and external resources.
Application Software
Document Production Software
• This software assist you with composing,
editing, designing and printing an
electronically publishing documents.
– Word Processing Software - It has replaced
typewriters for producing documents such as
reports, letters, papers, and manuscripts. Word
processing software gives you the ability to
create, spell-check, edit, and format a document
on the screen before you commit it to paper.
• MS Word, Notepad, WordPad
– Desktop Publishing Software - Provides more
sophisticated features to help you produce
professional-quality output for newspapers,
newsletters, brochures, magazines and books.
• MS Publisher, Adobe Pagemaker, Print Artist
– Web Authoring Software - Helps you design and
develop customized Web pages that you can
publish electronically on the Internet.
• Dreamweaver, MS Frontpage
Spreadsheet Software
• A spreadsheet uses rows and columns of
numbers to create a model or representation of
a real situation. It provides tools to create
electronic spreadsheets.
• You can use it to make other calculations too,
based on simple equations that you write, or
more complex, built-in formulas.
• Spreadsheet software helps you turn your data
into a variety of graphs and charts.
• MS Excel
Data Management Software
• Data management software helps you to
store, find, organize, update and report
information.
• DBMS is designed for creating and
manipulating the multiple files that form a
database. It is very important tool for
business, government and educational
institutions.
• MS Access, Visual Foxpro, MySQL, Oracle
Graphics Software
• In computer lingo, the term graphics refers to
any picture, drawing, sketch, photograph,
image, or icon that appears on your
computer screen.
• Graphics software is designed to help you
create, display, modify, manipulate, and print
graphics.
– Paint software - Sometimes called “image editing
software” provides a set of electronic pens,
brushes, and paints for painting images on the
screen.
• Graphic artists, web page designers, photographers, and
illustrators use paint software as their primary computer-
based graphic tool.
• Adobe Photoshop, Paint, MS Picture Manager
– Photo Editing software - Includes features specially
designed to fix poor quality photos by modifying
contrast and brightness, cropping out unwanted
objects, and removing “red-eye”.
– Drawing software - Provides a set of lines,
shapes, and colors that can be assembled into
diagrams, corporate logos and schematics. The
drawings created with this type of software tend
to have a “flat” carton-like quality, but they are
easy to modify, and look good at just about any
size.
– 3D graphics software - Provides a set of tools for
creating “wireframes” that represent three-
dimensional objects.
• CAD software (Computer-Aided Design)
Music Software
• Audio editing software typically includes
playback as well as recording capabilities.
– Ear Training software - Targets musicians and
music students who want to learn to play by ear,
develop tuning skills, recognizes notes and keys,
and develop other musical skills.
– Notation Software - It is the musician’s equivalent
of a word processor. It helps musicians
compose, edit, and print the notes for their
compositions.
– Computer-aided music software - Is used by non-
musicians that helps generate unique musical
compositions simply by selecting the musical
style, instruments, key and tempo.
– MIDI Sequencing software - Is an important part
of the studio musician’s toolbox just like software
synthesizers. They’re great for sound effects,
and for controlling keyboards and other digital
instruments.
Video-Editing Software
• It provides a set of tools for transferring video
footage from a camcorder to a computer,
clipping out unwanted footage, assembling
video segments in any sequence, adding
special visual effects and adding a
soundtrack.
Educational and Reference Software
• It helps you learn and practice new skills.
For the younger students, educational
software teaches basic arithmetic and
reading skills and others. Instruction is
presented in game format and the level’s of
play are adapted to the player’s age and
ability.
– Encarta Encyclopedia
System Software
Operating System (OS)
• The most important type of system software.
• The operating system is designed to work
with a specific type of hardware, such as PC
or Macintosh.
• Its most important role lies in coordinating the
various functions of the computer’s
hardware.
• The operating system also provides support
for running application software.
Utility programs
• Utility programs are generally used to
support, enhanced, or expand existing
programs in a computer system.
• Examples:
– Anti-virus Software - scan for computer viruses
among files and folders.
– System profiler - can provide detailed information
about the software installed and hardware
attached to the computer.
– Disk defragmenters. Examples include:
• Disk defragmenter which can detect computer files
whose contents have been stored on the hard disk in
disjointed fragments, and move the fragments together
to increase efficiency;
• Disk checker can scan the contents of a hard disk to find
files or areas that are corrupted in some way, or were
not correctly saved, and eliminate them for a more
efficiently operating hard drive;
• Disk cleaner can find files that unnecessary to computer
operation, or take up considerable amounts of space.
Disk cleaner helps the user to decide what to delete
when their hard disk is full.
Device Drivers
• Device drivers help the computer control a
peripheral device.
• Examples:
• Drivers for sound and video cards
• Drivers for motherboards
• Drivers for peripheral devices such as
• Printers
• USB Flash disks
• Web Cameras
• Scanners
Language Translators
• Assembler – translate symbolic instruction
codes of programs into a machine language.
• TASM
• Compiler – translates high level language
statements of a program into machine
language instructions the computer can
execute.
• Interpreter – a special type of compiler that
translates one statement at a time.
