Software is a major part of a computer system. Without software, computers will just collect dust. Software plays a major role in the functioning of computer hardware and in solving user needs.
In this Lesson, the software concept is introduced both
from the system and application sides. As
part of this, the software licenses are also covered.
What is Software?
Software is computer programs that tell computers what to do
and how. Computer programs are a sequence of instructions written in such a way
that they can perform a task. Computer program instructions are written by
using a computer language called a programming language. Each program performs
a specific task or a group of tasks. Software tells the hardware how to work,
what to do, and when to do it. Software is computer programs that tell
computers what to do and how. Software is, unlike hardware, an intangible part of
the computer. It consists of a sequence of commands, written according to
strict rules. Programs are written by programmers, in various programming
languages.
Categories of Software?
The software can be categorized as system software such as operating system, utility, or application programs, all expressed in a language your hardware understands. System software is required by the computer itself to operate while application software is required by users to solve their specific problems. Software needs to be accessed before it can be used. There are many terms used for the process of accessing software including running, executing, starting up, opening, and others. As well any document that you create, the graphic you design, the sound you compose, the file you make, the letter you write, the email you send, or anything that you create on your computer is referred to as software. Software is stored in form of files. Let see these Software Categories below:
System Software
System Software refers to the operating system and all utility programs that manage computer resources at a low level. They include operating systems, compilers, loaders, linkers, debuggers, and other utilities. Systems software consists of low-level programs that interact with the computer hardware at a very basic level. System software tells the computer how to interpret data and instructions.
It allows the user to interact with the computer. Operating System (OS) is the master control program that manages all computer resources. Without OS, all hardware would just sit there and collect dust. The operating system is a program that manages computer hardware.
Application Software
Application Software is a program or group of programs designed for end-users. They are programs designed for solving problems or performing a particular or predetermined task such as word processors (typing letters), Spreadsheet programs (financial info), and Database systems (inventory control and address book), graphics programs, Internet Browser, Email, desktop publishing, and accounting and personal finance. Users, according to his/her needs, install the appropriate utility software. Computer functions and tasks that computers can perform are defined by the installed utility software. Utility software can often cost more than computer hardware unless the software is open source.
Application software is made up of custom software (user-made software) and packaged software. Custom software is software that is specifically tailored to user needs. Many organizations have programmers who write custom software that is specifically tailored to the needs of the company. Ready-made software or packaged software or commercial software is software that you can buy from software companies or software vendors. The common utility software includes:
Text processing software is used for creating and forming
text documents and nowadays, they can contain images, charts, and tables.
Examples of such programs are OpenOffice.org Writer (OSS) and Microsoft Word
(proprietary software).
Spreadsheet calculations software is used for performing
various calculations and presentation of results in charts. Examples of such
programs are OpenOffice.org Calc Writer (OSS) and Microsoft Excel (proprietary
software).
Software for presentations is used to create professional
presentations that consist of slides with graphical and textual elements. Such
a presentation can afterward be displayed as a "slide show” by using a
projector. Examples of such programs are OpenOffice.org Impress (OSS) and
Microsoft PowerPoint (proprietary software).
Software for creating and managing databases helps to manage
a collection of structured data. Examples of such programs are OpenOffice.org
Base (OSS) and Microsoft Access (proprietary software).
Office programs - OpenOffice.org, Microsoft Office
Antivirus programs -Avira, Sophos, Kaspersky, etc.
Internet Browser- Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Internet
Explorer, Opera, Safari, etc.
Programs for image editing- Adobe Photoshop, Canvas, CorelDraw, Draw, etc.
Software Licenses
There are millions of different pieces of software available for almost every need. In terms of its availability, the software can be categorized as commercial and open-source software. The commercial software comes with a business license through purchasing while the open-source software comes with a license under the GNU-GPL. The OSS (GNU-GPL) license allows anyone to use the software free of charge and free to modify. However, in OSS some restrictions may be provided such as software developed using OSS code may also be required to be open.
Some other OSS developers allow their source codes to be used without this restriction. The OSS-based license of GNU General Public License (GPL) is the reciprocal license which states that if you use OSS licensed under the GPL license, then you must make sure that the software is open source as well. Another OSS license is the Berkley Standard Distribution (BSD). The BSD license is the non-reciprocal license which states that you are not obliged to republish any changes or modifications made to the OSS code. This implies that the OSS code can even be included in the proprietary software. The organizations managing projects that use OSS should establish a logbook to record all downloaded OSS tools and their licenses, understand the type of license and its implications. S
some of the major issues when selecting any OSS-based application include assessing the maturity status, software scalability, growth, and integration and support issues. If you can’t find any existing OSS application that satisfies your requirements, software development companies can custom design software for you. Commercial software comes as pre-packaged and is available from software stores and through the Internet as well.
Various examples of OSS software based on their applicability include:
- Operating System such as Linux (Ubuntu, Fedora, Redhat, CentOS, etc)
- DBMS such as MySQL, Postgres.
- Human Resource Management Information System such as OrangeHRM.
- Library Management Information System such as KOHA.
- Word Processor such as OpenOffice Writer
- Electronic Spreadsheet such as OpenOffice Calc
- Financial Management Information System such as WebERP.
- Customer Relation Management Information System such as vTigerCRM
- Learning Management Information System such as MOODLE, ATUTOR.
- Software programming languages such as Java,
- Web browsers such as Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Opera,