Software

SOFTWARE:

- is the non-physical components of the computer that are intangible in nature.

Categories of Software:

1. System Software – refers to the programs that assists in the computer operations in general thereby facilitating of applications programs.

Types of System software:

• Operating Systems – refers to a group of related programs that supervise the execution of an application program.

• Operating Environment- refers to programs that sit on top of OS.

• Utilities – a single term for all types of programming aids.

• Programming languages – the programs used to write other programs

• Language processor – known as translators, used to convert source program into a form suitable for execution

❖ Compilers – it translates programs written in high-level languages into machine instructions understandable by the computer.

❖ Assemblers – it translate the source program written in Assembly language

❖ Interpreters – it performs each instructions immediately after translation.

2. Application Software – user programs designed to solve problems such as those use in business, engineering and scientific research

Types of Application software:

• Package programs – commonly called ‘application package’ which are useful to several users.

Types of Package programs:

❖ Word processing software – it allows inserting, deleting, storing m restoring and printing of documents. Ex. MS Word, Wordstar, Wordperfect

❖ Desktop Publishing software – combines hardware and software to enable the user to combine text and images on the same page in a professional, publishable format for printing. Ex. Pagemaker, Adobe

❖ Spreadsheet Software – allows the user to create worksheets/tables of data for financial analysis. Ex. MS Excel,...