COMPUTER SOFTWARE

• Computer software is a set of instructions for a computer to perform specific operations. 

• You need both hardware and software for a computer system to work.

• Software is capable of performing many tasks, as opposed to hardware which can only perform mechanical tasks that they are designed for. 

• Software provides the means for accomplishing many different tasks with the same basic hardware. 

Practical computer systems divide software systems into two major classes:

• System software: Helps run the computer hardware and computer system itself. System software includes operating systems, device drivers, diagnostic tools and more. System software is almost always pre-installed on your computer.

• Application software: Allows users to accomplish one or more tasks. It includes word processing, web browsing and almost any other task for which you might install software. (Some application software is pre-installed on most computer systems.)

  Software	Examples
  Antivirus	AVG, Housecall, McAfee, Norton
  Audio / Music program	iTunes, WinAmp
  Database	Access, MySQL, SQL
  Device drivers	Computer drivers
  E-mail	Outlook, Thunderbird
  Game	Madden NFL Football, Quake, World of Warcraft
  Internet browser	Firefox, Google Chrome, Internet Explorer
  Movie player	VLC, Windows Media Player
  Operating system	Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, Windows
  Photo / Graphics program	Adobe PhotoShop, CorelDRAW
  Presentation	PowerPoint
  Programming language	C++, HTML, Java, Perl, Visual Basic (VB)
  Simulation	Flight simulator, SimCity
  Spreadsheet	Excel
  Utility	Compression, Disk Cleanup, Encryption, Registry cleaner, Screen saver
  Word processor	Word