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Software fundamentals COMPUTER hardware — the machine and its components — is designed to be as flexible as possible. By using computer programs, called software, you transform this hardware into a tool for a specific purpose. No matter which program is used, the machine itself performs only four basic operations — input, processing, output and storage. Software are of two types: system software and application software. Today’s complex computer programs such as Microsoft Word (a word processing program) consist of many separate programs that are designed to run together .In recognition to this fact, people sometimes speak of software packages. When you buy Microsoft Word, you are actually buying a software package rather than a single program. Based on the function of the package, a software package is divided into two categories: system software and application software. Computer literacy involves learning how to use both system and one or more application programs. Computers need system software to function. System software integrates the computer’s hardware components and provides tools for day-to-day maintenance tasks, such as displaying a list of the files contained on a disk. MS DOS, UNIX, Microsoft Windows ’98, and
System 7 are well-known system software. Application software turns the
computer into a tool for a specific task, such as writing. Some
application programs are special purpose programs, which perform a
specific task for single profession. Other application programs are
called general purpose programs. Millions of persons use these for a
variety of tasks. Commonly used programs are:
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