Softwares are logical components of computer, which can’t be seen and touched. Software’s are used to run the computer in efficient manner without software; computer is like a vehicle without fuel. These are four major types of software:

  • System Software.
  • Application Software.
  • Utility Software and Service Program.

System Software:

System software’s are those which are provided by manufacturers to the user. It is used to control the computer system and increase computer performance.

Various categories of system software are:

  • Operating Systems.
  • Translators.
  • Simulators.
  • Emulators.

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Operating System (OS):

Operating System provides interaction between user and computer system. It manages resources and operations of computer.

Translators:

Translators are used to convert the source program to object program or to binary machine language which is directly understandable by the computer.

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The major types of translators are:

  • Assemblers.
  • Compilers.
  • Interpreter.

Assemblers:

Assembler translates Assembly language mnemonics codes into machine code, and symbolic address into actual machine address.

Compilers:

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Compiler translates the whole of the high level source program into machine code object program. The high level source program may be FORTRAN, COBOL and C program etc.

Interpreters:

Interpreter converts the source program to object program, one instruction at a time. It completely translates and executes each instruction before it goes into the next execution of a program through interpreter slower than the execution of that program through compiler.

Simulators:

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Simulators refer to represent certain features of the behaviour of a physical or abstract system by the behaviour of another system. Simulators are program developed to apply the process of simulation.

Emulators:

Emulate means to imitate one system with another, such that the imitating system accepts the same data, execute the same program and achieves the same results as the limited system e.g. Emulator translates one high level language to another, say a program written in C to Pascal.

Application Software:

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Application programs are generally provided by computer manufacturer or supplier. In many cases user produces his own application program. An Application program can be called as a job which further divided into tasks.

Application software can be classified into user application programs, and Application packages. User application programs are written by any user in any order to perform a specific job; these programs are written by using variety of programming languages like C, C++, and COBOL etc.

Application packages are used to solve business problem. Manufactures and specialist software’s write some standard application packages for solving user problems e.g. stock control, sales ordering, network analysis, office maintenance etc.

By using Application package development cost is usually shared by developers and users, it supports user needs.