Software

Software is the programs and instructions that tell the computer what to do. The programmer is a person who understands the problem or task the computer is supposed to work on and can translate it into the language the computer understands. This process is called programming. Programmers, in the programming process, create software.

Computer software takes two forms. One is system software, which controls the computer's primary operations. The system software we most commonly come in contact with is called the operating system which, among other jobs, controls the programs we use to accomplish our tasks.

The other form computer software takes is application software, the programs we use to produce useful work. This might be a bicycle parts inventory management application program or a zoological classification application program. There are applications for many thousands of interests and needs. The three most commonly used for personal productivity, schoolwork, and business are:

■ Word processing, which lets you create and revise your writing.

■ The spreadsheet, which lets you perform a variety of accounting and mathematical calculations.

■ The database management system (DBMS), which lets you organize and obtain data stored in one or more databases.

Therefore, programmers create the application software that we use to issue instructions to the computer in order to perform various tasks. The tasks we perform are often referred to as procedures, a set of clearly defined steps. When those procedures are applied to working with data, the result is information that we and others find useful in a variety of ways.

Knowledge Check:

1. What is data processing?

2. What are the two types of computer operations?

3. What are the five data processing steps?

4. What are the two kinds of software?