How we create content and other things has changed in today’s world. A plethora of new, high-tech technologies paired with accessible software are available.
These tech products outline the specific way we choose to lead our lives, as even houses are starting to benefit from the availability of these technologies.
This has led to an increase in demand for custom software development.
There are numerous types of software, and it can be overwhelming for any individual who tries to join a conversation about software without the proper information.
It’s even more overwhelming for those who do not understand that there are different types of software, as they also do not know their uses thoroughly.
In this article, we have answered questions like what software is and what are the different software types that exist. Read further to learn more.
What is a Software?
Software or computer software is any program that enables users to carry out specific tasks or any unseen program used to operate their computers.
It functions as a tool to direct all of the peripheral devices on the whole computer system- what exactly the system should do and how exactly a task should be performed a task.
Software plays a significant mediator between the computer hardware and the user.
Without the necessary software, a computer user can not carry out any task on his computer.
A software product development company is a company that specializes in the development of software for users.
Types of Software
Generally, there are two primary classifications of software: System Software and Application Software.
Below is a detailed explanation of these software types.
1. System Software
System software’s primary responsibility is to help the user and the hardware function and seamlessly interact with each other.
Essentially, system software manages how computer hardware behaves to offer the basic functionalities the user requires.
This software sanctions a platform or an environment so that the other software can easily run.
Hence, it is important that system software manages the whole computer system.
Whenever you first turn on the computer, this system software gets initialized and loaded into the system’s memory.
A system software runs in the background, and the users do not utilize it.
For this reason, the system software is also popularly called the low-level software. Companies often hire the best software developers to create system software.
A few of the conventional system software examples are:
a. Operating System
An essential example of system software is a collection of software that handles resources and offers general services for applications that run over them.
There are various operating systems, such as real-time, embedded, distributed, mobile, single-user, multi-user, internet, and many more.
With full-stack web development services, apps can be developed to run on a mobile operating system like iOS and Android.
Some of the significant examples of operating systems include the following:
b. Device Drivers
This type of software controls specific hardware, mostly attached to the computer.
Different hardware devices, such as displays, sound cards, printers, hard disks, mice, and keyboards, require a driver to connect to a system easily.
A few of such drivers include:
- Motherboard Drivers
- BIOS Driver
- ROM Drivers
- Display Drivers
- Printer Drivers
- Sound Card Driver
- VGA Drivers
- USB Drivers
c. Firmware
Firmware is permanent software that is embedded in the computer’s read-only memory.
It is essentially a couple of instructions stored permanently on the device’s hardware.
It offers crucial information about how a specific device interacts with other hardware.
Below are some of the examples of firmware:
- Embedded Systems
- UEFI BIOS
- Computer Peripherals
d. Utility
These software are designed to assist with analyzing, optimizing, configuring, and maintaining a specific computer system.
It offers support for the computer’s infrastructure. Utility software includes management tools, disk cleanup, defragmenters, compression tools, anti-viruses, etc.
Below are some of the examples are:
- McAfee Antivirus
- Norton Antivirus
- WinRAR
- WinZip
- CCleaner
- Piriform
- Opus Razer Cortex
- Windows File Explorer Directory
2. Application Software
These are also popularly called end-user programs or productivity programs. They assist the user in completing different tasks, such as conducting online research, designing graphics, making notes, maintaining accounts, playing computer games, or even carrying out calculations.
They lie above the device system software. The end-user uses them and also has specific tasks or functionality which they are designed to carry out.
This software is usually developed using custom software development, which is based on the user’s requirements. There is a variety of app software.
Some of them include:
a. Word Processors
These are applications created especially for documentation. They also assist in storing, formatting, and printing documents.
Good examples of such kinds of software:
- Apple iWork-Pages
- MS Word
- Google Docs
- Corel WordPerfect
b. Database Software
This type of software, also known as database management software (DBMS), is used to create and manage a database.
Such software is helpful in the data organization. Below are some of the examples:
- FileMaker
- MS Access
- dBase
- MySQL
- FoxPro
- Clipper
c. Multimedia Software
This software is designed to play, create, and record images, videos, and audio files.
These software are used for animation, graphics, video editing, and even for image editing.
As you may already have guessed, this software is commonly used; thus, they are always in high demand.
Every company focused on software product development has great avenues for developing them.
Below are some of the examples of multimedia software:
- Picasa
- Adobe Photoshop
- VLC Media Player
- Windows Media Player
- Windows Movie Maker
d. Web Browsers
Web browsers are software used for browsing the Internet. They are designed to assist users in locating and retrieving data across the web.
Below are some of the significant examples of them:
- Mozilla Firefox
- Internet Explorer
- Google Chrome
- Opera
- UC Browser
- Safari
However, there is also another classification of this kind of software. It can be easily classified based on its availability and shareability.
Below is their classification:
1. Freeware
These are software programs that are available free of charge. This means that a user can easily download them from the Internet and use them without paying any extra fees or charges.
However, they do not allow users to modify the whole software or charge a specific price for its distribution.
A good software development company can easily create its freeware to offer services to more customers.
Some of the examples of popular freeware software are:
- Skype ImgBurn
- Adobe Reader
- Audacity Team Viewer
- Yahoo Messenger
2. Shareware
This software is freely distributed and can be enjoyed on a fixed trial basis.
It is generally offered with a set time limit, and when the time limit expires, the user is eventually required to pay a fixed fee to enjoy continued services.
You will have encountered different types of shareware, such as Donationware, Adware, Freemium, and Demoware.
Below are a few of the common examples of shareware:
- Getright
- Adobe
- PHP
- Acrobat
- Debugger
- WinZip
3. Open-source
These kinds of software are usually made available to users with their source code, which means that the user can easily modify and distribute the software with some additional features.
Moreover, these can either be free or chargeable. A few examples of such software include:
- Thunderbird
- Mozilla Firefox
- Collection Moodle
- Apache Web Server
- GNU Compiler
