Question

1. In details, explain the two types of software?

Answer 1

Two types of software are System software and Application software. This classification is based on the level of direct hardware access & control exercised by a software. The details of these two types of software are given below:

1. System Software: System Software provides a platform for running application software. The most prominent examples of system software are operating systems like Windows & Linux. This type of software interacts directly with the computer hardware and provides an abstraction layer for application software so that application software does not directly have to deal with and manage the computer hardware.

2. Application Software: Application software provide specific functionalities & utilities for end users like spreadsheets, text editors, Image editing software, media players and so on. These software do not directly control or manage the computer hardware but rather take help of system software for this purpose.

However, it should be noted that the difference between system software such as operating systems and application software is not exact and can be subjective at times. For example, software like Integrated development environments (IDEs), compilers, Interpreters, Antivirus software & Firewalls can be classified in either of the two categories depending on the context.