Hardware/Software - Software

Computers need software to actually do anything. The software tells the various parts of the computer what to do, and when. There are two types of software:

  • operating system software (such as Windows98, Windows ME , Windows 2000, and Windows XP)
    The operating system, is the software that administraters the computer.
  • application software (like Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Access)
    Application software is the software that let's you complete your work on the computer like word processing, spreedsheets, databases.

The difference between operating system and application program is not always clearly defined. What is called an application in one system may be considered part of the operating system in another.

We'll go into more detail on each type of software later.

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These pages were written by Steven H. VanderLeest and Jeffrey Nyhoff and edited by Nancy Zylstra
©2005 Calvin College, All Rights Reserved

If you encounter technical errors, contact rit@calvin.edu.