Software is a set of instructions, data or programs used to operate computers and execute specific tasks. Opposite of hardware, which describes the physical aspects of a computer, software is a generic term used to refer to applications, scripts and programs that run on a device. Software can be thought of as the variable part of a computer, and hardware the invariable part.
Typically, there are two major classifications of software, namely System Software and Application Software.
1. System Software
A system software aids the user and the hardware to function and interact with each other. Basically, it is a software to manage computer hardware behavior so as to provide basic functionalities that are required by the user. In simple words, we can say that system software is an intermediator or a middle layer between the user and the hardware. These computer software sanction a platform or environment for the other software to work in. This is the reason why system software is very important in managing the entire computer system. When you first turn on the computer, it is the system software that gets initialized and gets loaded in the memory of the system. The system software runs in the background and is not used by the end-users. This is the reason why system software is also known as ‘low-level software’. Some examples are : operating system, device drivers, firmware, programming language translators, utility etc.
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| Android operating system |
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| MAC OS |
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| Windows 10 |
2. Application Software
Application software, also known as end-user programs or productivity programs are software that helps the user in completing tasks such as doing online research, jotting down notes, setting an alarm, designing graphics, keeping an account log, doing calculations or even playing games. They lie above the system software. Unlike system software, they are used by the end-user and are specific in their functionality or tasks and do the job that they are designed to do. For example, a browser is an application designed specifically for browsing the internet or MS Powerpoint is an application used specifically for making presentations. Application software or simply apps can also be referred to as non-essential software as their requirement is highly subjective and their absence does not affect the functioning of the system. All the apps that we see on our mobile phones are also examples of application software. Various types of application software include word processors, database software, multimedia software, education and reference software, graphics software, web browsers and many more.
Educational software is a term used for any computer software which is made for an educational purpose. It encompasses different ranges from language learning software to classroom management software to reference software, etc. The purpose of all this software is to make some part of education more effective and efficient.An educational software can be either a basic application software or a specialized application software.
Some very common examples of basic software applications available for academic use are - word processors, spreadsheets, Database Management Systems (DBMS), presentation graphics etc.
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Google Sheets
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Microsoft Office 2016
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Microsoft Powerpoint
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| MySQL Database |
Along with several basic applications,a lot of specialized apps are widely used all over the world for different educational purposes. For example - image editors, illustration programs, image galleries, graphic suites, multimedia, web authoring programs, Artificial Intelligence (AI), mobile apps and a lot more.
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| Adobe Director |
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| Adobe Dreamweaver |
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| Adobe Illustrator |
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| Adobe Photoshop |
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| CorelDraw Graphics Suite 2019 |
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| MS Office Clip Art images |
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| Use of virtual reality in a classroom |
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Zoom
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For knowing about more apps useful for learning and teaching, you can watch the video in the link below -
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