Classification of Software

Systems Software

Operating Systems

An operating system is software on a computer system that handles other software and hardware in the computer, like data storage, ordering of programs and inputs and outputs from peripherals. Operating systems provide useful features to computers, with many modern operating systems providing a GUI, mouse pointer, and folders for easy storage of files. An operating system is required to be able to use a computer.

Utility Programs

Utility software is system software designed to help analyze, configure, optimize or maintain a computer. It is a type of system software, used to support the computer infrastructure; by contrast with application software, which is aimed at directly performing tasks that benefit ordinary users.

Types of utilities

• Anti-virus- utilities scan for computer viruses.
  

• Archives- output a stream or a single file when provided with a directory or a set of files. Archive suites may include compression and encryption capabilities. Some archive utilities have a separate un-archive utility for the reverse operation.
  

• Backup software makes copies of all information stored on a disk and restore either the entire disk (e.g. in an event of disk failure) or selected files (e.g. in an event of accidental deletion).

Library Programs

Library programs are used for indexing and storing several types of data depending on the program. For example, libraries are used by programmers to be able to easily look through all available code for a program in one location.

Language Translators

A language translator takes one program written in a specific language and can produce a functioning version of that program in a different language, for example moving a program from C# to C++. Language translators can also transfer between higher level languages and even assembly language and machine code for different systems.

Application Software

General Purpose

General purpose software is every-day software used for basic tasks on a computer, such as word processing software like Microsoft Word, which can be used to write a number of various documents, but is also found on allot of computers. Most computers will have these pieces of software on them because they can be used for various tasks and not for one specific job or role.

Bespoke Software

Software developed privately for use solely by an organisation or company for a task by a developer. An example could be the software used at Tescos by the registers to identify products via bar code, show item stocks and process purchases, which would only be for Tesco, and other companies like Asda could use a similar system, but it wouldn't be the exact same as it would also be privately developed. Another example could be accountant. They use a piece of software called sage. This calculates revenue that business has made, sees all there sales records and also sends all of the data off to HMRC automatically. The average computer user wouldn't need to use these pieces of software as it isn't versatile and cant be used for different purposes.

Special Purpose

Special purpose software is software designed and developed for one specific task, and nothing else. Examples of this are software like anti-virus and firewall software that is only used to block specific data from the internet. Allot of these programs are usually sold with a computer or operating system, because they are good at doing what they're designed for and software like a firewall is fundamental to being safe online on a computer. There are many companies that offer these services like Avast and NOD32 but they don't need to be very versatile because they only do one thing. Some of these anti-virus packages also include other features but the main purpose is to stop viruses. Most computer users will have these pieces of software because it helps them to be safe online but they wont be used every day, in the sense of that the window wont be opened everyday, they will be sat in the background monitoring traffic and activity to keep the user safe on the internet.