Page 25 - Viva ICSE Computer Studies 5 : E-book

2 Types of Software

Learning Outcomes Let’s Learn About

Students will be able to • So ware and its Types
• System So ware
• defi ne the term ‘software’.
• Applica on So ware
• explain the types of software and their
• Diff erences between System So ware
purpose with examples.
and Applica on So ware
• diff erentiate between system software and
• Opera onal Support Systems (OSS)
application software.
• Defragmenta on
• back up fi les.
• scan the system/drive/fi le.

• use defragmentation utility.

Activity Corner

With the help of your teacher, fi nd out the working of a computer. Create a Word document stating
how a computer functions.

Computers once could be used only by people who knew computer programming.
But now, anybody can use a computer to accomplish powerful tasks without being
aware of programming. This is possible because of the progress made in the fi eld of
computer software.

Software and Its Types

The term software refers to a set of computer programs that are needed to run or

operate a computer system eff ectively. A set of instructions that performs a particular
task is called a program.

Programs are essentially step-by-step instructions given to a computer to perform a
particular task. Programs and data are collectively known as software. It is a driving
force behind the working of a computer. Without software, computer will not work at all.

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