INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

APPLICATION SOFTWARE AND

SYSTEM SOFTWARE
System Software and Application software.

 Software are the programs that make our computer’s

hardware work. Software can be divided into two broad
categories called system software and application
software.

 System software are the programs that make the computer

work. They control the hardware and also facilitate the
running of application software.

 Application software are programs designed to perform

specific tasks.

 Application software can be divided into the following

groups:
 General-purpose software
 Integrated software
 Custom-written software
 Special-purpose software.
TYPES OF APPLICATION SOFTWARE
 General- Purpose Software

 General Purpose software are programs designed to perform general

tasks such as word-processing, building and modifying spreadsheets
and maintaining databases and can be used in any industry.

 General purpose software are written by professional programmers.

Their quality and reliability is excellent. They can easily solve the
tasks for which they were intended.

 Some examples of general-purpose software programs are:

 Microsoft Word – used for word processing.

 Microsoft Excel – building spreadsheets.
 Microsoft Access – maintaining databases.
 Microsoft PowerPoint – used for presentations.
 Microsoft Publisher – used for brochures and flyers.
 Microsoft Outlook- sending and receiving e-mails.

 The major drawback to general-purpose software is that they may be a

general solution to a problem and must be retooled to fit the user’s
needs.
 Integrated Software

 Integrated software are programs that are sold together as one

software package. For example, Microsoft Office is an integrated
software package consisting of Microsoft word, Microsoft Excel,
Microsoft Access, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Outlook and
Microsoft Publisher.

 Integrated software has many advantages such as:

 costing less to buy the package than individual programs.
 Data can be transferred between applications easily.
 Less time is needed to install.
 The programs are easy to use because of similar features amongst
them.
 These programs are created by professionals and their quality is
excellent.

 The major drawback of integrated software is sometimes some

programs are installed but not used.
 Custom- Written Software

 Custom-written software are programs that are written as

the need arises. For this reason it is called ‘tailored-made’
software. Custom-written software are not sold on the
shelf. These programs are written by either professional
programmers or a contract is awarded to a software house.
A software house is a company that writes and tests
computer programs.

 Customised Software- In some cases, general-purpose

software allows the user to modify the application to fit the
user’s needs. When this is done, we say that the software is
customised. This is achieved through a macro. A macro
allows an experienced end-user to write code so that the
program can carry out the desired operations. Macros are
short programs that are in-built into the application
program which allows automation of some tasks. Macros
can be written in Microsoft word, excel and Access to name
a few.
 Specialised software

 Specialised software is software that is written for

a specific task rather than for a broad application
area. This type of software are written by
professional programmers and also used by
professionals according to the area it was written
for. Some examples of specialised software are:

 CAD software – computer aided design specialised

software package is AutoCAD. (CAD is used to design
three-dimensional architectural drawings).

 Software for expert medical systems – they are used to

help doctors make a diagnosis of patients.

 Some accounting software.

 What is system software?
 System software is the software which helps the computer to manage and
operate. System software aid the running of application software.

 System software comprises of :

 The operating system – this is a set of programs that supervises,
directs and controls the operations of the computer.
 Utilities – these are service programs that aid with file searching,
file copying, sorting, debugging and various mathematical
functions.
 Database management software(DBMSs)- this handles different
facilities for file storage, file processing and security.
 Translators- these are programs that take source code and
translate it into object code. Translator programs are of three
types:
 Assemblers – this program translates a low level program into
machine code.
 Compilers- this program translates a high level program into machine
code one line at a time.
 Interpreters. this program translates a high level program into
machine code all at once before it is executed.
 Assignment:
1. What is application software? (1 mark)
2. Name three application software packages. (3 marks)
3. Briefly explain the following:
a) General-purpose software.
b) Tailor-made software.
c) Integrated software.
d) Specialised software. (4 marks)
4. State one advantage and one disadvantage of
integrated software. (2 marks)
5. Why does a computer need system software? Name
and describe any ONE type of system software.