CCNC/CCNC Module 1/Software/Subsection Level CCNC Template9

Software is divided into two broad categories: systems software and application software.

Systems software is the term used to described programs that enable the computer to function, improve its performance and access the functionality of the hardware. Systems software sole function is the control of the operation of the computer. You can think of systems software as providing the foundation for applications software.

Systems software is further subdivided into operating systems and utilities. The operating system is the program that actually makes the computer operate. Utilities are programs which either improve the functioning of the operating system or supply missing or additional functionality.

Applications software is the term used for programs that enable the user to achieve specific objectives such as create a document, use a database, produce a spreadsheet or design a building.

Versions: Software developers continually strive to improve the performance of their products and add new features. Especially in a world of competing products, each developer needs to make their product perform better, have fewer problems and have more features. The new releases of software products are called versions. The versions use a numbering system such as Ubuntu Linux 7.04 or OpenOffice.org 2.0. A change in the first number represents a major new version while a change in the second number represents a less significant change.