List of contents

Introduction …………………………………………………………………...1
Examples and types of software……………………………………………….2
System software……………………………………………………………….3
Design and implementation……………………………………………………4

The different types of software design…………………………………………5

How to maintain software quality
References
Introduction
Software is a set of instructions, data or programs used to operate computers and execute
specific tasks. It is the 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. It can be thought of as the variable part of a computer, while hardware is
the invariable part.

The two main categories of software are application software and system software. An
application is software that fulfills a specific need or performs tasks. System software is
designed to run a computer's hardware and provides a platform for applications to run on
top of.

Other types of software include programming software, which provides the programming
tools software developers need; middleware, which sits between system software and
applications; and driver software, which operates computer devices and peripherals.

Early software was written for specific computers and sold with the hardware it ran on. In
the 1980s, software began to be sold on floppy disks, and later on CDs and DVDs. Today,
most software is purchased and directly downloaded over the internet. Software can be
found on vendor websites or application service provider websites
Examples and types of software
Among the various categories of software, the most common types include the following:

 Application software. The most common type of software, application software is a

computer software package that performs a specific function for a user, or in some cases,
for another application. An application can be self-contained, or it can be a group of
programs that run the application for the user. Examples of modern applications include
office suites, graphics software, databases and database management programs, web
browsers, word processors, software development tools, image editors and
communication platforms.

 System software. These software programs are designed to run a computer's application
programs and hardware. System software coordinates the activities and functions of the
hardware and software. In addition, it controls the operations of the computer hardware
and provides an environment or platform for all the other types of software to work in.
The OS is the best example of system software; it manages all the other computer
programs. Other examples of system software include the firmware, computer language
translators and system utilities.

 Driver software. Also known as device drivers, this software is often considered a type
of system software. Device drivers control the devices and peripherals connected to a
computer, enabling them to perform their specific tasks. Every device that is connected
to a computer needs at least one device driver to function. Examples include software
that comes with any nonstandard hardware, including special game controllers, as well
as the software that enables standard hardware, such as USB storage devices, keyboards,
headphones and printers.

 Middleware. The term middleware describes software that mediates between

application and system software or between two different kinds of application software.
For example, middleware enables Microsoft Windows to talk to Excel and Word. It is
also used to send a remote work request from an application in a computer that has one
kind of OS, to an application in a computer with a different OS. It also enables newer
applications to work with legacy ones.

 Programming software. Computer programmers use programming software to write

code. Programming software and programming tools enable developers to develop,
write, test and debug other software programs. Examples of programming software
include assemblers, compilers, debuggers and interpreters.

System software
System software sits between the computer hardware and the application software. Users
do not interact directly with system software as it runs in the background, handling the basic
functions of the computer. This software coordinates a system's hardware and software so
users can run high-level application software to perform specific actions. System software
executes when a computer system boots up and continues running as long as the system is
on.
Design and implementation

The software development lifecycle is a framework that project managers use to describe
the stages and tasks associated with designing software. The first steps in the design
lifecycle are planning the effort and then analyzing the needs of the individuals who will
use the software and creating detailed requirements. After the initial requirements analysis,
the design phase aims to specify how to fulfill those user requirements.

The next is step is implementation, where development work is completed, and

then software testing happens. The maintenance phase involves any tasks required to keep
the system running.

The software design includes a description of the structure of the software that will be
implemented, data models, interfaces between system components and potentially the
algorithms the software engineer will use.

The software design process transforms user requirements into a form that computer
programmers can use to do the software coding and implementation. The software
engineers develop the software design iteratively, adding detail and correcting the design as
they develop it

The different types of software design include the following:

 Architectural design. This is the foundational design, which identifies the overall
structure of the system, its main components and their relationships with one another
using architectural design tools.

 High-level design. This is the second layer of design that focuses on how the system,
along with all its components, can be implemented in forms of modules supported by
a software stack. A high-level design describes the relationships between data flow and
the various modules and functions of the system.
 Detailed design. This third layer of design focuses on all the implementation details
necessary for the specified architecture.

How to maintain software quality

Software quality measures if the software meets both its functional and nonfunctional
requirements.

Functional requirements identify what the software should do. They include technical
details, data manipulation and processing, calculations or any other specific function that
specifies what an application aims to accomplish.

Nonfunctional requirements -- also known as quality attributes -- determine how the

system should work. Nonfunctional requirements include portability, disaster recovery,
security, privacy and usability.

Software testing detects and solves technical issues in the software source code and assesses
the overall usability, performance, security and compatibility of the product to ensure it
meets its requirements.

The dimensions of software quality include the following characteristics:

 Accessibility. The degree to which a diverse group of people, including individuals who
require adaptive technologies such as voice recognition and screen magnifiers, can
comfortably use the software.

 Compatibility. The suitability of the software for use in a variety of environments, such
as with different OSes, devices and browsers.

 Efficiency. The ability of the software to perform well without wasting energy,
resources, effort, time or money.

 Functionality. Software's ability to carry out its specified functions.

 Installability. The ability of the software to be installed in a specified environment.

 Localization. The various languages, time zones and other such features a software can
function in.

 Maintainability. How easily the software can be modified to add and improve features,
fix bugs, etc.

 Performance. How fast the software performs under a specific load.

 Portability. The ability of the software to be easily transferred from one location to
another.

 Reliability. The software's ability to perform a required function under specific

conditions for a defined period of time without any errors.

 Scalability. The measure of the software's ability to increase or decrease performance in

response to changes in its processing demands.

 Security. The software's ability to protect against unauthorized access, invasion of

privacy, theft, data loss, malicious software, etc.

 Testability. How easy it is to test the software.

 Usability. How easy it is to use the software.

References
June 21, 1948. Tom Kilburn, a computer scientist, writes the world's first piece of software
for the Manchester Baby computer at the University of Manchester in England.

Early 1950s. General Motors creates the first OS, for the IBM 701 Electronic Data
Processing Machine. It is called General Motors Operating System, or GM OS.

1981. Microsoft releases MS-DOS, the OS on which many of the early IBM computers ran.
IBM begins selling software, and commercial software becomes available to the average
consumer.

1983. The free software movement is launched with Richard Stallman's GNU (GNU is not
Unix) Linux project to create a Unix-like OS with source code that can be freely copied,
modified and distributed.

Mid-1980s. Key software applications, including AutoDesk AutoCAD, Microsoft Word and
Microsoft Excel, are released.

2010 to the present. DVDs are becoming obsolete as users buy and download software from
the internet and the cloud. Vendors move to subscription-based models and SaaS has
become common.