Software

Instructions for the computer. A series of instructions that performs a particular task is called a program. The two major categories of software are system software and application software. System software is made up of control programs such as the operating system and database management system (DBMS). Application software is any program that processes data for the user (inventory, payroll, spreadsheet, word processor, etc.). A common misconception is that software is data. It is not. Software tells the hardware how to process the data. Software is "run." Data is "processed." Software deals with the details of an ever-changing business and must process transactions in a logical fashion. Languages are used to program the software. The "logic and language" involved in analysis and programming is generally far more complicated than specifying a storage and transmission requirement. Microsoft is a well-known maker of software.