SOFTWARE

Software is a generic term for organized collection of computer data and instructions. It
is responsible for controlling, integrating, and managing the hardware components of a computer
and to accomplish specific tasks. In other words, software tells the computer what to do and how
to do it. For example, software instructs the hardware what to display on the user’s screen, what
kinds of input to take from the user, and what kinds of output to generate. Thus, software
communicates with the hardware by organizing the control sequences, and the hardware carries
out the instructions defined by the software.
A computer needs to be instructed to perform any task. These instructions are given in
the form of computer programs, which are written in computer programming languages. A
program controls the activity of the processor. The moment the hardware (processor, memory,
etc.), acts as per the instructions of a program, the program is said to be in running or executing
state.
A set of programs, which are specifically written to provide the user a precise
functionality like solving a specific problem is termed as a software package. For example,
word processing software package provides functionality to the computer so that it can be used
to create text documents like letters and mailing lists. Similarly, an image processing software
package assists a user in drawing and manipulating graphics.