The software serves as the language, through which computer systems communicate. You must be knowing, that computer software can be of various types. Primarily, computer software can be classified into three primary groups, depending on how they are applied or used. These include:
- System software or OS (operating system)
- Application software
- Programming languages
Here, you will get to know more about each of these in detail:
System software: 
System
software, also referred to as OS or operating system helps the computer to
translate inputs that come from different sources into a language that it can
understand. This type of software coordinates with various hardware accessories
of the device. Windows and Linux are two of the most popular operating systems,
that are being used presently. Some of the other system software includes UNIX,
XENIX and AIX. Coming to web servers, the Apache OS has gained considerable
popularity. A variant of the popular UNIX is generally used in proprietary
systems.
Application software: Usually, the users are unable to see how the operating systems carry out their work. However, you must be familiar with application software, through which you can directly interact with the computers.
MS Word, PowerPoint and Excel are some of the popular examples of application software. Besides, all the tools that are used for downloading movies, music, or for carrying out graphic work fall in the category of application software.
Some of the application software, through which one can access the internet include Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer and Google Chrome. For managing emails, Outlook and Gmail are used extensively. Therefore, the tools that are used to carry out any sort of utility activity over the computers are categorized also under application software.
The last two decades has seen a tremendous growth in the amount of application software products and services. The areas in which application software is available is very vast today. From ad servers to social media management software, there are hundreds of categories of application software available in the market today.
Programming languages:
A programming language is a kind of
software that is used not by the end-users, but by computer programmers. You
are not likely to use programming languages unless you develop software
yourself. Programming languages are used as the building components of
operating systems and other software. In other words, a programming language is
a software, through which other software can be developed. Some of the popular
programming languages include C, C++, Java, Python and Simlab. In general, Java
is used to develop internet applications. Again, C++ is extensively used by
professional developers to build operating systems. In developing internet
applications, PHP is used to a great extent. Besides, other programming
languages are used for building applications for mobile devices. These tools
use modular languages and are light in weight, which makes them easy to be used
in mobile applications.
We come across application
software almost every day, whenever we use computers. However, for application
software to operate, you would need a system software, that runs the computer.
However, one should remember that without programming languages, no software
can be developed. These can, therefore, be considered as the building blocks of
software. With advancements in technology, a greater number of programming
languages are being used, which facilitate the development of various systems
and application software. However, it is to be noted that the purpose of all
these three categories of software is different. They complement each other in
their own way, ensuring a seamless operation of the computer.