Computer Software - Applications, Programs, and Utilities that Make Computers Useful

If you have ever used a computer you probably already know that computer software programs are what make computers useful to most people. They are the tools that allow people to leverage

computers to their advantage. Commonly used software includes Microsoft's Office Suite, Apple's ITunes Store, and web browsers including Internet explorer and Firefox. Chances are that you recognize many if not all of the applications that I just mentioned. This is because of one reason… without software a computer would be mostly useless to most of us. These applications make it easy for us to use computer resources and leverage the full power of computers for both our entertainment and our productivity.

Imagine this. You turn on your computer and in a few seconds you see a black screen with white letters. The screen scrolls through several pages of text on your screen faster than you can read them until you are left with a black screen and a line that reads "c:\". There are no folders to click in fact you mouse cursor is missing which is fine because your mouse isn't working anyway. You press a few arrow keys and get no response. You plug your mp3 player which is why you started the computer and nothing happens. It's just you and a computer command line. Seem a little scary? Well this is exactly what would happen if computer software did not exist.

In terms of using a computer, we are all fortunate to live in a time when using computers is made easy by computer software. Computer applications or computer software are bundles of computer programs that are strung together to produce a result. When your computer is started the computer hardware passes it's control to various computer software for load what is called the Operating System which is also known as the OS in short. The OS loads its own set of software to create a usable interface for you to control. This produces the computer "desktop" that we are all familiar with. From here you can control your computer the way you usually do. This includes the graphical interface with full mouse control and clickable interface.

The operating system is only one example of computer software or an application. As we stated earlier computer software is created to accomplish a goal or task. So as computer needs have changed more and more computer software has been created. As computers started to be used for business applications were created to accommodate business needs. Programs for word processing, spreadsheets, and databases were created. As the computers became commonly used for personal use, programs were developed for person to person communication in the form of email as well as entertainment including the invention of computer games. Let's take a closer look at some of these computer software applications.

Choose one of the options below:

• Software Word Processors
• Spreadsheet software
• Database Software
• Games
• Web Browsers

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