Different Types of Software
Here are some common types of software. Click on More » to see more information about each type of software.
| Type |
Operating systems |
| Examples |
Microsoft Windows. Linux. Macintosh OS X. |
| Purpose |
Control your computer. |
| More » |
| Type |
Word processors |
| Examples |
Word. Corel WordPerfect. AbiWord. |
| Purpose |
Write essays, novels, reports, or other types of text. |
| More » |
| Type |
Spreadsheets |
| Examples |
Excel. Lotus 1-2-3. VisiCalc. |
| Purpose |
Track budgets or investments, or make other calculations. |
| More » |
| Type |
Presentation software |
| Examples |
PowerPoint. |
| Purpose |
Create slideshows for meetings. |
| More » |
| Type |
Database management systems |
| Examples |
Access. Oracle. Sybase. 4th Dimension. |
| Purpose |
Organize and filter lists of data, such as addresses or inventories. |
| More » |
| Type |
Photo editors |
| Examples |
Photoshop. Fireworks. PhotoPaint. Gimp. |
| Purpose |
Change digital photos and other images. |
| More » |
| Type |
Games |
| Examples |
The Sims. PacMan. Minesweeper. |
| Purpose |
Have fun playing or experiencing challenges. |
| More » |
| Type |
Desktop publishing |
| Examples |
PageMaker. InDesign. QuarkXPress. |
| Purpose |
Make a magazine, a poster, or an advertisement. |
| More » |
| Type |
Computer-aided design (CAD) software |
| Examples |
AutoCAD. SolidWorks. MicroStation. |
| Purpose |
Create blueprints or designs. |
| More » |
| Type |
Web browsers |
| Examples |
Internet Explorer. Netscape. Mozilla Firefox. Opera. Safari. |
| Purpose |
View pages on the World Wide Web. |
| More » |
| Type |
E-mail clients |
| Examples |
Outlook. Eudora. Entourage. |
| Purpose |
Send letters and files to other people. |
| More » |
And these categories are just the beginning.
Programmers have also created software to do the following tasks:
- Organize employee schedules
- Encode messages to protect bank transactions and other private information
- Change speech into type
- Format screenplays
- Determine how to get the most lumber from a log
- Count down seconds, like an egg timer
- Create music CDs
- Block unwanted advertisements on the World Wide Web or in e-mail
- Keep track of airplane traffic
- Design Web sites
- Edit sound recordings
- Help create more software
You have probably thought of examples not mentioned yet.
The same computer could be used for thousands of different tasks, depending on what software it runs.
