Software is a program that permits the computer to carry out specific tasks, as different to the objective workings of the system. John W. Tukey was the first person to coin the term Software. This consists of application software such as a word processor that facilitates a user to perform a job, and system software such as an operating system, which allows other software to function correctly, by interfacing with hardware and with other software or routine software made to user specifications.

Software is loaded into RAM and processed in the central processing unit. Software comprises of a machine language particular to a processor. Software is a planned sequence of information for altering the status of the computer hardware in a particular sequence.

Software is generally prepared in high-level programming languages that are simple and well organized for humans to use. Software can be written in an assembly language, by means of a natural language alphabet.

Software is divided into three types and they are system software, programming software and application software. System software consists of operating systems, device drivers, diagnostic tools, servers, windowing systems, utilities and so on.

The principle of systems software is to protect the applications programmer as much as possible from the complex information of the other system, in particular memory and other hardware features, and such accessory devices as communications, printers, readers, displays, keyboards, and so on.

Programming software typically offers tools to support a programmer in writing computer programs and software with different programming languages in a more suitable way. The tools contain text editors, compilers, interpreters, linkers, debuggers, and so on.

An Integrated development environment (IDE) merges those tools into a software package, and a programmer may not require typing several commands for compiling, interpreting, debugging, tracing, and so on because IDE is integrated with sophisticated graphical user interface.

Typical applications include industrial automation, business software, educational software, medical software, databases, and computer games.

Initially application Software is extensively used by the business people and this has gradually spread to other fields. Three layers of the application software are platform software, application software and user composed software.