Software

Software, consisting of programs, enables a computer to perform specific tasks, as opposed to its physical components which can only do the responsibilities they are mechanically designed for. The term includes application software such as word processors which perform helpful tasks for users, system software such as operating systems, which interface with hardware to run the necessary services for user-interfaces and applications, and middleware which controls and co-ordinates distributed system.

Computer software has to be loaded into the computer's storage space (memory or RAM). Once the software is loaded, the computer is able to implement the software. Computers control by executing the computer program. This involves passing instructions from the application software, through the system software, to the hardware which finally receives the instruction as machine code. Each instruction causes the computer to carry out an operation moving data, transport out a computation, or altering the control flow of instructions.