Module 1:

Software and Software Engineering Concepts

Lesson 1 - Software Fundamentals

Learning Outcomes
After successful completion of this lesson, you should be able to:
✔ Define software.
✔ Understand the characteristics of software.
✔ Discuss the seven broad categories of software application.
 Software Definitions

After successful completion of this lesson, you should be able to:

✔ Is a set of instructions, data or programs used to operate computers
and execute specific tasks. 
✔ Data structures that enable the programs to adequately manipulate
information.
✔ Descriptive information in both hard copy and virtual forms that
describes the operation and use of the programs.
 Characteristics of a Software

1. Software is designed and built by software engineers.

2. Software does not wear out, but it does deteriorate.
3. Industry is moving toward component-based software construction, but
most software is still custom-built.
More About Software
✔ Software is used by virtually everyone in society.
✔ Software is pervasive in our commerce, our culture, and our everyday lives.
✔ Software engineers have a moral obligation to build reliable software that does
no harm to other people.
✔ Software engineers view computer software, as being made up of the
programs, documents, and data required to design and build the system.
✔ Software users are only concerned with whether or not software products
meet their expectations and make their tasks easier to complete.
Seven Categories of Computer Software

1. System software - a collection of programs written to service other

programs.
2. Application software - stand-alone programs that solve a specific
business need.
3. Engineering/Scientific software - has been characterized by “number
crunching” algorithms.
4. Embedded software - resides within a product or system and is used
to implement and control features and functions for the end user and for
the system itself.
Seven Categories of Computer Software
5. Product-line software - is a portfolio of similar software-based
systems and products produced from a shared set of software assets
using a common means of production.
6. Web applications - is an application program that is stored on a
remote server and delivered over the Internet through a browser
interface.
7. Artificial intelligence software - makes use of non-numerical
algorithms to solve complex problems that are not amenable to
computation or straightforward analysis.
Activities/Assessment:

Enumerate the 7 broad categories of

software and explain them briefly according
to your own understanding based on our
discussions.
Thank you for listening!