Software is the collection of computer programs, procedures and documentation which performs multi tasks on a computer system. In simple terminology, Software is an interface or a communication medium between the user and computer hardware and generally it is treated as a heart of computer system.
At present there are different types of software available in the market which can be a little confusing for the uninitiated. Following is a brief definition of each type, and each category:
- Retail software:
These types of software are mainly used by retail stores. It helps them to get high performance and benefit. Retail software basically comes with printed manuals and installation instructions so this is an added advantage of this type of software. Packaging designed to catch the eye of shoppers are some common use of retail software. - OEM software:
OEM means original equipment manufacturer and it generally refers to that software which are sold in bulk to resellers and designed to be bundled with hardware. For example – Microsoft made contract deal with Dell, Toshiba and others to sell its operating systems as OEM software at a reduced price, minus retail packaging, manuals and installation instructions. Then these resellers install the operating system before systems are sold and the OEM CD is supplied to the buyer. - Shareware:
It is downloadable kind of software from the Internet. Licenses may differ, but user is allowed to try the program for free of cost for a limited period of time. Usually, thirty days of trial period is designed with these types of software’s. It basically encourages the user to purchase the program. - Spyware:
It is normally a free kind of software but it could be a shareware. These types of software are very unpopular because it can send data back the creator of the spyware, most often without the user’s knowledge.
These are the major categories of software and they are getting used very rapidly in current computer scenario. Day by day much improvement is going on and theses developments may result in steady and fast growth of SMEs