WHAT IS SOFTWARE?
Software is the set of instructions and programs that tell your computer, phone, tablet, or other devices what to do and how to do it. You can’t touch software the way you can touch a keyboard or screen—it’s invisible digital “brain power” that makes hardware useful.
Think of it this way:
- Hardware = the physical body of your device (the parts you can see and touch).
- Software = the mind, personality, and skills that make the body actually work.
- Without software, your computer is just an expensive box of metal and plastic. With software, it becomes a tool for work, entertainment, communication, shopping, learning, and almost everything else in modern life.
COMMON TERMS YOU MIGHT HEAR
- App → Short for application (phones/tablets)
- Program / Software → Often used the same way
- Cloud software → Runs over the internet (Netflix) instead of being installed on your device
- Freeware / Free software → Costs nothing to use
- Paid / Subscription software → You pay once or monthly (Microsoft 365)
- Open-source software → Free and the code is public (Firefox)
