What is software?

Software is the programs and operating information used by a computer.

It is the part of the computer which holds encoded information or computer instructions – as opposed to computer hardware which is the collection of physical elements which make a computer.

In software engineering and computer science, software is all data or information processed by computer systems, programs and data.

Hardware and software must work together, with neither being able to realistically work without the other.

Synonymous with computer programs, ‘software’ was first proposed by Alan Turing and first used by John W. Tukey in 1957.

What types of software are there?