ABSTRACT
Software can be divided into categories: system/application, proprietary/open-source, and horizontal/vertical. The most important piece of system software is the operating system. Its three functions are managing shared resources, defining the user interface, and providing shared services. OpenOffice is open-source software, developed by volunteers: once hobbyists, mostly professional programmers. The most important type of system software is the operating system. Application software produces results that are of direct value to the organization that uses it. Most personal computer users buy programs that someone else wrote and use them as is: off-the-shelf software. System software starts with the operating system and continues to other packages that support the organization’s computing needs. The main functions of the operating system are to define the user interface, to manage shared resources, and to provide shared services to other software. Software vendors understandably want people who use their software to pay for it.
