Software

Software are programmes that are used to operate computers. It is thanks to software that anything happens on the computer at all. Software contains rules and commands so that the computer knows what to do.

The counterpart to software is hardware: these are the parts of the computer that you can touch. Software is therefore "immaterial", not a fixed object. You can easily duplicate and change it.

A basic piece of software is the operating system. When you buy a computer, the operating system usually comes with it. It links the individual parts of the computer but also the individual programmes.

Many application programmes are also usually included when you buy a computer. You can use them to write texts or create spreadsheets, watch films and photos or even change them, play games and do many other things. The browser is a frequently used programme that takes you to the Internet. Many of these programmes can be downloaded free of charge from the internet, for others you have to pay. In the past, you bought programmes on a CD.

Texts, tables, photos, pictures and similar things do not belong to programmes. They are called data. They do not execute anything. They are simply there. You can save them, use them and share them with others as you like.