Types of software and their differences

Types of software and their differences:

There are many different types of software. One of the most important distinctions is between custom software, generic software and embedded software.

Custom software is developed to meet the specific needs of a particular customer and tends to be of little use to others (although in some casesdeveloping custom software might reveal a problem shared by several similar organizations). Much custom software is developed in-house within the same organization that uses it; in other cases, the development is contracted out to consulting companies. Custom software is typically used by only a few people and its success depends on meeting their needs.

Examples of custom software include web sites, air-traffic control systems and software for managing the specialized finances of large organizations.

Generic software, on the other hand, is designed to be sold on the open market, to perform functions that many people need, and to run on general- purpose computers. Requirements are determined largely by market research. There is a tendency in the business world to attempt to use generic software instead of custom software because it can be far cheaper and more reliable. The main difficulty is that it might not fully meet the organization’s specific needs. Generic software is often called Commercial Off-The-Shelf software (COTS), and it is sometimes also called shrink-wrapped software since it is commonly sold in packages wrapped in plastic. Generic software producers hope that they will sell many copies, but their success is at the mercy of market forces.

Examples of generic software include word processors, spreadsheets, compilers, web browsers, operating systems, computer games and accounting packages for small businesses.

Embedded software runs specific hardware devices which are typically sold on the open market. Such devices include washing machines, DVD players, microwave ovens and automobiles. Unlike generic software, users cannot usually replace embedded software or upgrade it without also replacing the hardware. The open-market nature of the hardware devices means that developing embedded software has similarities to developing generic software; however, we place it in a different category due to the distinct processes used to develop it.

Since embedded systems are finding their way into a vast number of consumer and commercial products, they now account for the bulk of software copies in existence. Generic systems, on the other hand, account for most of the software running today on general-purpose computers. Although custom software has fewer copies than either of the other types, it accounts for many more distinct systems and hence is what most developers work on.

It is possible to take generic software and customize it. The risk in doing this, however, is that when a new release of the generic software is issued, the customization work may have to be re-done.