[Software] What is software? A guide to all of the different types of programs and applications that tell computers what to do

[#Drennn.]

Software is computer code that tells a computer how to perform a specific task.
There are many kinds of software, including operating systems, applications, and malware.
Software can be distributed for free, as shareware, commercially, or with its source code (which is called open-source).
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Software is a set of instructions, written in computer code, that tells a computer how to behave or how to perform a specific task. Software usually comes in the form of commercial programs (like Microsoft Word and Adobe Photoshop), games, a computer operating system, or even 
malware
 like viruses and 
ransomware
. Any program or code that runs on a computer is an example of software, and anything you do with a computer requires the use of software. Software is created by computer programmers, commonly referred to as coders.

Types of software
There are many types of software in use today. To give you a sense of the scope of the software industry, here is an overview of the major kinds of software in use today.