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System software
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{{short description|Type of software}} {{about|system software in general|Apple Inc's old operating system, formerly named "System Software"|Classic Mac OS}} {{Refimprove|date=January 2022}} '''System software''' is [[software]] designed to provide a platform for other software. Examples of system software include [[operating system]]s (OS) (like macOS, Linux, Android, and Microsoft Windows).<ref> {{cite web |title=Panel: Systems Programming in 2014 and Beyond |url=https://channel9.msdn.com/Events/Lang-NEXT/Lang-NEXT-2014/Panel-Systems-Programming-Languages-in-2014-and-Beyond |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140607224814/https://channel9.msdn.com/Events/Lang-NEXT/Lang-NEXT-2014/Panel-Systems-Programming-Languages-in-2014-and-Beyond |archive-date=2014-06-07 |access-date=4 December 2015 |publisher=Microsoft}}</ref> Application software is software that allows users to do user-oriented tasks such as creating text documents, playing or developing games, creating presentations, listening to music, drawing pictures, or browsing the web. Examples of such software are computational science software, game engines, search engines, industrial automation, and software as a service applications.<ref>{{cite book|first1=W. W.|last1=Millner|first2=Ann|last2= Montgomery-Smith|date=2022|title=Information and Communication Technology for Intermediate GNVQ.|page= 126}}</ref> In the late 1940s, application software was custom-written by computer users to fit their specific hardware and requirements. System software was usually supplied by the manufacturer of the computer hardware and was intended to be used by most or all users of that system. Many operating systems come pre-packaged with basic application software. Such software is not considered system software when it can be uninstalled without affecting the functioning of other software. Examples of such software are games and simple editing tools supplied with Microsoft Windows, or software development toolchains supplied with many Linux distributions. Some of the grayer areas between system and application software are [[web browser]]s integrated deeply into the operating system such as [[Internet Explorer]] in some versions of [[Microsoft Windows]], or ChromeOS where the browser functions as the only user interface and the only way to run programs (and other web browser their place){{cfn|date=December 2024}}.
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