Application software consists of programs designed to make users more productive and/or assist them with personal tasks.
It is a subclass of computer software that employs the capabilities of a computer directly and thoroughly to a task that the user wishes to perform.
The programs fulfill a business need and require little or no coding on the part of the end user. It serves to control technical processes or support work processes.
This should be contrasted with system software which is involved in integrating a computer's various capabilities, but typically does not directly apply them in the performance of tasks that benefit the user.
In this context the term application refers to both the application software and its implementation.
The application software assist user tasks include personal management, note taking, project management, accounting, document management, computer aided design, audio and video editing, multimedia authoring.
Application software ranges from powerful data processing systems used by the financial industry and scientist to computer-aided drawing (CAD) packages used in engineering and simple word processing software used in most offices and homes.
The implementation of application software requires a system base, normally consisting of hardware and the underlying system software.
Introduction to application software
