A software system is a
system
A system is a group of interacting or interrelated elements that act according to a set of rules to form a unified whole. A system, surrounded and influenced by its environment, is described by its boundaries, structure and purpose and express ...
of intercommunicating
components
Circuit Component may refer to:
•Are devices that perform functions when they are connected in a circuit.
In engineering, science, and technology Generic systems
*System components, an entity with discrete structure, such as an assemb ...
based on
software
Software is a set of computer programs and associated documentation and data. This is in contrast to hardware, from which the system is built and which actually performs the work.
At the lowest programming level, executable code consist ...
forming part of a
computer system (a combination of
hardware and software). It "consists of a number of separate
programs
Program, programme, programmer, or programming may refer to:
Business and management
* Program management, the process of managing several related projects
* Time management
* Program, a part of planning
Arts and entertainment Audio
* Progra ...
, configuration files, which are used to set up these programs,
system documentation, which describes the structure of the system, and
user documentation, which explains how to use the system".
The term "software system" should be distinguished from the terms "
computer program
A computer program is a sequence or set of instructions in a programming language for a computer to Execution (computing), execute. Computer programs are one component of software, which also includes software documentation, documentation and oth ...
" and "
software
Software is a set of computer programs and associated documentation and data. This is in contrast to hardware, from which the system is built and which actually performs the work.
At the lowest programming level, executable code consist ...
". The term computer program generally refers to a set of instructions (
source, or
object code) that perform a specific task. However, a software system generally refers to a more encompassing concept with many more components such as specification,
test results, end-user documentation, maintenance records, etc.
[']
The use of the term software system is at times related to the application of
systems theory approaches in the context of
software engineering
Software engineering is a systematic engineering approach to software development.
A software engineer is a person who applies the principles of software engineering to design, develop, maintain, test, and evaluate computer software. The term '' ...
. A software system consists of several separate computer programs and associated
configuration files,
documentation
Documentation is any communicable material that is used to describe, explain or instruct regarding some attributes of an object, system or procedure, such as its parts, assembly, installation, maintenance and use. As a form of knowledge manageme ...
, etc., that operate together.
The concept is used in the study of large and complex software, because it focuses on the major ''components'' of software and their ''interactions''. It is also related to the field of
software architecture.
Software systems are an active area of research for groups interested in
software engineering
Software engineering is a systematic engineering approach to software development.
A software engineer is a person who applies the principles of software engineering to design, develop, maintain, test, and evaluate computer software. The term '' ...
in particular and
systems engineering
Systems engineering is an interdisciplinary field of engineering and engineering management that focuses on how to design, integrate, and manage complex systems over their life cycles. At its core, systems engineering utilizes systems thinki ...
in general. Academic journals like the ''
Journal of Systems and Software'' (published by
Elsevier
Elsevier () is a Dutch academic publishing company specializing in scientific, technical, and medical content. Its products include journals such as '' The Lancet'', '' Cell'', the ScienceDirect collection of electronic journals, '' Trends'', ...
) are dedicated to the subject.
The ACM ''
Software System Award'' is an annual award that honors people or an organization ''"for developing a system that has had a lasting influence, reflected in contributions to concepts, in commercial acceptance, or both"''.
It has been awarded by the
Association for Computing Machinery
The Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) is a US-based international learned society for computing. It was founded in 1947 and is the world's largest scientific and educational computing society. The ACM is a non-profit professional member ...
(ACM) since 1983, with a cash prize sponsored by
IBM.
The two types of are system software and application software
PKCS#11
https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2022-3512
Categories
Major categories of software systems include those based on
application software development,
programming software, and
system software although the distinction can sometimes be difficult. Examples of software systems include
operating system
An operating system (OS) is system software that manages computer hardware, software resources, and provides common daemon (computing), services for computer programs.
Time-sharing operating systems scheduler (computing), schedule tasks for ef ...
s,
computer reservations systems,
air traffic control
Air traffic control (ATC) is a service provided by ground-based air traffic controllers who direct aircraft on the ground and through a given section of controlled airspace, and can provide advisory services to aircraft in non-controlled airsp ...
systems, military command and control systems,
telecommunication networks,
content management systems,
database management system
In computing, a database is an organized collection of data stored and accessed electronically. Small databases can be stored on a file system, while large databases are hosted on computer clusters or cloud storage. The design of databases ...
s,
expert system
In artificial intelligence, an expert system is a computer system emulating the decision-making ability of a human expert.
Expert systems are designed to solve complex problems by reasoning through bodies of knowledge, represented mainly as ifâ ...
s,
embedded system
An embedded system is a computer system—a combination of a computer processor, computer memory, and input/output peripheral devices—that has a dedicated function within a larger mechanical or electronic system. It is ''embedded ...
s, etc.
See also
*
ACM Software System Award
The ACM Software System Award is an annual award that honors people or an organization "for developing a software system that has had a lasting influence, reflected in contributions to concepts, in commercial acceptance, or both". It is awarded b ...
*
Common layers in an information system logical architecture
In software engineering, multitier architecture (often referred to as ''n''-tier architecture) is a client–server architecture in which presentation, application processing and data management functions are physically separated. The most wide ...
*
Computer program
A computer program is a sequence or set of instructions in a programming language for a computer to Execution (computing), execute. Computer programs are one component of software, which also includes software documentation, documentation and oth ...
*
Computer program installation
*
Experimental software engineering
*
Failure assessment
*
Software bug
A software bug is an error, flaw or fault in the design, development, or operation of computer software that causes it to produce an incorrect or unexpected result, or to behave in unintended ways. The process of finding and correcting bugs i ...
*
Software architecture
*
System software
*
Systems theory
*
Systems Science
*
Systems Engineering
Systems engineering is an interdisciplinary field of engineering and engineering management that focuses on how to design, integrate, and manage complex systems over their life cycles. At its core, systems engineering utilizes systems thinki ...
*
Software Engineering
Software engineering is a systematic engineering approach to software development.
A software engineer is a person who applies the principles of software engineering to design, develop, maintain, test, and evaluate computer software. The term '' ...
References
{{Authority control
Systems engineering
Software engineering terminology