Systems softwareThe programs, applications and data in a computer system. Any parts of a computer system that aren't physical. is software that governs the computer system. It:
controls the hardwareThe physical parts of a computer system, eg a graphics card, hard disk drive or CD drive., including any peripheralA piece of hardware that connects to a computer, eg a mouse, keyboard, printer or scanner.
allows other programs (applications) to run
provides an interfaceThe part of a computer program with which the user can interact. for the user to interact with the computer
maintains the system
There are two kinds of systems software to consider:
operating systemThe software that manages the hardware and software resources in a computer system.
utilityA program which performs important maintenance tasks to improve the performance of a computer system.
