A
program or group of programs designed for
end users.
Software can be divided into two general classes:
systems software and
applications software. Systems software consists of low-level programs that interact with the
computer at a very basic level. This includes
operating systems,
compilers, and
utilities for managing computer
resources.
In contrast, applications software (also called end-user programs) includes database programs, word processors, and spreadsheets. Figuratively speaking, applications software sits on top of systems software because it is unable to run without the operating system and system utilities.
Also see a diagram of n-tier application architecture in the quick reference section of Webopedia.
