Learner
What is software?

The simplest answer is that software is programs that run on a computer.

The Web browser you used while entering this question is software - perhaps Internet Explorer or FireFox. If you use email, perhaps you use Outlook or something similar - that too is software. There are programs running behind the scenes as you use your computer that enable you to do all the things you do with the machine that are also software.

Software is lines of code written by computer programmers who can use any of dozens of programming languages such as Java, C++ (pronounced, see-plus-plus), Visual Basic, COBOL (generally used on large mainframe computers in business), etc.

Simply put, software are the programs on your computer. Without software, your computer would be nothing more than a large paper weight.

Another answer to this is one I used to use when lecturing in University. Programs are software. Everything else is hardware. In other words, if you can kick it, it's hardware. If you can't kick it, it's software *smiles*.

Hardware is things like modems, CD roms, etc. Software is what tells your computer what that hardware is and how to use it.

Software is any of the various programs in which a computer controls aspects of it's operation. There are many types of software. System software controls how the computers processor interacts with all the various hardware and peripheral devices. Operating systems, device drivers, servers, and utility programs are all considered system software. Application software allow users to accomplish various tasks, and include productivity programs such as word processing, spreadsheets and databases. Other types of application software include imaging software, computer aided drafting software and financial software.

Your computer has two parts, hardware (which you can see within CPU) and software (which you can't see, but it is programs which help to run your computer).