Difference between programs and software

What is programs?

Program is a bunch of instructions that the computer tells it to carry out.
You can think of it as a recipe. A recipe is just a list of instructions.

1. Put oil in skillet
2. Let the old heat up
3. Put veggies in
4. Fry them until crisp

You can think of a program as an abstract concept.
Programmers write simple programs with C++ or Java for instance.
Then the program is executed.

What is software

Software is a collection of programs designed for a specific task.
Example
A calculator is software.
But the instructions written is a program.
Adding two numbers together on the calculator is a program since it's a set of functions carried out.

Computer analogy

You are going to update your computer system clock. It then tells the hardware components what to do and how to interact with the program or set of programs that reside in main memory.

The two types of software

1. Application software
   Application software is a set of computer programs that help a person carry out a task.
   Think: video editing software helps a person create movies
2. System software helps a computer system function.
   Example:
   DOS, Unix, Linux, Apple