System software

System software manages computer hardware and provides core services or a platform for application software. It includes operating systems, device drivers, firmware, and system utilities.

Operating system: Software that manages computer resources and provides services and interfaces for applications. It coordinates processes, memory, storage, and devices as system software’s central component.
Kernel: The central part of an operating system that manages hardware and provides essential services. It performs the privileged, low-level work at system software’s core.
Linux: An open-source operating-system kernel used in distributions, embedded devices, and servers. Linux shows how one kernel supports many system-software platforms.
Application software: Software designed to help users perform tasks such as writing, communication, or image editing. Applications use system software’s services rather than primarily managing the computer.
Device driver: Software that lets an operating system communicate with a particular hardware device. Drivers connect system software to hardware whose controls differ by device.
System call: A controlled request by a program for a service provided by the operating system kernel. System calls let applications ask system software to perform protected operations.
Windows NT: The family of operating-system kernels underlying modern Microsoft Windows versions. Its architecture illustrates a widely deployed desktop and server system-software platform.
Middleware: Software that connects applications or services by providing shared communication and data-management functions. Middleware sits between applications and system software, with a different scope of services.
Firmware: Software stored in a device that provides low-level control of its hardware. It initializes and controls hardware before or alongside the operating system.
Interrupt: A signal that causes a processor to pause its current work and handle an event. Interrupts let devices and software events demand timely attention from the operating system.

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SoftwareBroader topic: System software provides the foundations on which applications run.