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System software is software that provides a platform for other software. An example of system software is an operating system (OS) such as macOS, Linux, Android, and Windows. [1] A systems administrator (a.k.a. systems programmer) uses system software to analyze, configure, optimize and maintain a computer.
In contrast, application software allows a user to do end user tasks such as creating text documents, playing or developing games, creating presentations, listening to music, drawing pictures, or browsing the web. Examples of such software are computational science software, game engines, search engines, industrial automation, and software as a service applications. [2]
In the late 1940s, application software was custom-written by computer users to fit their specific hardware and requirements. System software was usually supplied by the manufacturer of the computer hardware and was intended to be used by most or all users of that system.
Many operating systems come with application software. Such software is not considered system software when it can be uninstalled without affecting the functioning of other software. Examples of such software are games and simple editing tools, or software development toolchains supplied with many Linux distributions. System software can include software development tools like compiler, linker, and debugger. [3]