What are the Essential Attributes of Good Software in Software Engineering with Examples?

In today's post, we will learn and discuss what are the Essential Attributes of Good Software in Software Engineering with Examples and characteristics, types, features, also qualities.

Software is a collection of programs or instructions designed and developed to perform specific and individual tasks to obtain the desired result.

The software provides instructions and commands to computers and also acts as an intermediate bridge between humans and computers.

This software is also a set of commands and instructions that command hardware devices to derive results and provide output.

What is Software in Computer and its Types?

The Computer software performs all the tasks and operations according to the needs of the user.

In Simple words, the software is a collection of instructions and data programmed to perform tasks, operations, and commands whenever the user requests or demands.

These instructions are written in languages that are more familiar to computers to understand and interpret the given task in an understandable form and obtain the desired result.

Some of the popular software programming languages are

• PHP
• ASP
• JAVA
• JAVASCRIPT
• VISUAL BASIC

In today's generations, software is used in most electronic devices such as smartphones, personal computers, laptops, tablets, etc.

Almost every hardware device primarily uses software, either application or system software or utility software, discussed further in the article.

Computer software is an integral part of the computer system also responsible for enhancing and empowering computer functionality with data management and computer operations.

The computer operations performed through software are performed with almost 100% accuracy and fantastic speed to obtain the authenticated result in the form of output which can be accepted as a soft copy or hard copy.

Use the majority of hardware in computer system software is used which can be categorized as system software like drivers and operating systems.

Some of the popular software's are

• MS-WORD
• PHOTOSHOP
• MS-EXCEL
• GOOGLE CHROME
• MEDIA PLAYERS
• OPERATING SYSTEM
• DEVICE DRIVERS

What are the 3 Types of Software with Examples?

The computer software's are divided or categorized into three different types with examples.

• System Software
• Application Software
• Utility Software

1. System Software

System software’s the most important aspect of the computer system.

The system software runs in the background, controls the tasks, and operations, and executes unknowingly.

They are responsible for communicating and helping to operate with other components of a computer system like hardware.

The system software helps and co-operates with application software to run and execute programs properly.

The fundamental objective of system software is to regulate, cooperate, control, and manage all the necessary functions, resources, components, and hardware of any computer system.

The hardware and components of any computer system are managed and controlled by system software.

In simple words, a computer hard disk drive {HDD} is used to save and store information, programs, and data in enormous amounts.

Still, the HDD cannot work or function properly without system software like an operating system.

Another example.

Computer hardware devices like sound cards, which are used to play sound through speakers, are connected to the motherboard.

This sound card cannot play sound until and unless sound drivers are installed in the system. These drivers are nothing but system software.

Therefore it can be said that without system software majority of the hardware devices are useless.

The system software's are generally non-volatile and are installed and embedded in IC s {Integrated circuits} also called "firmware."

Examples of Good Quality System Software are:

• Operating System
• Device Drivers
• Compiler
• Assembler
• Debugger
• Interpreter

2. Application Software

The application software’s one of the essential aspects of a computer system; without the system, and software installed, the PC or laptop would be of no use.

Application software is a type of computer program designed and developed to perform a particular task that later provides the user with desired outputs.

The application software developed by software programmers and software developers is designed and developed according to the need of the user to make their tasks, operations, and complex jobs easy to handle and solve their problems in easy methods with incredible speed and almost 100% accuracy.

For example

Tally is accounting software that is good at solving complex accounting problems with ease and providing a solution to their issues related to accounts.

Customized software can be written according to specific requirements.

The application software is further categorized like

• General Purpose Software
• Specific Purpose Software

General Purpose Software

This software is used by users daily and is designed and written keeping in mind the user’s requirements.

Some examples of applications software or programs are

1. Word Processing Software
2. Database Management Software
3. Desktop Publishing Software
4. Presentation Software
5. Multimedia Software
6. Specific Purpose Software

The specific purpose software's are also called "Customized Software". 

This software can be purchased from software vendors, which are highly customized according to the user’s request for whom it is written.

Some of the examples are

• Accounting Software
• Billing System
• Payroll Software
• Hotel Management System
• Reservation Software
• Customer Management Software
• Utility Software

The utility software is responsible for managing, maintaining also providing security to the computer system. These programs do not directly interact with the computer hardware.

These programs are highly technical; therefore, they need prior technical knowledge to use and operate them.

Some examples are

• Antivirus Software
• Backup Software
• Disk Scanning and Checking Software

Essential Attribute of Good Software in Software Engineering With Examples

Let us briefly explain the top 5 essential attributes of good software with diagram 

• Acceptance
• Security
• Efficiency
• Easy to Maintain
• Usability

 Let’s get started.

1. Acceptance

The essential attribute of good software is the acceptance of software worldwide, especially to the users for whom they are designed and developed.

You may have come across expensive software that is not easy to use as its features and characteristics are difficult to understand and later implement.

Any software’s primary goal or objective must be to provide the results that the user requires; therefore, software acceptance is needed.

Firstly, the user interface of any program must be user-friendly; secondly, the operations and tasks must perform at a reasonable speed.

Most importantly, they must provide the exact output required by the users.

2. Security

The key challenge of any online and offline software is its vulnerability against hackers and spammers. The database of any software plays a vital role in a client’s business.

If, in any case, the database is compromised and data is shared with unauthorized sources may badly harm business and may negatively affect personal and professional life.

Therefore characteristics of good software and Qualities of good software entirely depend upon the software developers while developing the software that takes preventive measures to avoid hacking.

The security threat is and will remain the primary threat to any software. There is no permanent solution to this problem; therefore, this issue must be taken seriously and handled accordingly.

3. Efficiency

The job or work of good and quality software is to provide exact and correct results required by the user.

In this process of operation, the program needs to be more efficient, which enhances its creditability.

They must have some characteristics like memory management and memory resources.

The effectiveness of any software is seen when it produces results with speed and accuracy.

4. Easy to Maintain

This is the primary objective of any software that must be easy to maintain and update user requests or demands.

Any software is imperfect; therefore, the need for improvements doors is always open as the business is not working traditionally.

They are ever-changing and incorporate modern techniques and methods; therefore, updating and enhancing the software is always on the cards.

Good and quality software engineers have to build software in such a fashion that can be easily modified, edited, and updated with the ever-changing demands of the users.

This software needs to be maintained easily without any issues that make software good software.

This feature of the software is also considered one of the significant and essential attributes of good software.

5. Usability

The software's usability depends upon many factors, which are mentioned below.

• User-friendliness
• Security features
• Simplicity
• Ease of Using
• Platform Independent
• Supportability

The software’s support features also play a vital role in deciding the software’s features and credibility.

It has been observed that the software that has the best services and support wins the race.

Qualities of Good Software in Computer

Some of the 9 essential qualities of good software in a computer system are mentioned below.

1. Robustness
2. Simplicity
3. Security
4. Reliability
5. Platform Independent
6. Flexibility
7. Less Dependency
8. Memory Management
9. Simple and User-Friendly Interface

Let us try to understand, explain, and define the above-mentioned silent qualities, keeping in mind the fundamentals of software engineering principles.

1. Robustness

The software is considered quality software that does not present any errors while handling and performing certain operations.

The quality of software engineers also plays a vital role in the process of software development.

An experienced software engineer or software developer will ensure no bugs in the programs while writing codes.

Therefore it is highly recommended that you choose an experienced and a pro software developer to design and develop customized software and programs.

The software must be developed and written so that the error that occurred while operating them can be easily detected and solved or present solutions to the bugs as early as possible.

In quality software, bugs are solved quickly as the code is written well readable, easy to understand, and simple to implement and execute.

Good or quality software is always robust.

There is no doubt that there are errors and bugs in software, but in my opinion, programs that can solve the issues in a limited time can be considered good software.

Even Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc., face issues with their programs; they have still considered quality software due to their robustness.

2. Simplicity

The primary quality of any software is that it must be simple to operate and handle. This is considered the mandatory feature of any good quality software.

In simple words, imagine you have purchased expensive software that presents unique features, but they are very difficult to use and implement; on the other hand, software with the same features developed in a highly user-friendly environment can hugely impact the result they produce.

Therefore it is highly recommended that you choose a program that is simple to use.

3. Security

The security of the software plays a vital role. The data and information stored in the software application are very sensitive and essential to the user.

Therefore good software must be highly secure when protecting against hackers, spammers, and crackers.

4. Reliability

The reliable software gains popularity, so it must not be vulnerable in any given circumstances.

5. Platform Independent

Now let us understand what platform-independent means. Various operating systems are available in the market like Windows operating system, Linux based operating system, IOS, and Android.

This operating system, when installed in any system, represents the platform.

I mean to say the windows operating system indicated the windows platform, the Linux operating system indicated or acknowledged the Linux platform, and so on.

There are certain restrictions while installing and using software like the software developed in the windows environment cannot be used in the Linux platform and vice versa.

The android software or application cannot be operated in IOS.

Therefore, platform-independent software is used widely and famous due to its acceptance and lack of restrictions for their use.

6. Flexibility

The software which is built and developed is not 100% up to the mark.

There are certain loopholes and room for improvement also prone to changes and updates.

They are flexible and ready to implement changes quickly and can be an excellent example of quality software.

7. Less Dependency

The software or programs that are less dependent on third-party sources are less vulnerable because the third parties’ sources or code are not completely in our control.

If any changes made in the third-party code can hamper our software’s functionality and operations, therefore software that uses less code from other sources is more secure.

Also, online software should be installed with good hosting and SSL certificate as they provide an extra layer of security essential for modern-day software.

The qualities of good software engineers define the quality of the software they produce.

8. Memory Management

The basic and most important feature is memory management. The software or program is of no use if it doesn’t comply with memory.

The space allotted to any program to perform its task and operations is limited; therefore, the code must execute according to its memory.

Otherwise, the time required to complete its task will drastically increase, which will eventually increase the load of software execution at a slow speed.

Nobody wants to wait, and hence such software, which takes ages to load or complete its operations, is not loved by users.

9. Simple and User-Friendly Interface

The user-friendly software and interface work well to attract new users as well as existing users.

For example, Google has developed its search engine in a simple yet very effective way to attract users worldwide.

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We all know that computer engineers and software developers are working immensely to make software and applications more advance and powerful than ever before.

There are several limitations to using software, but I am optimistic that the hurdle and disadvantages of using software programs will be eliminated sooner.

With the involvement of Artificial intelligence, software programs are becoming smarter beyond our imagination day by day.

Our next generation will surely reap and enjoy the benefits of modern technology.

The points I have made here will be more frequently updated as soon as I come across more news and updates.

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