7. Specialist Software

Specialist application packages are generally not available in shops and they often have to be purchased directly from the manufacturer or a specialist firm.

These applications are designed to be used for specific tasks such as company payroll, stock control systems, appointment systems, ecommerce sites etc.

The applications have not been written for a specific company.  They have been developed by a manufacturer to try to provide all of the features that they anticipate a company might need. 

Like general purpose software, there may be many features that the company does not need, or the features which are available may not work exactly as they would like in their business.

It is possible for developers to adapt this specialist software somewhat and make it more specific for the company needs.  However, they are limited in what can be changed.