COMPUTER
SOFTWARE
Computer Software
The software is the set of
programs that make the
computer system active. In
essence, the software is the set
of programs that run on the
computer.
what is a program?
A program is a series of
coded instructions showing
the logical steps the
computer follows to solve a
given problem.
Classification of Computer
Software
The computer software could be
divided into two major groups,
namely
system software (programs),
application software
(programs).
Application Software
Apply to real-world tasks
Solves user problems
Consists of instructions that direct
a computer system to perform
specific information processing
activities and to provide
functionalities for users
PC Software Characteristics
User-friendly
Easy
Intuitive
Minimum training and documentation
needed to use
Software Types
Packaged or Commercial
Sold
in stores, catalogs, or downloadable
from the WWW
Purchased from software publishers
Must be installed
Standard or custom installation
The setup process copies some of all of the
software to the hard disk
May require the CD-ROM to be in the drive to
run
Acquiring Software
Freeware
Free to all (computer software that is
available for use at no charge).
Internet browsers, such as Mozilla Firefox
and Google Chrome, Adobe acrobat pdf
reader
Shareware
Freely distributed for a trial period
Pay a nominal fee to register with the
author
Operating system, internet download
manager
Word Processing
Uses
Memos
Reports
Correspondence
Minutes of meetings
Anything to be typed
Functions
Create
Edit
Format
Store
Print textand graphics
• Examples- Google docs, Libre Office writer
, Microsoft word
Desktop Publishing
Uses
Newsletters
Reports
Brochures
Functions
Handles high-level publishing needs
• Examples – Microsoft Publisher, Adobe page maker
Electronic Spreadsheets
Uses
Comparing mortgage interest rates
Preparing budgets
Tracking weight loss
Functions
Manipulates numbers in rows and columns
Recalculates the results when a number is
changed
Examples : Microsoft Exel, Google sheets,
Electronic Spreadsheets
Database Management
Uses
Keep track of a large number of related facts
Query the data for specific information
Retrieve information in a variety of ways
Functions
Store data
Update data
Manipulate data
Retrieve data
Print data in many forms
Report on data in a variety of ways
Examples – MySQL, SQLite, Microsoft Access,
Oracle
Graphics
Graphic design jobs involve the creative process
of coming up with concepts and ideas and
arrangements for visually communicating a
specific message.
Uses
Maps
Graphs
Charts
Helps to
Compare data
Spot trends
Make decisions
• Examples – Adobe photoshop, corel draw
Presentation Graphics
Uses
Salestool
Demonstrate a product
Show cost/benefit projections on charts
Present audio/video testimonials from satisfied
customers
May contain
Text
Graphics
Audio
Video
System Software
Types of System software
- Operating System (OS)
- Device drivers
- Translators
- Utility software
DEVICE DRIVERS
A device driver is a particular form of
software application that is designed to
enable interaction with hardware
devices. Without the required device
driver, the corresponding hardware
device fails to work.
There are device drivers keyboards,
printers, scanners, digital cameras and
external storage devices and so on.
PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES
A programming language is a
vocabulary and set of grammatical
rules for instructing a computer or
computing device to perform
specific tasks.
Examples – C, C++, Python, Java,
Ruby
PROGRAMMING
LANGUAGES
At the initial stage of computer
development, programs were
written in machine language
conducting the binary system i.e. 0
and 1. Such programs were hard to
write, read, debug and maintain. In
an attempt to solve these problems,
other computer languages were
developed.
Language translators
However, computers can run
programs written only in machine
language. There is therefore the
need to translate programs written
in these other languages to
machine language. The suites of
languages that translate other
languages to machine language
are called language translators.
Language translators
Assemblers
An assembler is a computer
program that accepts a source
program in assembly language
program and reads and translates
the entire program into an
equivalent program in machine
language called the object
program or object code.
Assembly Language
Assembly language is a low-level
language created in the early days
of computing as an alternative to
machine language. Instead of using
binary numbers for instructions,
assembly language uses short words
that are known as mnemonics.
Assembly Language
A mnemonic is an abbreviation for
an operation. For example, in
assembly language, the mnemonic
add typically means to add
numbers, mul typically means to
multiply numbers, inc means
increase by one, and mov typically
means to move a value to a
location in memory.
Assembly Language
When a programmer uses
assembly language to write a
program, he or she can write
short mnemonics instead of
binary numbers.
Assembly Language
A mnemonic is an alphabetical
abbreviation used as memory aid. This
means a programmer can use
abbreviation instead of having to
remember lengthy binary instruction
codes. For example, it is much easier to
remember L for Load, A for Add, B for
Branch, and C for Compare than the
binary equivalents i.e different
combinations of 0s and 1s.
Assembly Language
Although, assembly language
programming offers an improvement over
machine language programming, it is still
an arduous task, requiring the
programmer to write programs based on
particular computer operation codes. It is
still required to rewrite every piece of
code for every machine. Only computer
specialists familiar with the architecture of
the computer being used can use them.
Language translators
Interpreters:An interpreter is a
program that accepts program
from a source language, reads,
translates and executes it, line
by line, into machine
language.
Language translators
Compilers: A compiler is a
computer program that accepts a
source program in a high-level
language, reads and translates into
an equivalent program in machine
language, called the object
program or object code. Such high-
level languages include C, Fortran,
or Java.
