Software
Software refers to the logical component of a computer. We can see but cannot touch it
These are in form of instructions that tell the computer that what to do
It cannot be executed without hardware.
If there is any problem in the software, then it will have to be repaired or reinstalled.
There are two types of softwares
o Systems software
o Application software
System software:
It controls a computer’s internal function
System software manages the fundamental operations of your computer
Examples include
o Operating system
o Utilities
o Library
o Programming Languages
Operating System:
An interface between applications and hardware
It manages the data, the memory and appearance
Makes the computer system convenient to use
Execute user programs and makes solving user problems easier
User interface:
User interface is what you see when you turn on the computer.
It consists of the cursors, prompts, icons and menus etc
Ideally the user interface should be as easy to use as possible
User interfaces are of three types
o Command driven interface
o Menu driven interface
o Graphical user interface
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Command driven interface:
With a command driven interface, you type in an
instruction, which is usually abbreviated, in order to get
something done.
A set of commands used to interact with computer is
called command language
It requires exact spelling and punctuation
Have to learn/memorize all the commands
Are not easy to use
Menu driven interface:
The user enters data and instruction by using menus
Easy to use as the user need not remember the syntax of commands
User can make a selection by using either a mouse or a keyboard
Drop down list presents options Both Microsoft Windows and Apple
Macintosh programs are menu driven
Graphical user interface:
Is a visual environment that is used by the user to
communicate with computer
It uses windows, icons, menus and pointers (WIMP) to issue
commands.
Easy to use
Easy to learn
Attractive
Utility Programs:
A type of system software that is used to solve particular problem.
File Viewer- Is used to view and manage files in computer system. E.g. Window Explorer
File Compressor: Is used to shrink the size of files E.g.: Winzip and WinRAR
Diagnostic Utilities:
o AntiVirus o Task Manager utility
o Disk Defragmenter o Disk Cleanup
o Backup utility o Personal Firewall
o Data Recovery Utility o Spyware Remover
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Application software:
Application software enables you to perform specific computer tasks, such as document production,
spreadsheet calculations, and database management
Any program that processes data for a user
Examples include
o Word processing software
o Spreadsheet software
o Browser
o Database software
o Apps
Program: The instructions that tell the computer what to do is called program.
Programmer: Who writes or design the program in any language.
Programming languages may be in the form of
High level Languages
Low Level Languages
Low Level Languages:
Are languages that are easy for the computer to understand but more difficult for the programmer
Each instruction usually translates into one machine code instruction
Two types: machine language and Assembly language
Machine language:
Is the language that directly understood by the machine
It consists of series of a 0s and 1s
It is machine specific; it means that one computer’s machine code will not be understood by other
computer type
Assembly language:
An assembly language is a low-level programming language designed for a specific type of
processor.
Once a program has been written in assembly language it needs translating into machine code by a
software called assembler
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High-level language:
Is developed with the programmer in mind rather than the computer
High-level language instructions are similar to English, which mean programming is more easier.
Once a program has been written it can be used on different computers with little alteration
It can be translated into machine code by a compiler and then run
Some examples include
o COBOL: common business oriented language
o BASIC: Beginners all-purpose symbolic instruction code
o PASCAL
o LOGO
o JAVA
o HTML: Hypertext Markup Language
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