Introduction to Computer Applications

What are various types of system software?

Types of System Software
 Operating System. Operating systems are the most important type of system software. ...
 Device Drivers. ...
 Firmware. ...
 BIOS and UEFI. ...
 Programming Language Translator. ...
 Utilities.
System software is used for operating computer hardware. Application software is used by user
to perform specific task. System software are installed on the computer when operating system
is installed.

Web browsers like Firefox, and Google Chrome, as well as Microsoft Word and Excel, are
examples of application software that is used on a personal computer or laptop. It also includes
smartphone apps such as WhatsApp and Telegram, as well as games such as Candy Crush
Saga and Ludo.

Introduction to Operating Systems

1.1 History and Fundamentals of Operating Systems

An operating system is a program that acts as an intermediary between a user of a computer and
the computer hardware. The purpose of an operating system is to provide an environment in
which a user can execute program. This is achieved via a low-level software approach that
enables a user and higher-level application software to interact with a computer's hardware and
the data and other programs stored on the computer. The OS manages the hardware and software
resources of a computer. It performs basic tasks such as controlling and allocating memory,
prioritizing the processing of instructions, controlling input and output devices, facilitating
networking, and managing files.

An operating system is an important part of almost every computer system. A computer system
can be divided roughly into (4) four components: the hardware, the operating system, the
applications programs, and the users.
 i. The hardware, the central processing unit (CPU), the memory, and the input / output
(I/O) devices - provides the basic computing resources.

ii. The applications programs. Such as compilers, database systems, games, and business
programs define the ways in which these resources are used to solve the computing
problems of the users.

iii. An operating system is a control program. A control program controls the execution
of user programs to prevent errors and improper use of the computer. It is especially
concerned with the operation and control of I/O devices. A more common definition
is that the operating system is the one program running at all times on the computer
(usually called the kernel), with all else being applications programs.

1.2 Need for an OS:

The primary need for the OS arises from the fact that user needs to be provided with
services and OS ought to facilitate the provisioning of these services. The central part of a
computer system is a processing engine called CPU. A system should make it possible for a
user's application to use the processing unit. A user application would need to store information.
The OS makes memory available to an application when required. Similarly, user applications
need use of input facility to communicate with the application. This is often in the form of a key
board, or a mouse or even a joy stick (if the application is a game for instance).

The first computers did not have operating systems. However, software tools for managing the
system and simplifying the use of hardware appeared very quickly afterwards and gradually
expanded in scope. By the early 1960s, commercial computer vendors were supplying quite
extensive tools for streamlining the development, scheduling, and execution of jobs on batch
processing systems. Examples were produced by UNIVAC and Control Data Corporation,
amongst others. Through the 1960s, several major concepts were developed, driving the
development of operating systems. Today, Command line interface (or CLI) operating systems
can operate using only the keyboard for input. Modern OS's use a mouse for input with a
graphical user interface (GUI) sometimes implemented as a shell.

1.3 Basic Objectives of Operating System

The purpose of an operating system (OS) is to control all of the interactions among the various
system components, the human interactions with the computer, and the network operations for
the computer system. An OS is actually a group of programs that accomplishes its tasks by
building an increasingly complex set of software layers between the lowest level of a computer
system (the hardware) and the highest levels (user interactions). An important type of software
that works closely with the OS is a device driver—program code that allows the OS to interact
with and control a particular device. Many device drivers come with Windows and you can
easily add others to the OS. That is why new hardware comes packaged with a disc containing a
device driver for one or more versions of Windows and other OSs.

Key objectives of Operating System are outlined as follows;

i. Simplifies the execution of user programmes and makes problem-solving easier

ii. Enable efficient use and interface to a variety of computer hardware
iii. Manages the sharing of hardware and software resources
iv. Provide an Application Programming Interface
v. Makes application software portable and versatile
vi. Provides isolation, security and protection among user programs
vii. Improve overall system performance and reliability
viii. Ensures error confinement, fault tolerance and reconfiguration.

A collection of software modules to assist programmers in enhancing system efficiency,

flexibility, and robustness. From the user’s point of view, it is an extended machine. And a
resource manager a system’s viewpoint.

1.4 Functions of an Operating System

Operating System performs several functions, some of which include;

i. Allocation / managing of System Resources (Time, Memory, data files, Input and
Output)
ii. Monitoring system activities
iii. File and Disk Management
iv. scheduling processes and multiplexing the processor(s)
v. Programme Execution; providing an environment or platform for convenient running
of programs.
vi. Coordinating interaction among processes, inter-process communication and
synchronization.
vii. Enforcing access control and protection.
viii. Maintaining system integrity and performing error recovery.
ix. Providing an interface to the users.

As a control program, the Operating System controls the execution of user programs to prevent
errors and improper use of the computer. It is especially concerned with the operation and
control of I/O devices. A more common definition is that the operating system is the one
program running at all times on the computer (usually called the kernel), with all else being
applications programs.

1.5 Operating System Tasks and Services

An OS performs basic tasks, such as recognizing input from the keyboard, sending output to the
display screen, keeping track of files and directories on the disk, and controlling peripheral
devices such as printers. Other Services of OS include;

A. Program Execution
OS provides an environment where the user can conveniently run programs. The user does not
have to worry about memory allocation or CPU scheduling.

B. I/O Operations
Each program requires input and produces output. The OS hides some of the details of the
underlying hardware for such I/O. All the user sees is that the I/O has been performed, without
those details.

C. Communications
There are instances where processes need to communicate with each other to exchange
information. It may be between processes running on the same computer or running on different
computers.

The OS provides these services to application programs, making inter-process communication

possible, and relieving the user of having to worry about how this accomplished.

D. File Management
The OS is responsible for managing the computer's files in an organized manner and allowing
the user to manage data files. The OS keeps track of the functions of particular files and brings
them into memory as program code or data when needed.

Furthermore, the OS is responsible for maintaining file associations so data files launch in the
proper applications. The OS is also responsible for managing the computer's disks, keeping track
of each disk's identification, and managing disk space use.

A user interface (UI) is both the visual portion of the operating system and the software
components that allow the user to interact with the OS for starting programs, creating data,
saving files, and other user tasks. A graphical user interface (GUI) is a user interface that takes
advantage of a computer's graphics capabilities to make it easier for the user to interact with the
OS by manipulating graphic objects on the desktop to accomplish a multitude of tasks. An
operating system also works with one or more computer architectures.
A computer architecture (sometimes called the platform) is the basic design of a computer
describing the data pathways and the methods the computer's CPU uses to access other
components with the computer. In physical terms, the main components are the CPU, BIOS, and
chipset—all of which you will study in
 1.6 Classification of Operating System
Operating systems can be classified as single program and multi-tasking. A single program
operating system allows only one program to run at a time. This was the operating system that
was improved on to as multi-tasking operating systems as it was not practical to close one
application to open another, example, close a word document to open power point, especially if
you are required to copy some texts from word to power point.

Multi-tasking operating systems enables a single user to have two or more applications open at
the same time. It gives the computer the option to decide on how many time slices each program
is allocated. The active program gets the most, and the rest is divided according to the factors of
which programs are doing tasks although not active, and the last priority is given to programs
and applications that are left open but are not doing anything.

Multi-tasking operating systems can be divided into three general types depending on the type of
computer and the type of applications that will be run. These are Real time operating systems,
Single user-Multi tasking, and Multi user operating systems

Single-User/Single-Tasking OS

An operating system that allows a single user to perform only one task at a time is called a
Single-User Single-Tasking Operating System. Functions like printing a document, downloading
images, etc., can be performed only one at a time. Examples include MS-DOS, Palm OS, etc.

A single-user operating system is a type of operating system developed and intended for use on
a computer or similar machine that will only have a single user at any given time.

Multi-user operating system is a computer operating system (OS) that allows multiple users on
different computers or terminals to access a single system with one OS on it. Examples of multi-
user operating system are : Linux, Ubuntu, Unix, Mac OS X, Windows 10 etc.

Types of Operating Systems

 Batch OS.
 Distributed OS.
 Multitasking OS.
 Network OS.
 Real-OS.
 Mobile OS.

What is an example of a multi-user application?

 For example: Windows desktop PCs allow multiple users to use the same device, but
each user has their own interactive session and each session is completely
independent of the other sessions on the device.

Multi-user software is computer software that allows access by multiple users of a computer.
Time-sharing systems are multi-user systems. Most batch processing systems for mainframe
computers may also be considered "multi-user", to avoid leaving the CPU idle while it waits for
I/O operations to complete.

Operating System handles the following responsibilities:

 It controls all the computer resources.
 It provides valuable services to user programs.
 It coordinates the execution of user programs.
 It provides resources for user programs.
 It provides an interface (virtual machine) to the user.

i. Multi-user and Single-user Operating Systems:

Computer operating systems of this type allow multiple users to access a computer system
simultaneously. Time-sharing systems can be classified as multi-user systems as they enable a
multiple user access to a computer through time sharing. Single-user operating systems, as
opposed to a multi-user operating system, are usable by only one user at a time. Being able to
have multiple accounts on a Windows operating system does not make it a multi-user system.
Rather, only the network administrator is the real user. But for a Unix-like operating system, it is
possible for two users to log in at a time and this capability of the OS makes it a multi-user
operating system.

Windows 95, Windows 2000, Mac OS and Palm OS are examples of single-user operating
systems. Unix and OpenVMS are examples of multi-user operating systems.
ii. Multi-tasking and Single-tasking Operating Systems:
When a single program is allowed to run at a time, the system is grouped under the single-
tasking system category, while in case the operating system allows for execution of multiple
tasks at a time, it is classified as a multi-tasking operating system. Multi-tasking can be of two
types namely, pre-emptive or co-operative. In pre-emptive multitasking, the operating system
slices the CPU time and dedicates one slot to each of the programs. Unix-like operating systems
such as Solaris and Linux support pre-emptive multitasking. If you are aware of the multi-
threading terminology, you can consider this type of multi-tasking as similar to interleaved
multi-threading. Cooperative multitasking is achieved by relying on each process to give time to
the other processes in a defined manner. This kind of multi-tasking is similar to the idea of block
multi-threading in which one thread runs till it is blocked by some other event. MS Windows
prior to Windows 95 used to support cooperative multitasking.

Palm OS for Palm handheld is a single-task operating system. Windows 9x support multi-
tasking. DOS Plus is a relatively less-known multi-tasking operating system. It can support the
multi-tasking of a maximum of four CP/M-86 programs.

iii. Distributed Operating System:

An operating system that manages a group of independent computers and makes them appear to
be a single computer is known as a distributed operating system. The development of networked
computers that could be linked and made to communicate with each other, gave rise to
distributed computing. Distributed computations are carried out on more than one machine.
When computers in a group work in cooperation, they make a distributed system.

Amoeba, Plan9 and LOCUS (developed during the 1980s) are some examples of distributed
operating systems.

iv. Real-time Operating System:

It is a multitasking operating system that aims at executing real-time applications. Real-time
operating systems often use specialized scheduling algorithms so that they can achieve a
deterministic nature of behavior. The main object of real-time operating systems is their quick
and predictable response to events. They either have an event-driven design or a time-sharing
one. An event-driven system switches between tasks based of their priorities while time-sharing
operating systems switch tasks based on clock interrupts.

Windows CE, OS-9, Symbian and LynxOS are some of the commonly known real-time operating
systems.

v. Embedded System:
The operating systems designed for being used in embedded computer systems are known as
embedded operating systems. They are designed to operate on small machines like PDAs with
less autonomy. They are able to operate with a limited number of resources. They are very
compact and extremely efficient by design.

Windows CE, FreeBSD and Minix 3 are some examples of embedded operating systems. The use
of Linux in embedded computer systems is referred to as Embedded Linux.

vi. Mobile Operating System:

Though not a functionally distinct kind of operating system, mobile OS is definitely an important
mention in the list of operating system types. A mobile OS controls a mobile device and its
design supports wireless communication and mobile applications. It has built-in support for
mobile multimedia formats. Tablet PCs and smartphones run on mobile operating systems.

Blackberry OS, Google's Android and Apple's iOS are some of the most known names of mobile
operating systems.

vii. Batch Processing and Interactive Systems:

Batch processing refers to execution of computer programs in 'batches' without manual
intervention. In batch processing systems, programs are collected, grouped and processed on a
later date. There is no prompting the user for inputs as input data are collected in advance for
future processing. Input data are collected and processed in batches, hence the name batch
processing. IBM's z/OS has batch processing capabilities. As against this, interactive operating
requires user intervention. The process cannot be executed in the user's absence.

Online and Offline Processing: In online processing of data, the user remains in contact with the
computer and processes are executed under control of the computer's central processing unit.
When processes are not executed under direct control of the CPU, the processing is referred to as
offline. Let's take the example of batch processing. Here, the batching or grouping of data can be
done without user and CPU intervention; it can be done offline. But the actual process execution
may happen under direct control of the processor that is online.

1.7 Types of OS
Some types of Operating System are listed below. However, this list is by no means exhaustive.
i. Microsoft Windows
ii. DOS
iii. OS/2
iv. Linux
v. Mac OS
vi. AmigaOS
vii. Android
With recourse to this course, our study will be focused on the most popular OS, which is the
Windows Operating invented by Microsoft.

Software
This is the general name given to all computer programs. By itself, a computer’s hardware is not
very useful. You can connect it and set it in place, but it won’t do anything until you have some
software to perform tasks for you. Software refers to programs (i.e. instructions) that tell a
computer what to do. Examples of computer software are:
 Microsoft Word for word processing
 Microsoft Excel to create spreadsheets and crunch numbers
 Microsoft Access for database management
 Internet Explorer to display websites from the World Wide Web
 Adobe Photoshop to edit pictures and graphics

A COMPUTER PROGRAM: is a set of instruction written with a particular programming

language in a way a computer will understanding and execute its task.
TYPES OF PRGRAMS
i. Application Programs: these are programs that carry the task needed by the user. E.g.
Word Processing, Spreadsheet, Database Management, and Desktop Publishing
Application programs.
ii. Utility Programs: these are programs that help use and manage the application
programs very well such as Drivers.
iii. System Control Software: this controls both the application and the utility programs.
E.g. Windows/Operating System.

Application Software
These are programs designed or written to perform specific tasks eg. Library management
software which manages book details, account holder details, and transaction details. Application
software can be broadly classified into two (2) groups, viz; Generalised packages and
Customised packages.

Generalised packages refer to user-friendly application designed to cater for user’s general needs
and applications. For instance, within an office environment users need applications that could
cater for nearly all clerical or office tasks and responsibilities. Example of such package is the
Microsoft office suites which comprise of a combination or group of software that meet the
demand of document preparation, computations, drawings, database management. Examples
include;
i. Word Processing Software (MSword, Word Perfect, OpenOffice.org writer, NotePad,
WordPad.
 ii. SpreadSheets (for data analysis) – (MSExcel, Lotus 123, OpenOffice.org Calc, Apple
Numbers).
iii. Presentations (MS-PowerPoint, Presentation Graphics, OpenOffice.org Impress)
iv. Database Management Systems (MS-Access, OpenOffice.Org Base, MS-SQL Server,
Oracle)
v. Graphics Tools; Paintshop, CorelDraw, Adobe Photoshop etc)

Customised packages on the programmes specially and specifically designed to meet certain
conditions and perform certain tasks. Such programs do not have abilities or capacities to extend
to other tasks. Customised packages are usually designed to meet the requirements of
organisations and institutions. Examples include;
i. Student Information System
ii. Payroll packages
iii. Inventory control systems
iv. Accounting packages