Software

Lecture 2

CSC 301
Software

❖Software consists of a group of related programs written in a

specific code called programming language.
❖It is created by Profession Software Programmer
❖Software can generally be divided into two categories.
• System software
• Application Software
Categories of Software
System Software
• System Software: This is a software designed to allow the computer
to manage its own resources and run the hardware and basic
operations

❖Systems Software can be very complex to develop and are provided by

the manufacturers of computer systems to complement computer
hardware.
❖Handles technical details
❖Some examples of system software are operating systems and
Language translators
Operating System
• An operating system is the most important software for a
computer.
• It is made up of many component programs and manages the
overall operations of a computer system
• Specifically, the operating system provides services that include
process management, virtual memory, file management, security,
fault tolerance, and the user interface
Operating System Services (continued)

• Process management means managing the program or programs

(also called jobs) running on the processor at a given time
❑Some operating systems offer more sophisticated forms of process
management, such as multitasking , multithreading , and
multiprocessing
❑The management of two or more tasks, or programs, running on
the computer system at the same time is called multitasking , or
multiprogramming
Operating System Services (continued)

• Time-sharing is an extension of multiprogramming. In this mode,

a number of users operate online with the same CPU, but each
uses a different input/output terminal
• The programs of these users are placed into partitions in primary
storage.
• Execution of these programs rotates among all users, occurring so
rapidly that it appears to each user as though he or she were the
only one using the computer.
Operating System Services (continued)

• Virtual memory simulates more main memory than actually

exists in the computer system.
• It allows a program to behave as if it had access to the full storage
capacity of a computer, rather than just access to the amount of
primary storage installed on the computer
Operating System Services (continued)

• file management and security

• The operating system creates and manages a directory structure
that allows files to be created and retrieved by name, and it also
may control access to those files based on permissions and access
controls. The operating system provides other forms of security as
well.
Operating System Services (continued)

• Fault tolerance is the ability of a system to produce correct

results and to continue
• to operate even in the presence of faults or errors. Fault tolerance
can involve error-correcting memory, redundant computer
components, and related software that protect the system from
hardware, operating system, or user errors
Types of Operating Systems
❖ Operating systems (OSs) can be categorized by the number of users they
support as well as by their level of sophistication.
❖ Operating systems for mobile devices are designed to support a single person
using a mobile, handheld device, or information appliance
❖ Desktop operating systems are designed to support a single user or a small
workgroup of users
❖ Departmental server operating systems typically support from a few dozen to a
few hundred users.
❖ Enterprise server operating systems generally support thousands of
simultaneous users and millions or billions of simultaneous transactions
Mobile Device Operating Systems.
❖These operating systems are designed for a variety of devices,
such as:
❖ handheld computers,
❖subnotebook PCs,
❖ mobile telephones,
❖The mobile device operating system market includes embedded
Linux, Microsoft’s Windows CE and Pocket PC, Windows
Embedded NT 4.0,
Desktop and Notebook Computer Operating
Systems.
• The Windows family is the leading series of desktop operating
systems.
• The MS-DOS (Microsoft Disk Operating System) was one of the
original operating systems for the IBM PC and its clones.
• This 16-bit operating system, with its text-based interface, has
now been almost totally replaced by GUI operating systems such
as Windows 2000 and Windows XP.
Desktop and Notebook Computer Operating
Systems.
• UNIX
❖It provides many sophisticated desktop features, including
multiprocessing and multitasking.
❖ UNIX is valuable to business organizations because it can be
used on many different sizes of computers (or different platforms),
❖It can support many different hardware devices (e.g., printers,
plotters, etc.), and has numerous applications written to run on it
Desktop and Notebook Computer Operating
Systems.
• Linux
❖It is a powerful version of the UNIX operating system that is
completely free of charge.
❖It offers multitasking, virtual memory management, and TCP/IP
networking.
❖Linux was originally written by Linus Torvalds at the University
of Helsinki in Finland in 1991.
❖He then released the source code to the world (called open source
software)
Departmental Server Operating Systems.

❖The major departmental server operating systems include UNIX,

Linux, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Window Vista, Window 7,
and Novell NetWare
❖Although some of these are also desktop operating systems, all
can serve as departmental server operating systems
❖Because of their strong scalability, reliability, backup, security,
fault tolerance, multitasking, multiprocessing, TCP/IP networking
Enterprise Server Operating Systems.

❖Enterprise server operating systems (e.g. IBM’s OS/390, VM,

VSE, and OS/400) generally run on mainframes and midrange
systems
❖Enterprise operating systems offer superior manageability,
security, stability, and support for online applications, secure
electronic commerce, multiple concurrent users
❖Enterprise server operating systems also offer partitioning , a
method of segmenting a server’s resources to allow the processing
of multiple applications on a single system
SYSTEM SUPPORT PROGRAMS
❖system support programs, supports the operations, management,
and users of a computer system by providing a variety of support
services.
• Examples of system support programs are:
o system utility programs
o performance monitors
o and security monitors
SYSTEM SUPPORT PROGRAMS

❖System utilities are programs that have been written to

accomplish common tasks such as sorting records, checking the
integrity of diskettes, restore accidentally erased files, Manage
memory usage etc.
❖System performance monitors are programs that monitor the
processing of jobs on a computer system.
❖System security monitors are programs that monitor the use of a
computer system to protect it and its resources from unauthorized
use, fraud, or destruction
APPLICATION SOFTWARE
• application software consists of instructions that direct a computer
system to perform specific information processing activities and
that provide functionality for users

TYPES OF APPLICATION SOFTWARE

▪ Proprietary application software
▪ Off-the-shelf application software.
Proprietary application software

• Proprietary application software addresses a specific or unique

business need for a company. It is a software that is owned by an
individual or a company
❑ This type of software may be developed in-house by the
organization’s information systems personnel or it may be
commissioned from a software vendor.
❑ Such specific software programs developed for a particular
company by a vendor are called contract software.
Off-the-shelf application software

• Off-the-shelf application software: is a term used to describe the

purchase of software that are standard
• It can be purchased, leased, or rented from a vendor that develops
programs and sells them to many organizations
• Off-the-shelf software may be a standard package or it may be
customizable e.g. The word package
TYPES OF PERSONAL APPLICATION SOFTWARE
• This type of software consists of nine widely used packages:
• Spreadsheet
• Data Management,
• Word Processing,
• Desktop Publishing
• Graphics,
• Multimedia
• Communications,
• Speech-recognition software,
• Groupware
Spreadsheet
Software
• Transforms a computer screen
into a ledger sheet, or grid, of
coded rows and columns.
• Users can enter numeric or
textual data into each cell.
• Formula can be entered into a
cell to obtain a calculated
answer displayed in that cell’s
location
Data management.

• Data management software supports the storage, retrieval, and

manipulation of related data.
• There are two basic types of data management software:
• simple filing patterned after traditional, manual data-filing
techniques,
• and database management programs that take advantage of
programs a computer’s extremely fast and accurate ability to store
and retrieve data in primary and secondary storage.
Word Processing

• Word processing software allows the user to manipulate text

rather than just numbers.
• A typical word processing software package consists of an
integrated set of programs including an editor program, a
formatting program, a print program, a dictionary etc.
• . WYSIWYG (an acronym for What You See Is What You Get,
pronounced “wiz-e-wig”)
Desktop Publishing

• Desktop publishing software represents a level of sophistication

beyond regular word processing.
• Photographs
• diagrams
• and other images can be combined with text, including several
different fonts, to produce a finished, camera-ready document
Presentation graphics software

• Presentation graphics software allows users to create

graphically rich presentations.
• Analysis graphics applications additionally provide the ability to
convert previously analyzed data—such as statistical data—into
graphic formats like bar charts,
• Analysis graphics applications additionally provide the ability to
convert previously analyzed data—such as statistical data—into
graphic formats like bar charts,
Multimedia

• Multimedia Software combines at least two media for input or

output of data. These media include audio (sound), voice,
animation, video, text, graphics, and images
• Communications Software. This software allows computers,
whether they are located close together or far apart, to exchange
data over dedicated or public cables, telephone lines, satellite
relay systems, or microwave circuits.
Speech-recognition software.

• Two categories of speech-recognition software are available

today:
▪ Discrete Speech
▪ Continuous Speech
❖Discrete speech recognition can interpret only one word at a time,
so users must place distinct pauses between words
❖Software for continuous speech recognition can interpret a
continuing stream of words.
Groupware

• Groupware is a class of software products that facilitates

communication, coordination, and collaboration among people.
• Groupware is important because it allows workgroups—people
who need to interact with one another within an organization