SYSTEMS
SOFTWARE
What’s inside…
What is Systems Software?
Three Basic Types
What is Systems Software?
It enables the applications software to
interact with the computer & helps the
computer manage its internal & external
resources.
Three Basic Types of Systems
Software
Operating Systems
Utility Programs
Language Translator
Diagram
User
Applications Software
Systems Software
External Utility Operating Language
Programs System Translators
Hardware
(Computer plus Peripheral Devices)
OPERATING
SYSTEM
Operating System
It consists of the master system of
programs called supervisor, that manage
the basic operations of the computer.
These programs reside in RAM while the
computer is on & provide resource
management services of many kinds,
handling such matters as running &
storing programs & storing & processing
Operating System
It allows the user to concentrate in his own
tasks or applications rather than on the
complexities of managing the computer.
It interprets the commands the user gives
to run programs & allows him to interact
with the programs while they are running.
Booting
It is the process of loading an operating system into a
computer’s main memory from diskette or hard disk.
The OS begins to operate as soon as the user turns on
or “boots” the computer.
Loading is accomplished by an program called bootstrap
loader or boot routine that is stored permanently in the
computer’s electronic circuitry.
System Prompt - indicates the OS has been loaded into
main memory & asks (“prompts”) the user to enter a
command.
BIOS (Basic Input/Output
System)
It manages the essential peripherals such as keyboard,
screen, disk drives, and parallel & serial ports.
It manages some internal services such as time & date.
This is the part of the OS that tests the computer upon
booting via an autostart program.
After running the autostart program, it loads the rest of
the OS & turns over to it.
It is usually stored on a ROM chip or a flash memory
chip.
User Interface
It is the part of the OS that allows the user to
communicate or interact with it.
Three Types of User Interface
Command-Driven
Menu-Driven
Graphical User
Command-Driven Interface
It requires the user to enter a command by
typing in codes or words.
Example is DIR for directory…
This command instructs the computer to
display a directory list of all file names
on a disk.
Menu-Driven Interface
It allows the user to choose a command from a menu.
The menu offers options to choose from.
Graphical User Interface
It uses images to represent options. Some of
these images take the form of icons.
Icons are small pictorial figures that represent
tasks, functions or programs.
Windows is another feature of GUI.
GUI uses the mouse.
Ways on How OS Manages
Tasks
Multitasking
Multiprogramming
Time-sharing
Multiprocessing
Multitasking
It is the execution of two or more
programs by one user concurrently, not
simultaneously, on the same computer
with one central processor.
Multiprogramming
It is the execution of two or more
programs on a multi-user operating
system.
Time-Sharing
It is a single computer’s processing of the
tasks of several users at different stations
in round-robin fashion.
It is used when several users are linked by
a communications network to a single
computer.
Multiprocessing
It is a processing done by two or more
computers or processors linked together
to perform work simultaneously, that is, at
precisely the same time.
EXTERNAL
UTILITY
PROGRAMS
What are External Utility
Programs?
These are special programs that provide specific
useful services not performed or performed less
well by other systems software programs.
Examples
backup of files for storage
recovery of damaged files
virus protection
data compression
memory management
Some Specific Utility Tasks
Screen Saver - it is a utility that supposedly prevents a
monitor’s display screen from being
etched by unchanging image.
Data Recovery - it is used to undelete a file or
information that has been accidentally
deleted.
Backup - creating a duplicate copy of the information on
the hard disk.
Some Specific Utility Tasks
Virus Protection
Virus - consists of hidden programming instructions that
are buried within an application or systems
program. They copy themselves to other
programs causing havoc.
Antivirus Software - a utility program that scans hard
disks, diskettes, & the microcomputer’s
memory to detect viruses.
File Defragmentatiojn - defragment the scattered files &
speed up the drive’s operation.
Fragmentation - the scattering of portion of files about
the disk in non-adjacent areas,
thus greatly slowing access
to the files.
Some Specific Utility Tasks
Data Compression - removes redundant elements, gaps,
& unnecessary data from a
computer’s storage space so
less space is required to store
or transmit data.
Memory Management - programs that determine how to
efficiently control & allocate
memory resources. These are
activated by drivers.
Driver - a series of program instructions that
standardizes the format of data transmitted
between a computer & a peripheral
device.
LANGUAGE
TRANSLATOR
What is Language Translator?
It is a software that translates a program written by a
programmer in a language.
For example in C, a word processing applications
program, into machine language 0s and 1s, which the
computer can understand.
All system software & applications software must be
turned into machine language for execution by the
computer.
END
