Transcript Software Part 1

Software
What is software?

Review: recall the difference between hardware and
software (rigid vs. fluid)

Software, in essence, is a set of instructions that tell your
computer’s hardware how to behave
OS (The Operating System)

Operating system: specialized software that
coordinates all the activities among the
hardware

Contains instructions for running application
software

Also known as “platform” or “software platform”

Programs that can be run on different operating
systems are called “cross platform” applications

The OS is basically the internal traffic cop for
your computer
The User Interface

The user interface is the portion of the system software
that allows you to interact with data on your computer

There are two types:

GUI (Graphical User Interface)

Command Line

GUI is more user friendly (mouse, icons, windows, etc.)

But the command line is faster
Application Software

Application software: a set of programs that are designed
to perform specific tasks for the user

They serve to help users be more productive, not have to
start from scratch every time

Example categories of applications: (iPhone folders)

Productivity

Graphic design

Home / personal / educational

Communications
The First Program

The first program to be stored in electronic memory was
made on June 21st 1948 by a man named Tim Kilburn at
the University of Manchester

The program calculated the highest factors of the integer
262,144 (which is the 18th power of 2)

This was done by a simple algorithm
So, let’s try writing a program …

Exercise: Your little sister is home alone while you’re out
at a baseball game. She’s so hungry but can’t cook
anything. She calls you and asks for instructions on how to
make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Write down
exactly what you would tell your sister over the phone.
Basic Idea

Computers are not that smart, but they are obedient

When writing software/programs, you must be very
detailed and precise as your computer will often crash if
you do not specify what exactly it is supposed to do