Transcript Fundamentals of Computer Hardware & software

Software
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Distinguish between the two categories of
software.
Define application software
Give examples of types of application
software
Explain the terms
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General-purpose
Integrated
Specialised
Customised
Custom-written
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Application Software
◦ These are programs developed to carry out specific
tasks or solve particular problems.
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System Software
◦ Manages and supports the resources and
operations of a computer system. It enables the
running of application software and management of
system resources.
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Examples include:
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Entertainment software
Home & personal software
Productivity software
Specialist software
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Also called “off-the-shelf” Not written for any
specific business or organization but can be
used or adapted to suit their specific needs.
◦ Usually well tested
◦ Relatively cheap
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Example Spreadsheet and word-processing
packages.
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A set of related programs combined in a
unified package that allows data to be
transferred easily between the programs.
◦ Main advantage is the ease with which data can be
transferred from one component to another using a
cut/copy-paste operation.
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Examples Microsoft Office, Microsoft Works,
Sun OpenOffice, iWorks
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Software written for a specific task rather
than for a broad application area.
Example payroll, expert systems, accounting
programs, theatre and airline booking
systems
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General-purpose software which has been
modified to meet the needs of an individual
or organization better.
Customized through the use of special codes
or macros (which are short programs written
to automate several steps in software)
◦ Usually written by experienced end users of the
program.
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Written by programmers within a company or
contracted out to a software house to meet
the specific needs of a company.
Every company is unique and may have
unique needs, so a solution tailored to
achieve the company’s goals, based on their
specialized requirements offers advantages
when compared to general-purpose
packages.
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There are two major categories of system
software:
Operating System
Utility programs
One textbook has a third…
 Language translators
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A set of programs managing the operations
of a computer, without which the computer
cannot function.
◦ the term ‘booting’ refers to the process of loading
the operating system into a computer’s main
memory from disk. It remains in the main memory
until the computer is turned off.
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Linux
Microsoft Windows
MSDOS
OSX
OS/2
Microsoft NT Server
Unix
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Managing computer resources
Managing files and memory
Maintaining security
Managing tasks
◦ Multitasking (concurrent processes – running at the
same time)
◦ Multiprogramming
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Multiprocessing
◦ Time-sharing
◦ Batch Processing
◦ Real-time processing
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Providing a user interface
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Command-driven
◦ User enters a command by typing in codes or words.
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Menu-driven
◦ Allows the use of either a mouse, cursor-keys or
keyboard to make a selection from a menu.
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Graphical (GUI or WIMP)
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Windows
Icons
Menus
Pointers
Use graphic images, menus and keystrokes to choose
commands, start programs, folders, files, tasks,
procedures .