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