Software Introduction

Software Categories There are two main categories of computer software that you need to know about.  They are: 1. System software – Operating Systems, Utility, Driver programs. 2. Application software – the everyday programs that you use such as Microsoft Office. Generic Software - DTP, databases, spreadsheets, presentation, Graphic manipulation, multimedia, word processing, gaming, web authoring, email and web browsers etc

Operating Systems The operating system is part of the system software.  All computers have an operating system, they cannot function without one.  The operating system is a program that allows applications software to communicate with the hardware. Examples of operating systems are Windows 10, Unix, Linux and MacOS.

Operating System (cont.) An operating system has many tasks. Here are just a few of them: Manages System Security - user names and passwords, preventing unauthorised access, monitoring and restricting access to programs and data. Organising files and folders to backing storage, sorting out where to store data on disk drives, saving, deleting, opening, closing files in the correct location Managing data transfer and input and output, which involves: Accepting data from input devices and transferring it to the computer’s memory. Making sure that any output is sent to the correct output device e.g. monitor or printer. It deals with any errors that occur when a program is being run. It manages system resources, which involves: Allocating memory space to programs and data. Keeping track of which parts of the memory have already been allocated and the parts that are still free. It deals with the loading of applications software into memory and controls the execution, or ‘running’ of them. Provide an Interface or GUI (Graphical User Interface)

Systems Software - Utilities Programs Utility programs are part of the systems software.  They are designed to do one or two specific but vital tasks very well. Some utility programs might be supplied as part of the operating system, others are purchased separately. Some common tasks carried out by utility programs are: File compression – ZIP compresses for storage or sending data via communication links Anti Virus Software – prevent corruption of data, security issues Firewalls – prevent unauthorised access Recovering data from damaged file, checking a disk for faults and repairing them

Types of Utility Programs

Systems Software - Drivers A short specially written program that understands the operation of the device it controls or operates. Driver software is needed to allow the systems or applications software to control the device properly. E.g. operating a printer or scanner

Application software The everyday programs that you use such as Microsoft Office. Generic Software - DTP, databases, spreadsheets, presentation, Graphic manipulation, multimedia, word processing, gaming, web authoring, email and web browsers etc Know features Any Advantages & Disadvantages Open-source Free to all Source code is distributed May be used or altered

Application Software There are two main types of computer software; system software and application software. System software includes the operating system and utility programs. Application software caries out user-related tasks and can be classified as general-purpose, specialist or tailor-made.

Common types of general purpose software Database packages (e.g. MS Access, Lotus Approach, Paradox) are used to store and retrieve information; Spreadsheet packages (e.g. MS Excel, Lotus 123) are used for tasks that involve a lot of calculations or for the production of graphs and charts; Word processing packages (e.g. MS Word, WordPerfect) are used to produce text based documents such as letters, reports and memos;

Desktop publishing (DTP) packages (e. g Desktop publishing (DTP) packages (e.g. MS Publisher, PageMaker, PagePlus) are used to produce professional quality publications such as posters, books, newsletters, newspapers and magazines; Graphics packages (e.g. Paint, PaintBrush, Serif Draw, Corel Draw) are used to produce and manipulate artwork; Computer-aided design (CAD) packages (e.g. 2D-Design, AutoCAD, TurboCAD) are used to produce engineering designs and architectural plans;

Communications software (e. g Communications software (e.g. Internet Explorer, Netscape Communicator) is used to access the Internet and send and receive e-mail; Presentation graphics packages (e.g. PowerPoint, Lotus Freelance) are used to create slide shows and presentations like this one which can be viewed on-screen or with a data or overhead projector; Web page editors (e.g. MS FrontPage, Macromedia Dreamweaver) are used to create Web pages.