SOFTWARE: the power behind the machine By Mrs. Gonzales

WHAT IS SOFTWARE? Software is the general name given to all the programs (set of instructions) that the computers use to perform different tasks.

T YPES OF S OFTWARE. (M ONDAY ) These are programs developed to carry out specific tasks or solve problems. They include entertainment software such as games, home or personal software such as CD-ROM encyclopaedias, productivity software such as Word processing and spreadsheet packages, and specialist software such as desktop publishing and graphics packages. This is software that manages and supports the resources and operations of a computer system. It enables the running of application software and the management of the system resources. Application SoftwareSystem Software

APPLICATION SOFTWARE Application software can also be categorised as follows: 1) General-purpose software 2) Integrated software 3) Specialised software 4) Customised software 5) Custom-written software

G ENERAL - PURPOSE SOFTWARE This is software that is not written for any specific business or organisation but can be used or adapted to suit their specific needs. Students’ Report Business Accounting SPREADSHEETS Letters to Parents Business Memo WORD PROCESSING

INTEGRATED SOFTWARE This is a set of related programs combined in a unified package that allows data to be transferred easily between the programs. Microsoft Office Open Office People SoftiWork

S PECIALIZED SOFTWARE This is a software that is written for a specific task rather than for a broad application area. These programs provide facilities specifically for the purpose for which they were designed.

W ORD PROCESSING PACKAGES

S PREADSHEET PACKAGES

D ATABASE PACKAGES

CUSTOMISED SOFTWARE This refers to general- purpose software which has been modified to meet the needs of an individual or organisation. These packages are customised through the writing of code or macros.

C USTOM - WRITTEN SOFTWARE This is software written to meet the specific needs of a company, which is, a solution that is tailored to achieve a company’s goals, based on their specialised requirements. These are written by programmers.

S YSTEM SOFTWARE It enables the running of application software and the management of the system resources. Three major categories of system resources:  Operating system  Utility programs  Language translators

S YSTEM SOFTWARE System software acts as a buffer between the hardware and application software. The diagram shows a conceptual arrangement of hardware, system software, application software and the user. User Application Software System Software Utilities Operating System Hardware Language Translators

O PERATING SYSTEM An operating system is a set of programs that governs the operation of a computer. For most PCs and larger computers, the operating system is switched on as soon as you turn on, or ‘boot’, the computer. BOOTING This is the process of loading operating system software into a computer’s main memory from disk. The operating system remains in main memory until the computer is turned off.

Types of operating systems Older Operating systems include the following: MS-DOS Windows 3.X Windows 95 Windows 98 Windows ME Windows 2000 Operating systems in use today include the following: Windows XP Windows NT Windows Vista Windows 7 Apple Operating Systems – (OS9 and OSX) OS/2 Linux Unix

Functions of the operating system The function of an operating system depends on the size and complexity of the computer system. Examples of systems: Single user Multi-access system Functions: Managing computer resources Managing files and memory Maintaining security Managing tasks Multiprocessing Online processing Providing a user interface

U SER INTERFACES There are three types of user interfaces, both for operating systems and application software: Command-driven interface Menu-driven interface Graphical user interface

C OMMAND - DRIVEN INTERFACE

M ENU - DRIVEN INTERFACE

G RAPHICAL USER INTERFACE

T HE WINDOWS DESKTOP (XP)

T HE WINDOWS DESKTOP (VISTA)

T HE WINDOWS DESKTOP (7)

F ILE MANAGEMENT OPERATIONS USING WINDOWS Naming a file Directories or folders Windows Explorer

N AMING A FILE Each file on your computer has to be given a name to identify it. A file name usually consists in DOS can be no longer than eight characters; file names in later operating systems can be much longer. A file name usually consists of two parts: the name and the extension, separated by a dot. The extension tells you and the computer what type of type of file it is. (Refer to handout) Example: records.doc

D IRECTORIES OR F OLDERS The root drive of the hard disk is C:\ For a floppy disk the drive is A:\ For CD/ROM drive is D:\ For flash drives and additional devices connected through USB is E:\ or F:\ or G:\ and so on.

D IRECTORIES OR F OLDERS When we continuously add files to the disk they can eventually become complicated to locate especially if there is a long list of files to look through. We can keep files of a certain type together so they can be easily accessed. This is done by storing them in a directory or folder. These are used to hold documents, programs, files and even further subdirectories and folders.

D IRECTORIES OR F OLDERS

W INDOWS E XPLORER Windows Explorer is a utility program that allows easy navigation. This utility is used for file management functions in Windows operating systems. It can be used to move, copy, rename, duplicate and delete files, and to browse through the directory. Windows Explorer displays the file structure in a hierarchical ‘tree’.

W INDOWS 98 E XPLORER WINDOW

W INDOWS XP EXPLORER WINDOW

W INDOWS VISTA EXPLORER WINDOW

W INDOWS 7 EXPLORER WINDOW

U TILITY PROGRAMS Utility programs are system software programs which provide useful services, such as performing common tasks and ‘housekeeping’ routines. Functions performed by utility programs:  Backup  File defragmentation  Disk repair  Virus protection  Language translators

UTILITIES Windows Disk Defragmenter in System tools