COMPUTER SOFTWARE

System Software
All programs related to coordinating and maintaining the
operations of computers and its devices.
Serves as intermediary between user, hardware and
applications software

Systems Software
Types of System Software
Operating systems
A set of programs containing instructions that work together
to coordinate all the activities among computer hardware
resources.
Utility programs
Perform secondary chores
Helps to analyze, configure, optimize and maintain the
computer.
Example: Anti-virus, data compression, disk checkers,
disk defragmenters.

Operating System

A set of programs that lies between

applications software and the hardware
Manages computers resources (CPU,
peripheral devices)
Establishes a user interface
Determines how user interacts with
operating system
Provides and executes services for
applications software

Kernel
Manages the computers resources
Connect the application software to the
hardware of the computer.
Resources consist of:
CPU
Decide which program should
be allocated to the processor.
Computers memory
decide which memory to use
determine what to do when not enough space

 Input/Output (I/O) Devices

Provide interface to connect devices such as
keyboard, mouse, printers.
the operating system
Loaded from hard drive into memory when computer is
booted
Booting refers to starting the computer
Loads other operating system programs from disk
storage as needed
Other programs referred to as nonresident

Operating Systems for Personal Computers

Platform: combination of computer hardware and operating system
software
Wintel (Microsoft Windows running on an Intel-based PC) is
most common
Common Platforms
MS-DOS
Windows
MAC OS
Unix
Linux

MS-DOS
Uses a command-line interface
Screen provides prompts for user
User types commands
Largely replaced by graphical user interfaces
Not user-friendly

Microsoft Windows
Began as an operating environment for MS-DOS
Not a full-blown operating system; required MS-DOS
Uses a graphical user interface
Users can use DOS commands and interface
Now a complete family of operating systems

MAC OS

Designed for the Macintosh

computer
First commercially successful GUI
Has served as the model for
Windows and other GUI
products developed since then

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UNIX
Developed in 1971 for use on the DEC minicomputer
Character-based system with command-line interface
Not tied to any family of processors
Runs on just about every type of system (PC, mainframe,
workstation) from any manufacturer
Primary operating system in use on Internet servers
Handles many simultaneous users easily

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Linux
Uses command-line interface
Many companies have created a GUI to work with Linux
Open-source concept
Source code is free
Users can download, change, and distribute the software
More stable than Windows
Applications relatively scarce

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Operating Systems for Networks

Network operating system (NOS)
Handles network functions
Make resources appear as though they were running from client
computers
Common systems

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ACQUIRING SOFTWARE

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Acquiring Software:New Ways

Freeware
Public Domain

Open-Source software
Shareware

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Working with Words

Word Processing
Most widely used personal
computer software
Create memos, reports, papers
Incorporate graphics into
documents
Desktop Publishing
High-level publishing needs
Newsletters
Brochures, promotional
materials

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Electronic Spreadsheets
Made up of rows and columns of
numbers
Perform what if analysis
Change a cell and have
spreadsheet recalculate
Present data graphically
Show expenses as a pie chart

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Database Management

Handles the management of a

collection of interrelated facts
Software can store, retrieve,
update, and manipulate data
Can report data in many ways
and print
Turn large amounts of data into
information

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Graphics
Graphics software creates graphs and
charts from numeric data
Spot trends and compare data
more easily
Visual evidence more
compelling
Included in spreadsheet
programs
Presentation graphics creates slide
show presentations
Combine high-quality graphics,
audio, and video
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Communications
The ability to hook the computer up
to phone line or cable and
communicate with another
computer
Typically connected over the
Internet
Needs a browser to access
other locations on the Internet

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Other Task Software

Personal Information Managers
Keep track of activities
Typically include appointment calendar, address book, and task
manager
Office Suite
A group of basic applications that work together
Easy to share data among applications
Similar look and feel among applications
Integrated application
A stripped down version of the office suite

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Ethics and Application Software

Piracy: the acquisition and use of illegal copies of software
Counterfeiting: copying large numbers of CD-ROMs or DVDROMs and packaging them to look like the real thing
Unauthorized copying of software is stealing

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Applications Software
Software used to solve a particular problem or perform a
particular task

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Software Piracy
Examples of piracy
Copying software from a lab or from a friend
Buying 2 or 3 copies of software and distributing it to dozens or
hundreds of employees
Buying 1 copy of software and installing it on several computers
at home

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Computer People
Data entry operators prepare data for processing
Computer operators monitor systems, keep peripherals
running, and make backups
Librarians catalog processed disks and tapes
Programmers design, write, test, implement, and maintain
computer programs

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COMPUTER PEOPLE
Systems analysts plan and design entire systems
Must have knowledge in programming, as well as
knowledge of the business
Network managers implement and maintain organizations
network(s)
Chief Information Officer (CIO) makes key technology
decisions
A key member of the organizations strategic decisionmaking team

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Programming
Program a set of detailed, step-by-step instructions that
directs the computer to do what you want it to do
Programming language
a set of rules that provides a way of telling the computer what
operations to perform
a set of words, abbreviations and symbols that enables a
programmer to communicate instructions to a computer.

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The Programming Process

All programming involves creating something that solves a problem.
Five main steps
1. Defining the problem
2. Planning the solution
3. Coding the program
4. Testing the program
5. Documenting the program

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1. Defining the problem

In fact, this stage should really be called identifying the solution because
what you're really trying to do is to tie down exactly what it is that you're
trying achieve.
There are two stages to identifying a solution:
Requirements
- The first step is to examine the problem carefully to try to identify
what qualifies as a solution.
Specification
- look at the list of requirements and decide exactly what solution
should be done to fulfill them.

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2. Planning the solution

how you're going to turn that specification into a
working program.

Flowchart
Pseudocode

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3. Coding the program

- Coding is the act of translating the design into an actual
program, written in some form of programming language.
Compiling
Compilation is actually the process of turning the
program written in some programming language
into the instructions made up of 0's and 1's that
the computer can actually follow.
Debugging
Debugging is simply the task of looking at the
original program, identifying the mistakes,
correcting the code and recompiling it
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4. Testing the program

This step is unfortunately necessary because although the

compiler has checked that the program is correctly written, it
can't check whether it actually solves the original problem.
The goal :
Ensure that the program runs correctly and is error
free
Syntax error
Logic error

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Levels of Languages
Low-level languages
more like the 0s and 1s the computer itself uses
is written to run on one particular computer
Higher-level languages
more like the languages people use
can run on many different types of computers.
Divided into five generations

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Five Generations of Languages

Machine language
Assembly languages
High-level languages
Very high-level languages
Natural languages

Low-level

High-level

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Machine Languages
1st generation language.
Use a series of binary digits (1s and 0s) that correspond to the on
and off electrical states of a computer.
Can be tedious and time-consuming

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Assembly Languages
2st generation language
Use abbreviations and codes.
Difficult to learn and are machine-dependent.

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High-Level Languages

Also called 3rd-generation languages

Transformed programming
Programmers could focus on solving problems rather than
manipulating hardware
Programs could be written and debugged much more quickly
Requires a compiler to convert the statements into machine
language
Each computer has its own version of a compiler for each
language

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Very High-Level Languages

Also called fourth-generation languages (4GLs)
Considered nonprocedural languages
The programmer specifies the desired results, and the language
develops the solution
Programmers can be about 10 times more productive using a
fourth-generation language than a third-generation language

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Natural Languages
Resemble written or spoken
English
Programs can be written in a
natural syntax, rather than in the
syntax rules of a programming
language
The language translates the
instructions into code the computer
can execute

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Major Programming Languages

FORTRAN
COBOL
BASIC
RPG
Visual Basic
C
Java

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Java
A network-friendly programming language that permits a piece of
software to run directly on many different platforms
Allows programmers to write one version of the program,
rather than a separate version of each platform
Very useful for Internet development
Java applets can run in the users Web browser

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Object-Oriented Programming
Object a self-contained unit that contains both data and its related
functions
Key terms in object-oriented programming
Encapsulation an object isolates both its data and its related
instructions
Attributes facts that describe the object
Also called properties
Methods instructions that tell the object to do something
Messages an outside stimulus that results in the change of the
state of an object

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