COMPUTER SOFTWARE

Chapter 1 (Pages 25-28),

Chapter 4 - Discovering
Computers & Microsoft
Office 2013

I. Software or Computer Program - The step by step electronic instructions that tell the computer
what to do or how to perform some given task. Software is what determines the versatility and
environment of your computer. Most if not all software resides on some form of secondary storage
media. Software is written or created by a computer programmer. Every computer requires both
“system” and “application” software. The system software communicates with the hardware, the
application software determines what tasks a user can perform.

II. Software categories

A. System software - Instructions that directly control hardware.
1. System software is comprised of the following:
a. Operating system (O.S.) - the fundamental instructions that control your
computer’s basic hardware functions. Loaded automatically during the boot
process (when you turn your computer on). An O.S. can be loaded via either a
"cold" or "warm" boot. Can you have more than one operating system? Yes

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 (dual-boot system) but they can’t run at the same time. O.S. examples
include:

1.) DOS - disk operating system, product of Microsoft. Prior to Windows

was the most popular operating system in the PC world. Seven
versions were developed. (1981-1994)
2.) OS/2 - joint venture between IBM and Microsoft, introduced with the
IBM PS/2 in the early 1980’s. Because of proprietary nature met with
limited success. In other words if you didn't own a PS/2 you didn't
have access to OS/2, OS/2 only ran on the PS/2
3.) MAC OS – proprietary O.S. used in Apple/Macintosh PCs, pioneers in
the “GUI”. The GUI was derived by Xerox laboratories. OS X Tiger is
the current version. The current MAC OS has more Windows
compatibility (or vice versa)
4.) UNIX – gained popularity in early networking environments, first to
support multi-tasking.

a.)) LINUX is a variation of UNIX tailored for PCs. Some versions of

LINUX are free. LINUX is open-source which means if you know
how you can change or customize it. Different variations of LINUX –
Red Hat, Mandriva, Suse. Little or no technical support, not
compatible with all application software.
5.) WINDOWS - Microsoft’s successor to DOS. Gained instant
popularity because of the GUI environment. Several versions of
Windows operating systems exist and Windows is by far the most
dominant operating system for desktops, PCs primarily. Windows 95
was the first true Windows operating system. There were other
Windows versions before 1995, if they were not operating systems
what were they?

6.) Network operating systems (NOS) run on servers and are used to
manage LANs, not typically used on a standard PC. These O.S.'s are
far more robust and expensive - we'll discuss these later during our
communications lectures
8.) Non-PC systems (Super, Mainframe, Mini, etc.) use proprietary
operating systems. Systems such as palm pilots, mainframes, would
use a non-Windows O.S.
b. Device Drivers – Programs initially stored on a floppy, CD ROM, USB, or
the web, that accompany all hardware devices. These programs contain
instructions provided by the manufacturer of that device that tell your
operating system how to recognize and operate their associated peripheral.
These programs are initially installed when the new hardware is installed and

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 thereafter loaded into memory when booting occurs. Every hardware device
requires a driver. How many drivers would an average system require?

c. Utilities - Special programs designed to perform non-routine functions not

associated with the operating system. Tasks associated with system
maintenance such as disk repair, formatting, file compression, data recovery,
and virus detection, are examples of operations involving these types of
programs. These programs are typically included in your operating system
package or can be purchased from a third party vendor. Some utilities are
packaged as suites.
d. Programming languages – All software is written or expressed in a
programming language. Programming languages are special programs that
provide the code for software instructions, software instructions have to be
expressed in a code or language. COBOL, BASIC, C++, & JAVA are
examples of common programming languages.
1) Software code written in a programming language is said to be in a
“high level language” or “source code”. Source code cannot be used
by a computer until it becomes "object" code.

2) A compiler or interpreter translates the source code into “machine

language” (binary numbers, 1, 0) or “object code”. If a program is not
in “object code” it can’t be understood by the computer. A computer
only understands instructions expressed in "1's" and "0's". NOTE: This
section on programming languages is not in your textbook although it
is mentioned briefly on page 28

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 Figure 1Source code sample - not binary

3) If you are not developing software you have no need for a

programming language
B. Application software - Application software interacts with system software to enable your
computer to perform a specific task. Tasks such as word-processing, accounting, or playing
computer games would fall into the category of application software. Unlike system
software which is loaded automatically when you turn the computer on, application
software is loaded by the user from a menu or desktop icon.
1. Types:
a. Productivity software - helps you work more efficiently

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 1.) Word-processing - to produce documents (WORD)
2.) Spreadsheets - use numbers and formulas to create worksheets and
graphs (EXCEL)
3.) Database management - used to create large databases from which
specific, special reports can be extracted (ACCESS)
b. Business software
1.) Accounting
2.) Payroll
3.) Accounts Receivable
c. Entertainment - games, drawing, graphics
d. Education - online tutorials, encyclopedias

e. Multimedia – image, audio, & video editing

f. Others mentioned in your text book (Home, Communications, etc.)

g. Document management software allows file formats to be converted into a

universal format not dependent on the source application. An example would
be PDF (Portable Document Format) files. The Adobe Acrobat reader allows
you to view .PDF files. Most OFFICE software allows you to change the
format of the native data to .PDF

h. Web Applications - allow users to interact with software at a web site

2. Software suites or packages – Compatible application programs belonging to a
specific group, sold as a single package. Programs within the suite generally allow
for data integration between the differing applications. For instance you can take a
data object created in WORD and use it in EXCEL although they are entirely
different applications. The file extension identifies the format of the data. Characters
appear differently in each program because the format is different. Example of a
suite is what we're going to be using in our course, Microsoft OFFICE.
3. Patches, Updates – Supplemental code or instructions added to a program to correct
a program defect or to add new features. It is virtually impossible for a programmer
to identify every flaw, defect, or omission in a program until the program is in
operation. Once those flaws are detected they become available over the Internet as a
"patch" or "update", usually supplied by the software vendor. The patch or update is
the code or instructions to be used to provide a remedy to the identified flaw or
omission. Most updates are available on the Internet to legal owners of the purchased
software. Update alerts usually appear in the Windows desktop notification area.

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