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COMPUTER SOFTWARE

Software is a logical set of instructions executed by the computer in the processing of data.
Software is broadly classified as:
1. System software
2. Application software.

System software:
These are programmes that control and support all other software and hardware. They include:
 Operating system
 Utilities
 Programming languages (software development tools).
 Data communication and networking software

Operating system:
This is the software that manages and controls all other activities with in a computer. The
computer can not function without the operating system.

Examples of operating system.

 Disc Operating System (DOS)  Mac OS
 Unix  Windows (NT 2003, XP, Vista, 7…)
 Linux
Functions of the operating system:
i. Controls the booting process of a computer
ii. Controls and manages input and output devices.
iii. Helps in data management
iv. Organises computer files.
v. Managing memory
vi. Managing the processor
vii. Providing an application interface.

Utility programmes.
These are programmes that improve on the performance of computer.
They help manage, maintain and control computer resources. These programs are available to
help you with the day-to-day chores associated with personal computing and to keep your
system running at peak performance.

The art of war teaches us to rely not on the likelihood of the enemy's not coming, but on our own readiness to receive him; not on the chance
of his not attacking, but rather on the fact that we have made our position unassailable. — The Art of War, Sun Tzu Page 1
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They include:
i. Virus scanning software/antivirus: Progamme that protects computers against virus.
ii. Backup software: Is software that assists you in backing up ( keeping a copy of) your
files and even the entire computer hard drive
iii. Scandisk: Scandisk scans your disks to see if there are any potential problems on the
disk, such as bad disk areas
iv. Disk defragmenter: Assists you in keep reorganizing your disk drives. After files are
saved, deleted and resaved again, the disk can become fragmented (available space is in
small blocks located throughout the disk) . Disk defragmenters gather those free spots
and put them together to enable you to continue to save your data in the most efficient
manner.

v. Data compression programmes: Programmes that help to reduce the amount of space
occupied by a file.
vi. Data recovery programmes: Programmes that help to recover data that has been
physically destroyed.
vii. Debuggers: These are programmes that are used to correct errors in other
programmes. A bug is a programme error, while to debug is to remove errors from
computer programmes.
viii. File viewer: Programmes that help to view files.
ix. Merging programmes: Programmes that help to combine data from different files into
one file.
x. Screen saver programmes: Programmes that enable setting of screen savers.

Programming languages.
These are coded instructions understood by the computer, used in designing computer
programmes. There are two categories of programming languages. They are:
 Low level languages and
 High level languages.

Low level languages.

These are languages that are used to design instructions for the processor and are understood
by the computer hardware and programmes. They include:
 Machine code language
 Assembly language.
Machine code language:
It is a language written in binary codes (0’s and 1’s). it is not so easily understood by human
beings because of this coding, but easily understood by the computer. It is also referred to as
the First generation language.

The art of war teaches us to rely not on the likelihood of the enemy's not coming, but on our own readiness to receive him; not on the chance
of his not attacking, but rather on the fact that we have made our position unassailable. — The Art of War, Sun Tzu Page 2
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Advantages Disadvantages
 Controls the computer directly  Specific to a particular processor
 Each instruction does only one thing  Not easy to be understood by
human beings
Assembly language:
This is a language that uses instructions that are partially meaningful to humans. Codes like SUB
for Subtract, FNO for first Number are used in Assembly language.
Advantages Disadvantages
 Commands are understandable  Use specific registers and memory
 Same programme can be used by locations
several computer processors.

High level programming languages.

These are programming languages that are designed to generate code for human beings and
other software other that for the processor directly.
Examples:
i. BASIC (Beginners All purpose vi. HTML (Hyper Text Markup
Symbolic Instruction Code) Language)
ii. COBOL (Common Business Oriented vii. SQL (Standard Query Language)
Language) viii. ORACLE
iii. FORTRAN (Formula Translation) ix. JAVA
iv. ALGOL (Algorithmic Language) x. C++
v. PASCAL
Qn: What purpose does each of the above languages serve?

Advantages of high level languages Disadvantages:

 Easy to understand  Many instructions that slow down
 Flexible execution

Question:
Define
i. Language translators
ii. An assembler
iii. An interpreter
iv. A compiler
v. Syntax

The art of war teaches us to rely not on the likelihood of the enemy's not coming, but on our own readiness to receive him; not on the chance
of his not attacking, but rather on the fact that we have made our position unassailable. — The Art of War, Sun Tzu Page 3
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Data communication and networking software
This is software that enables the interchange of information between two or more devices.
Such software aids networking and data communication.
Examples:
 E-mail software  Groupware
 Web browsers  Instant messaging
 Search engines

Application software.
These are programmes that are designed to help the user accomplish specific tasks. They are
classified as:
 Off-shelf software
 Customized software.

Off-shelf software
This is application software that is ready for use as soon as it is purchased. Such software
applications are developed by large software companies like Microsoft cooperation, adobe
Cooperation …

Examples of off-shelf software.

 Word processing applications  Presentation applications

 Spreadsheet applications  Computer Aided Design (CAD)
 Relational Database management  Internet Browsers
systems  Drivers
 Desktop publication applications
 Graphical application packages

a) Word processing
The art of creating, editing, formatting and printing a text or graphic document using an
electronic word processor.
A word processor is an application software used for creating, editing, formatting and
printing a text or graphic document.
Examples of word processors: Microsoft word, Word perfect, Lotus word pro, Apple
works, open office writer.

b) Spreadsheet software
This is an application software used to calculate, organise, and analyze numerical data.

The art of war teaches us to rely not on the likelihood of the enemy's not coming, but on our own readiness to receive him; not on the chance
of his not attacking, but rather on the fact that we have made our position unassailable. — The Art of War, Sun Tzu Page 4
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Examples of electronic spreadsheet software include: Microsoft Excel, Open office Calc,
Lotus 1-2-3 and Quattro pro, Visual Calc.

c) Presentation software
Application programmes that enable users to create computer based slide shows using
sophisticated graphics and animation tools.
Examples include: Microsoft PowerPoint, Lotus freelance, Harvard graphics, Corel
presentations, etc..

d) Database Management programmes.

A database is a collection of data items organized so as to provide a consistent and
controlled access to the items.
A Database Management System (DBMS) is an application software that facilitates the
creation, organization and maintenance of related data.
Examples: Microsoft access, Microsoft SQL server, Oracle, MySQL, Foxpro.

e) Electronic publication/desktop publication (DTP)

The process of producing publications with attractive lay outs with creative graphics.
An electronic publication software is an application software that used in producing
publications with attractive lay outs with creative graphics.
Example: Microsoft publisher, CorelDraw, Illustrator, InDesign, PageMaker, adobe
Photoshop.

f) Drivers:
Computer programmes that control devices such as printers, sound devices, display
devices, etc.

g) Computer Aided Design software:

These are programmes mainly used for engineering works. Examples are AutoCAD,
ArchiCAD, Circuit maker, etc.

Advantages of off-shelf application Disadvantages.

software.  They may have some features not
 Easily installed needed by the user
 Readily available on the market  May lack needed features
 Have minor or no errors  May require change of the processor
 Cheap and other hardware for
compatibility.

The art of war teaches us to rely not on the likelihood of the enemy's not coming, but on our own readiness to receive him; not on the chance
of his not attacking, but rather on the fact that we have made our position unassailable. — The Art of War, Sun Tzu Page 5
Mark obua
Customized software. (In-house developed software)
These are programmes that are tailor made to meet specific user’s needs. They may be
designed by individual programmers, and not necessarily large software companies.

Examples include:
 Accounting programmes for  Library software system
particular institutions  Stock control programmes
 Report making software

Advantages
 Have all the features needed by the Disadvantages
user  Expensive
 Do not have unnecessary features  May have a few errors
 They do not have hardware  Not readily available on the market.
compatibility problems.
 Can be modified

Software classification by acquisition:

 Commercial applications software
This is software that the user must pay for before using. It is normally monitored using
product keys and lifespan.

 Freeware
This is software that is freely available to whoever wishes to use it.

 Shareware
This is software that the user is initially given permission to use for a given time, after
which he/she is expected to pay for it, or stop using it if he does not appreciate it.

END

The art of war teaches us to rely not on the likelihood of the enemy's not coming, but on our own readiness to receive him; not on the chance
of his not attacking, but rather on the fact that we have made our position unassailable. — The Art of War, Sun Tzu Page 6