COMPUTER SOFTWARE System software is set of generalized
programs that manage the computer
It’s a general term used to describe
the detailed instructions that control
the operation of the computer. In
order to serve any purpose, the
operation of the computer must be
controlled by a program. Without the
software the hardware cannot perform
the tasks we associate with the
computer.
A program is a set of instructions
written in a specialized language, the
execution of which controls the
operation of the computer to serve
some purpose.
These instructions tells the machines
physical components what to do,
without which the computer could not
do anything at all.
The stored program concept means
that a program must be stored in the
computer’s primary memory along
with the required data in order to
execute, or have its instructions
performed by the computer
TYPES OF SOFTWARE
• System software
• Applications software
SYSTEM SOFTWARE
It’s a program that controls the
computer hardware or that can be
used to maintain the computer in
some state so that it runs smoothly.
It’s the software that controls the way
the computer operates.
resources such the CPU,
communication links and peripheral
devices. System software coordinates
the various parts of the computer
system and mediates between
application software and computer
hardware.
OPERATING SYSTEM
Within the set of system software,
there is usually a program, suite of
programs, called an operating
system. Operating system is the
system software that manages and
controls the computer activities. The
operating system controls the
performance of the computer by doing
a variety of jobs to ensure the proper,
orderly and efficient use of hardware
by application programs. It is
software that controls the systems
hardware and that interacts with the
user and application software.
Operating system allows a number of
programs to be run on the computer
without human intervention by an
operator.
OS and control programs ensure that
the computers monitor and control
their own operations
It is a set of programs that lies
between the user and the application
software, and the computer hardware
therefore it’s a collection of programs
designed to manage the computer
hardware.
Example of operating system
WIN NT, WIN 98, WIN 95, WIN
2000 SERVER & CLIENT, DOS,
WIN XP, UNIX, LINUX, WIN ME,
WINDOWS CE, MACOS.
TYPES OF OS/CLASSIFICATION
• Real-time real time/embedded
OS.
OS is used to control machinery,
scientific instruments and industrials
systems. It manages the resources of a
device so that a particular operation
executes in precisely the same amount
of time every time it occurs.
Many real time OS are embedded in
specialized devices such as home
appliances. When real-time OS are
built into the circuitry of a device and
not loaded from a disk is called
embedded OS.
• Single user/single tasking
OS that allows a single user to
perform just one task at a time. e.g Ms
DOS, Palm OS
• Single user/multitasking
OS that allows a single user to
perform two or more functions/tasks
at at time e.g windows, MacOS
• Multi user/multitasking
OS that allows multiple users to use
programs that are simultaneously
running on a single network server.
MODES OF OPERATION AND
MODES OF ACCESS
The computer ha a series of
specialized operating systems
capabilities
Multiprogramming is an operating
system capability that permits more
than one program in main storage be
processed apparently at the same time
i.e. more than one program use the
processor at the same time. This is
accomplished by the programs taking
turns at short bursts of processing
time, I .e group of groups takes turns
in using the processor.
Multiprocessing is an operating
system capability that link two or
more processors present in a computer
system and are sharing some or all of
the same memory. In this case two
programs may be processed at the
same instant. A computer which
contains one CPU is called
uniprocessor system while the one
which contains two or more CPUs is
called a multiprocessor system.
Time sharing- Time-sharing OS uses
different algorithms to share the CPU
time with more than one process. This
allows a computer with only one CPU
to give the impression that it is
running more than one program at the
same time. It allows users to run
several tasks concurrently on one
processor or many processors.
Batch processing- the job (program
and data) is not processed until fully
input. The jobs are entered and stored
on a disk in a batch queue and then
run one or more at a time under the
control of the operating system. a job
may wait in a batch queue for minutes
or hours depending on the work load
Real time system- a computer system
that is capable of processing data so
quickly that the results are available
to influence the activity currently
taking place.
ROLE OF OPERATING SYSTEM
The role of OS is resource
management and it manages the
following primary resources:
• Processors
• Storage
• I/O devices
• Data
• Programs
Management of the processor: the
operating system is responsible for
managing allocation of the processor
between the different programmes
using a scheduling algorithm.
Management of the random access
memory: the operating system is
responsible for managing the memory
space allocated to each application
and, where relevant, to each user.
Management of input/output: the
operating system allows unification
and control of access of programmes
to material resources via drivers (also
known as peripheral administrators or
input/output administrators)
Management of execution of
applications: the operating system is
responsible for smooth execution of
applications by allocating the
resources required for them to
operate.
File management: the operating
system manages reading and writing
in the file system and the user and
application file access authorizations.
FUNCTIONS OF THE
OPERATING SYSTEM
• It is a set of programs that lies
between the user and the
application software, and the
computer hardware therefore it’s a
collection of programs designed to
manage the computer hardware.
Therefore it’s a collection of
programs designed to manage the
systems resources. It allocates and
assigns resources, schedules
operations and monitors system
activities.
• The scheduling and loading of
programs, or subprograms, in
order to provide a continuous
sequence of processing or to
provide appropriate responses to
events.
• Control over hardware resources,
e.g. control over the selection and
operation of devices used for
input, output, or storage.
• Passing of control from one job
(program) to another under a
system of priority when more than
one application program occupies
main storage.
• Manages peripheral devices,
communicates with the printer,
 disk drive, monitor for utilization
and services
• Manages memory allocation and
re-allocation in processing and
execution. It manages a dynamic
address translation between the
main memory and virtual memory.
• It establishes the user interface for
communication between the user
and computer resources.
• It coordinates concurrent
processing of multiple jobs by
switching the needed resources
back and forth between processing.
• It monitors resources and provides
privacy and security for data.
• It locates and accesses needed data
files
OTHER TYPES OF SYSTEM
SOFTWARE
Other system software consist of
Utilities
Utility programs 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. They
include utility programs for routine,
repetitive, copying, clearing primary
memory, sorting etc.
Examples
• Disk Management - Programs
involve formatting and
defragmenting disks .e.g.
Scandisk scans your disks to see if
there are any potential problems on
the disk, such as bad disk areas.
Defragmenting means putting
files on the disk so that the whole
file is in sequence.
• Memory Management software
handles where programs put their
current data in RAM
• Backup software is software that
assists you in backing up your files
and even the entire computer hard
drive. It is important for you to
back up your files regularly
• Data Recovery programs are
attempt to recover deleted or
damaged (corrupted) files.
• Data Compression programs
squeeze out the disk space
generated by the formatting
schemes
• Virus Scanning Software/Anti-
virus programs are utility
programs designed to protect your
computer from computer viruses.
Virus scanning software is critical
to uses, due to the number of
computer viruses (small computer
programs created to disrupt and
destroy computer files and/or
operating system software).
Computer language translation
programs (language translators)
Program written in human readable
symbols and instructions using high
level programming languages such C,
C++, COBOL etc must be converted
to a form the computer can
understand. Language translation
programs translate these high level Application Software
programming languages such C, C++,
COBOL into machine language that Application software is any software
the computer can execute. This type used for specified applications.
of software is compiler or interpreter. Applications software is software
designed to be put to specific practical
Compilers- translate source code into use.
machine code.
i. Specialist application software-
Interpreters –some programming do these are programs with
not use a compiler but uses and associated documentation,
interpreter which translate each designed specifically to carryout
source statement at a time into particular tasks e.g. solving sets
machine code and execute it. of maths, equations; stock
control.
ii. Application packages- a suite of
programs, with associated
documentation used for a
particular type of problem but
can also be used for a variety of
similar problems.
They include
• Word Processing
• Spreadsheet
• Database
GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACE • Presentation Graphics
(GUI) • Communication
• Tutorials
Early PC operating systems such as
MS DOS were command driven. GUI • Entertainment, Games
operating system makes extensive PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES
use of icons, buttons, menus, boxes,
bars, and drop down list to perform The Evolution of Programming
the same operations. It is the Languages
dominant model of user interface for
A programming language is a set of
PC operating systems and other
words, codes, and symbols that allow
applications.
a programmer to give instructions to
the computer. Many programming
languages exist, each with their own
rules, or syntax, for writing these
instructions.
To build programs, people use
languages that are similar to human
language. The results are translated
into machine code, which computers
understand.
Programming languages can be
classified as low-level and high-level
languages.
Low-Level Programming
Languages
Low-level programming languages
include machine language and
assembly language.
Machine language, which is referred
to as a first generation programming
language, can be used to
communicate directly with the
computer. However, it is difficult to
program in machine language because
the language consists of 0s and 1s to
represent the status of a switch (0 for
off and 1 for on).
The most basic type of computer
languages, consisting of strings of
numbers the computer's hardware can
use. Different types of hardware use
different machine code. For example,
IBM computers use different machine
language than Apple computers.
Advantages of Machine Language
• It makes fast and efficient use of
the computer.
• It requires no translator to translate
the code i.e. Directly understood
by the computer
Disadvantages of Machine
Language:
• All operation codes have to be
remembered
• All memory addresses have to be
remembered.
• It is hard to amend or find errors in
a program written In the machine
language
• These languages are machine
dependent i.e. a particular
• Machine language can be used on
only one type of computer
Assembly language uses the same
instructions and structure as machine
language but the programmer is able
to use meaningful names or
abbreviations instead of numbers.
Assembly language is referred to as a
second generation programming
language.
It was developed to overcome some
of the many inconveniences of
machine language. Operation codes
and operands are given in the form of
alphanumeric symbols instead of 0’s
and l’s. These alphanumeric symbols
will be known as mnemonic codes
and can have maximum up to 5 letter
combination e.g. ADD for addition,
SUB for subtraction, START,
LABEL etc. Because of this feature it
is also known as ‘Symbolic
Programming Language’.

Advantages of Assembly Language
• It is easier to understand and
use as compared to machine
language.
• ii)It is easy to locate and correct
errors.
• It is modified easily
Disadvantages of Assembly
Language
• Like machine language it is
also machine dependent.
• Since it is machine dependent
therefore programmer Should
have the knowledge of the
hardware also.
Higher-level programming
languages
High-level programming languages,
which are often referred to as third
generation programming languages
(3GL), were first developed in the late
1950s.
High-level languages are basically
symbolic languages that use English
words and/or mathematical symbols
rather than mnemonic codes. Each
instruction in the high level language
is translated into many machine
language instructions thus showing
one-to-many translation
High-level programming languages
have English-like instructions and are
easier to use than machine language.
3GLs are portable, meaning the object
code created for one type of system
can be translated for use on a different
type of system.
In order for the computer to
understand a program written in a
high-level language, programmers
convert the source code into machine
language using a compiler or an
interpreter
In the 1980s, object-oriented
programming (OOP) evolved out of
the need to better develop complex
programs in a systematic, organized
approach. The OOP approach allows
programmers to create modules that
can be used over and over again in a
variety of programs.
Object-oriented languages include
Java, C++ and Visual Basic.
Types of High Level Languages
Many languages have been developed
for achieving different variety of
tasks, some are fairly specialized
others are quite general purpose.
These are categorized according to
their use as
a) Algebraic Formula-Type
Processing.
These languages are oriented towards
the computational procedures for
solving mathematical and statistical
problem. Examples include
• BASIC (Beginners All Purpose
Symbolic Instruction Code).
• FORTRAN (Formula Translation).
• PL/I (Programming Language,
Version 1).
• ALGOL (Algorithmic Language).
• APL (A Programming Language).
Business Data Processing:
a) These languages emphasize their
capabilities for maintaining data
processing procedures and files
handling problems. Examples are:
• COBOL (Common Business
Oriented Language).
• RPG (Report Program Generator
b) String and List Processing: These
are used for string manipulation
including search for patterns, inserting
and deleting characters. Examples are:
• LISP (List Processing).
• Prolog (Program in Logic).
Object Oriented Programming
Language
In OOP, the computer program is
divided into objects. Examples are:
• C++
• Java
a) Visual programming language
These are designed for building
Windows-based applications
Examples are:
• Visual Basic
• Visual Java
• Visual C
Advantages of High Level Language
Following are the advantages of a
high level language:
• User-friendly
• Similar to English with vocabulary
of words and symbols
• Therefore it is easier to learn.
• They require less time to write.
• They are easier to maintain.
• Problem oriented rather than
'machine' based.
Program written in a high-level
language can be translated into
many machine language and
therefore can run on any computer
for which there exists an
appropriate translator.
It is independent of the machine on
which it is used i.e.Programs
developed in high level language
can be run on any Computer
Disadvantages of High Level
Language
• A high-level language has to be
translated into the machine
language by a translator and
thus a price in computer time is
paid.
• The object code generated by a
translator might be inefficient
Compared to an equivalent
assembly language program