[SUMMARY CHAPTER 3] October 28, 2010 Chapter 3: Computer Software 3.

.1 Overview of software Software (program) is a series of instructions that tells a computer what tasks to perform and how to perform them 2 types of software: System software and Application Software 3.2 Application software Open Source software o Software freely available to anyone in a form that can be modified
o

The software has no restrictions from the copyright holder regarding modification of the softwares internal instructions and its redistribution. This software can download from the Internet, often at NO cost.

Shareware
o o

Copyrighted software distributed at no cost for a trial period, A scaled-down version of the software is distributed free, and payment entitles the user to the fully functional product.

Freeware (software has no charge)

o

Copyrighted software provided at no cost by an individual or a company that retains all rights to the software

Public Domain Software

o

Not protected by copyright laws and can be freely copied and used

o The software has been donated for public use Custom software
o

performs functions specific to a business or industry

o costs more than packaged software 3.2.1 General-purpose software

Chapter 3: Computer Software Page 1

[SUMMARY CHAPTER 3] October 28, 2010 Categories popular types of application software by their general use. o Business (Word processor, spreadsheet, database, presentation.)
o

Graphic and multimedia (Computer Aided Design (CAD), Photo editing, Web page authoring.) Home/Personal/Educational (Personal finance Reference software, entertainment software) software,

Communication (E-mail, Chat room, instant messaging)

3.2.2 Application-Specific software Available in every industry (TPS, MIS, DSS.) 3.3. System software System software a set of programs that controls computer hardware and acts as an interface with application programs It serves as the interface (intermediary) between the user, the application software, and the computers hardware. 2 types of system software o Operating System o Utility Program 3.3.1 Operating system A set of programs containing instructions that work together to coordinate all the activities among computer hardware resources. Activities performed by the operating system: o Perform common computer hardware functions

Get input from keyboard or some other input device, Retrieve data from disks, Store data on disks, Display information on a monitor or printer

o Provide a user interface and input/output management

Chapter 3: Computer Software

Page 2

[SUMMARY CHAPTER 3] October 28, 2010 A user interface controls how you enter data and instructions and how information is displayed on the screen Graphical user interface (GUI) - Uses icons and menus displayed on screen Command-based user interface - Requires that text commands be given to the computer to perform basic activities

o Manage system memory Virtual memory - OS allocates a portion of the storage medium (hard disk), to functions as additional RAM (If you are working on multiple programs simultaneously, it is possible to run out of memory (RAM)) o Manage processing tasks

Multitasking - OS allows a single user to work on 2 or more programs that reside in memory at the same time Multiuser (Time-sharing) - Allows more than one person to use a computer system (server/ mainframe ) at the same time

o Provide networking capability Allows computers in a network to send and receive data and share computing resources

o Control access to system resources Protection against unauthorized access

o Manage files

Performs functions related to file and disk management. E.g. Formatting & Copying disks, displaying a list of files on a storage medium.

3.3.2 SERVICE / UTILITY PROGRAMS

Chapter 3: Computer Software Page 3

[SUMMARY CHAPTER 3] October 28, 2010

Help to perform maintenance or correct problem with a computer system Support users of a computer system by providing a variety of support services. o Hardware utilities Check the status of all parts of the PC, including hard disks, memory, modems, speakers, & printers.

o Security Utilities Antivirus & antispyware software keeps new viruses & spyware from entering the system. Firewall software filters incoming & outgoing packets making sure that hackers are not attacking the system.

o File-compression utilities Reduce the amount of disk space required to store a file or reduce the time it takes to transfer file

o Spam and pop-up blocker utilities Getting unwanted e-mail (spam) & having annoying & unwanted ads pop up on your screen while you are on the Web Spam and pop-up blocker utilities are filtering programs to attempts / to remove spam or pop-up ads.

o Disk defragmenter utilities Defragmenting is the process that reorganizing the files so the files are stored in contiguous sectors Reorganizes the files and unused space on a computers hard disk so the OS can accesses data more quickly and programs run faster.

Chapter 3: Computer Software

Page 4