Software

Types of Software

Types of Software
Application Software - performs information
processing tasks for end users
System Software manages and supports operations
of computer systems and networks

Systems Software
Systems software: coordinates the activities and
functions of hardware and programs
Computer system platform: combination of a
hardware configuration and systems software

Application Software
Application software: helps users solve particular
problems
In most cases, application software resides on the
computers hard disk
Application software can also be stored on CDs,
DVDs, and flash or keychain storage devices

Application Software
General-Purpose programs that perform common
information processing jobs for end users
Application-Specific support specific applications of
end users in business and other fields

Application Software (continued)

Overview of Application Software (continued)

A Comparison of Proprietary and Off-the-Shelf Software

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How is Software Developed?

Custom Software software applications that are
developed within an organization for use by that
organization
Commercial Off-the-shelf (COTS) Software software
that is developed by a software developer with the
intention of selling the software in multiple copies

Systems Software
Systems software
Controls operations of computer hardware
Supports application programs problem-solving
capabilities
Types of systems software
Operating systems
Utility programs
Middleware

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Utility Programs

Hardware utilities
Virus-detection and recovery utilities
File-compression utilities
Spam and pop-up blocker utilities

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Utility Programs (continued)

Network and Internet utilities
Server and mainframe utilities
Other utilities
Manages and protects corporate documents
Helps people with visual disabilities use the
Internet
Monitors employees
Searches for files and documents

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Middleware
Middleware: software that allows different systems
to communicate and exchange data
Middleware can also be used as an interface
between the Internet and older legacy systems

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Electronic Mail & Instant Messaging

Electronic Mail software used to send and receive
electronic messages and file attachments via the
Internet, intranets or extranets
Instant Messaging (IM) software used to send and
receive electronic messages instantly to facilitate real
time communication and collaboration

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Word Processing & Desktop Publishing

Word Processing software that supports the
creation, editing, revision and printing of documents
Desktop Publishing (DTP) software that supports
the production of materials that look professionally
published

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Electronic Spreadsheets
Definition:
Software that supports the development of
electronic worksheets consisting of rows and
columns used for business analysis, planning and
modeling

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Presentation Graphics
Definition:
Software that helps convert numeric data into
graphics displays and prepare multimedia
presentations including graphics, photos, animation,
and video clips

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Personal Information Manager (PIM)

Definition:
Software for end user productivity and collaboration

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Software Alternatives
Purchase Commercial Off-The-Shelf software
Application Service Providers companies that own,
operate, and maintain application software and the
computer system resources required to offer the use
of the application software for a fee as a service over
the Internet

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Operating System
Definition:
An integrated system of programs that manages the
operations of the CPU, controls the input/output and
storage resources and activities of the computer
system, and provides various support services as the
computer executes the application programs of users

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Operating System Functions

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Operating Systems

Operating system (OS): set of programs that

controls the computer hardware and acts as an
interface with application programs
Kernel: ties all components of the OS together and
regulates other programs

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Operating Systems (continued)

Combinations of OSs, computers, and users
Single computer with a single user
Single computer with multiple users
Multiple computers
Special-purpose computers

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Operating Systems (continued)

Activities performed by the operating system
Perform common computer hardware functions
Provide a user interface and input/output
management
Provide a degree of hardware independence
Manage system memory

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Operating Systems (continued)

Activities performed by the operating system
(continued)
Manage processing tasks
Provide networking capability
Control access to system resources
Manage files

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Operating Systems (continued)

The Role of Systems Software

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Operating Systems (continued)

Common 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

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Operating Systems (continued)

User interface and input/output management
User interface: allows individuals to access and
command the computer system
Command-based user interface: requires that text
commands be given to the computer to perform
basic activities
Graphical user interface (GUI): uses icons and
menus displayed on screen to send commands to
the computer system

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Operating Systems (continued)

Hardware independence
Application program interface (API): allows
applications to make use of the operating system
Memory management
Control how memory is accessed and maximize
available memory and storage

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Operating Systems (continued)

Application Program Interface Links Application Software to the

Operating System
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Operating Systems (continued)

Processing tasks
Multitasking: more than one program can run at
the same time
Time-sharing: allows more than one person to use
a computer system at the same time
Scalability: ability of the computer to handle an
increasing number of concurrent users smoothly
Networking capability
Features and capabilities of the OS that aid users
in connecting to a computer network
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Operating Systems (continued)

Access to system resources and security
Protection against unauthorized access
Logins and passwords
File management
Ensures that files in secondary storage are
available when needed and that they are
protected from access by unauthorized users

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Current Operating Systems

Popular Operating Systems Cross All Three Spheres of Influence

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Current Operating Systems (continued)

Microsoft PC operating systems
PC-DOS and MS-DOS: early, command-driven OSs
Windows XP: greatly improved stability and
security over previous versions of Windows
Windows XP N: for European market
Windows XP Professional X64: for computers with
newer 64-bit capabilities
Windows XP Media Center Edition: incorporates
additional multimedia features
Vista: latest version of Windows
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Current Operating Systems (continued)

Apple operating systems
Often provide cutting edge tools in graphics and
music not available from Microsoft
Mac OS X
Jaguar (OS X.2)
Panther (OS X.3)
Tiger (OS X.4): support for 64-bit computing,
Dashboard, Spotlight, etc.

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Current Operating Systems (continued)

Linux
Developed by Linus Torvalds in 1991
Open-source product
Only the kernel of an OS
Several distributions available with
capabilities/applications that form a complete OS
Examples: Red Hat Linux, Caldera OpenLinux

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Workgroup Operating Systems

Windows Server
UNIX
NetWare
Red Hat Linux
Mac OS X Server

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User Interface
Definition:
The part of the operating system that allows you to
communicate with it so you can load programs,
access files, and accomplish other tasks

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Types of User Interfaces

Command-Driven
Menu-Driven
Graphical User Interfaces

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Resource Management
Definition:
Programs to manage the hardware and networking
resources of a computer system, including its CPU,
memory, secondary storage devices,
telecommunications processors, and input/output
peripherals

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File Management
Definition:
Programs that control the creation, deletion, and
access of files of data and programs as well as
keeping track of the physical location of files on
magnetic disks and other secondary storage devices

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Task Management
Definition:
Programs that control which task gets access to the
CPU and for how much time
Multitasking approach that allows for several
computing tasks to be performed in a seemingly
simultaneous fashion

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Popular Operating Systems

Microsoft Windows
UNIX
Linux

Mac OS X

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Other System Management Programs

Performance Monitors programs that monitor and
adjust the performance and usage of one or more
computer systems to keep them running efficiently
Security Monitors programs that monitor and
control the use of computer systems and provide
warning messages and record evidence of
unauthorized use of computer resources

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Application Servers
Definition:
Software which provides an interface between an
operating system and application programs of users
Middleware software that helps diverse software
applications and networked computer systems
exchange data and work together more efficiently

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Programming Languages

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Machine Languages
All program instructions had to be written using
binary codes unique to each computer
Programmers had to have a detailed knowledge of
the internal operations of the specific type of CPU

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Assembler Languages
Alphabetic abbreviations and symbols are used to
represent operation codes and storage locations
Language translator programs are required to
convert the instructions into machine instructions

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High-Level Languages
Instructions that use brief statements or arithmetic
expressions
Each statement generates several machine
instructions when translated by compilers or
interpreters

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Fourth-Generation Languages
Nonprocedural programmers specify results while
computer determines the sequence of instructions
that will accomplish those results
Natural Language very close to human language

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Object-Oriented Languages

Ties together data

element and the
procedures or actions
that will be performed
upon them

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Web Languages
HTML a page description language that creates
hypertext or hypermedia documents
XML describes the contents of Web pages by
applying identifying tags or contextual labels to the
data in Web documents
Java an object-oriented programming language
that is simple, secure and platform independent
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Web Services
Definition:
Software components that are based on a framework
of Web and object-oriented standards and
technologies for using the Web to electronically link
the applications of different user and different
computing platforms

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Web Services

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Language Translator Programs

Assembler translates the symbolic instruction
codes of programs written in an assembler language
into machine language instructions
Compiler translates high-level language statements
Interpreter compiler that translates and executes
each statement in a program one at a time

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Programming Tools
Graphical Programming Interfaces
Programming Editors
Debuggers

CASE tools

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Software Issues and Trends

Because software is such an important part of
todays computer systems, software issues have
received increased attention
Major software issues and trends discussed in the
text
Software bugs, copyright, software licensing,
open-source software, shareware and public
domain software, multi organizational software
development, software upgrades, and global
software support

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Software Bugs
Software bug: defect in a computer program that
keeps it from performing as it is designed to perform
Tips for reducing impact of software bugs
Register all software so that you can receive bug
alerts, fixes, and patches
Check the manual or read-me files for workarounds
Access support area of the manufacturers Web
site for patches
Install the latest software updates
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Copyrights and Licenses

Most software products are protected by law using
copyright or licensing provisions
In some cases, you are given unlimited use of
software on one or two computers
In other cases, you pay for your usageif you use
the software more, you pay more
Some software now requires that you register or
activate it before it can be fully used

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Open-Source Software
Open-source software: software freely available to
anyone in a form that can be easily modified
Some widely used open-source software packages:
Linux OS, Free BSD, Apache, Sendmail, Perl
Open-source software is often more reliable and
secure than commercial software
Open-source systems can contain hidden costs,
particularly for user support or solving problems with
the software

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Open-Source Software (continued)

Table 4.10: Examples of Open-Source Software

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Shareware, Freeware & Public Domain Software

Shareware and freeware: software that is very
inexpensive or free, but whose source code cannot
be modified
Public domain software: shareware and freeware
that is in the public domain

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Software Upgrades
Software companies revise their programs and sell
new versions periodically
Revised software may or may not offer any major
additional capabilities
Revised software can contain bugs or errors
Software upgrades usually cost much less than the
original purchase price

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Global Software Support

Vendors face the challenge of providing adequate
support for their software customers in all locations
of the world
Trend of outsourcing global support to one or more
third-party distributors

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Summary
Computer programs: sequences of instructions for
the computer
Systems software: coordinates the activities of
hardware and programs
Applications software: helps users solve particular
problems
Operating system (OS): set of computer programs
that controls the computer hardware and acts as an
interface with application programs

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Summary (continued)
Graphical user interface (GUI): user interface that
uses icons and menus displayed on screen to send
commands to the computer system
Time-sharing: allows more than one person to use a
computer system at the same time
Proprietary software: one-of-a-kind program for a
specific application, usually developed and owned by
a single company
Off-the-shelf software: existing software program
that is purchased

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Summary (continued)
Enterprise resource planning (ERP) software:
manages a companys vital business operations for
an entire multisite, global organization
Programming languages: allow humans to
communicate instructions to be executed by a
computer
Most software products are protected by law using
copyright or licensing provisions
Open-source software is freely available to anyone in
a form that can be easily modified

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