Computer Software

Categories of Software

1. There are three basic types of software

a. System software b. Utility programs c. Applications software

2. System software “boots up” (starts up and initializes) the computer system

a. It controls input, output, and storage

b. It controls the operations of the application software

3. Utility software consists of programs designed to support and optimize the functioning of the computer system itself

4. Application software includes the various programs which users require to perform day-to-day tasks

5. Some users claim a third type of software called utility programs

a. These are programs that are used (1) To help maintain the system (2) Clean up unwanted programs (3) Protect the
system against virus attacks (4) Access the World Wide Web (WWW)

6. Sometimes it can get confusing as to whether programs are utility programs or system software because current
system software packages usually include a variety of utility programs with the basic system software packages

System Software

a. Basic Input/Output System (BIOS): The first level of system control is handled by the BIOS stored on a ROM chip on
the motherboard

b. The software on the BIOS chip is the first part of the computer to function when the system is turned on

c. It first searches for an Operating System (OS) and loads it into the RAM

d. The BIOS consists of a set of instructions permanently burned onto a computer chip, it is a combination of hardware
and software

e. Programs on chips are often called firmware, because they straddle the line between hardware and software

f. For this reason, many computer engineers make a distinction between firmware and software g. From that
perspective, the OS is actually the first level of system software

1. Operating system

a. An operating system is the overall controller of the work of the computer

b. The OS is software loaded from the hard drive into RAM as soon as the computer is turned on

c. Firmware cannot be upgraded without changing the hardware chip

d. The OS can be upgraded or entirely changed through software

e. The user can simply delete one system of OS files from the hard drive and install a new OS

f. Most users purchase a computer with the OS already installed on the hard drive

g. The OS can be purchased separately and installed by the user

h. OSs handle the connection between the CPU and peripherals

i. The connection between the CPU and a peripheral or a user is called an interface

j. The OS (1) Manages the interfaces to all peripheral hardware (2) Schedule tasks (3) Allocates storage in memory and
on disks (4) Retrieves programs and data from storage (5) Provides an interface between the machine and the user

k. One of the most critical tasks (from the user’s perspective) performed by the OS involves the management of storage

l. In the early computers, there were no operating systems (1) Every programmer had to include explicit instructions in
every program to tell the CPU exactly where in RAM to locate the lines of program code and data to be used during
processing (2) The user had to keep track of thousands of memory locations, and be sure to avoid writing one line of
code over another active line of code (3) The programmer had to be careful that output of one part of processing did not
accidentally get written over output from another part of processing (4) The need for management of storage consumed
a great deal of time and programming code, and it produced many errors in programs (5) Those errors had to be
discovered and corrected before the program would run correctly (6) The lack of an OS made programming enormously
time-consuming and tedious

m. In comparison, programming today—while still a difficult and time-consuming task—is much more efficient

n. Currently, with the size of programs, memory and storage media, no programmer could realistically manage all the
storage o. Operating systems allowed not only more complex programs and systems, but without them, there could be
no home computers, except for machines owned by skilled programmers

Utility software

1. Utility programs includes programs designed to keep the computer system operating efficiently

2. They do this by

a. Adding power to the functioning of the system software

b. Supporting the operating system or applications software programs

3. Utility programs are sort of between system software and applications software

4. Many writers identify this software as part of the system software category

5. Six types of utility software can describe the majority of utility programs, although there is no formal categorization
system for such programs

6. The categories include at least

a. Security software (1) Includes primarily antivirus, firewall, and encryption programs (2) Antivirus utilities serve
primarily to guard against malicious programs inadvertently accessed (3) Firewalls are a type of security program that
makes it much harder for unauthorized persons or systems to enter the computer and hijack or damage programs or
data on the computer (4) Firewalls can include both additional hardware and utility software (5) The encryption software
encodes the data so that it cannot be read until it is decoded (6) The HTTPS letters on a Web page address indicate that
the site encrypts data sent through that site

b. Disk management utilities (1) Designed to help the user keep hard disk space clean and efficient (2) Accomplished by
analyzing the use of disk space, defragmenting the drive, and deleting duplicate files if the user so command (3) Many
programs and Internet sites temporarily store information on the hard drive as part of their operations, but when those
operations are finished, they don’t clean the temporary files (4) Other disk management utilities include diagnostic
programs designed to find problems with programs or the operating system so that they can be fixed

c. Backup utilities (1) Serve to help the users back up their data (2) Applications programs may be backed up, but usually
that isn’t necessary because legal copies of programs can be reloaded by the person who bought the license (3) Illegal
(or pirate) programs are a different issue (4) The computer owner may not have a backup copy of illegally downloaded
programs (5) Any computer component can fail (6) It is very important for users to back up any data they have saved
that they don’t want to lose permanently (7) Back up one’s data to an external (removable) hard drive or an online
backup location

d. Screen savers (1) Computer programs that either blank the monitor screen or fill it with constantly moving images
when the user is away from the computer (2) Does not turn it (and the monitor) completely off (3) Originally developed
for old technology screens that would be damaged by having the same image on the screen for a long period of time (4)
Modern computer screens have different technology and don’t suffer that risk (5) Screen savers are often entertaining
or beautiful to look at (6) Do provide a small measure of privacy as they hide whatever the user is working on when the
user steps away from the computer (7) Unless linked with a program that requires the user to sign back in to access the
regular screen, they don’t provide security because a passing person could also tap a key to get back to the regular
screen (8) Screen savers sometimes do require users to log back into their computer to turn off the screen saver, and
those do have a security function(9) Typically, screen savers activate automatically if the computer does not receive any
input from the user for a preset time period

e. Archival software (1) Compresses information in files to be archived, and then stores them in a compressed form in
some long term storage device (2) When the files are retrieved, software must be used to unpack (or decompress) the
data so that it can be read (3) Terms used to describe the data compression performed by archival software include
packing, zipping, compressing, and archiving as well as unpacking, unzipping, de-archiving, and extraction (4)
Compression can sharply reduce the size of a large file such that it can be made small enough to email to another person
or location

f. Programming environment support programs (1) Used by program developers to support their programming work or
to run their programs (2) Computers cannot read or understand human language (3) Programs must change the
language in which developers write programs (the source code) into a machine language the computer can understand
(assembly or machine language) (4) The programs that perform these translations are called compilers or interpreters
(5) If a programmer wishes to translate a machine language program into a higher level language a human can
understand, the programmer uses a decompiler program (6) Programming is difficult; not only does the programmer
have to detail complex logic, but the commands that comprise the program must be written in a specific syntax (7)
Syntax in this usage refers to a set of very specific rules about words, punctuation, word usage, and word order in a
particular computer language (8) Syntax must be exactly correct for a computer to correctly compile or interpret the
code and run the program (9) Problems with either the logic or the syntax will cause the program to fail, or perform
incorrectly (10) These kinds of problems are called “bugs” (11) Correcting them is called “debugging” a program (12)
Utility programs designed to help a programmer debug a program are called debugging programs (13) The most
commonly used utility programs for programmers include programming aids and the various types of compilers and
debuggers

Applications Software
1. Includes all the various programs people use to a. Do the work b. Process data c. Play games d. Communicate with
others e. Watch videos and multimedia programs

2. Written for system users to make use of the computer

3. Application programs are written in a particular programming language then the program is “compiled” (or translated)
into machine language so the computer can understand the instructions and execute the program

4. By far the most commonly used set of programs are the programs in an office package

5. Nursing applications programs are typically part of a hospital’s information system

6. Hospitals usually have a large information called a Hospital Information System (HIS) or Hospital Information
Technology System (HITS)

a. These systems include most of the business applications needed, such as (1) Billing (2) Payroll (3) Budget management
(4) Inventory control (5) Personnel applications

b. They also include (1) Clinical and semi-clinical systems (2) The electronic medical record (EMR)

7. There are hundreds of application programs that nurses use a. In clinical care b. Specialized applications for all the
settings of care in which nurses work

Common Software Packages for Microcomputers

1. The most common package sold with computers is a standard office package

a. The standard office package includes a (1) Word processing program (2) Spreadsheet program (3) Presentation
graphics program

b. The upgraded or professional versions usually add (1) Some form of database management system (2) An e-mail
system (3) A “publisher” program

c. The two most commonly used programs are the (1) E-mail system (2) Word processor

d. Most of these common programs have to be written in two versions (1) IBM PC platform (2) Mac

e. Software packages are sold (1) On DVDs or flash drives (2) Many software companies are marketing their products
through the Internet

f. Security programs are also an important market product (1) A large number of people seek to steal identities (2) Use
the computer for criminal or malicious activity (3) Every user who accesses the Internet should have security software

Software Package Ownership Rights

1. Protecting ownership rights in software has presented a challenge to the computer software industry

2. A program sold to one customer can be installed on a very large number of machines
3. This practice obviously seriously harms the profitability of software development

4. If programs were sold outright a. Users would have every right to distribute them as they wished b. The industry could
not survive in such market conditions

5. As a result, the software industry has followed an ownership model more similar to that of the book publishing
industry than to the model used by vendors of most commercial products

6. Purchasers of software do not buy full rights to the software a. They purchase only a license to use the software b.
Individually purchased software is licensed to one and only one computer c. An exception can be made if the individual
has both a desktop and a laptop d. Fair use allows the purchaser to install the software on all the machines he or she
personally owns e. Companies that have multiple computers that are used by  many employees must purchase a
separate copy for each machine, or more typically, they purchase a “site license.”

Common Software Useful to Nurses

1. In most hospitals, most software systems used by nurses are based in a HIS

a. The HIS is a multipurpose program, designed to support many applications in hospitals and their associated clinics

b. The components nurses use most include (1) The electronic medical record (2) Admission-discharge-transfer (ADT)
systems (3) Medication administration record (MAR) software (4) Supplies inventory systems (5) Laboratory systems (6)
Radiology system (7) Computerized patient acuity system (8) E-mail system

2. Nurses are finding that they are able to build regional, national, and international networks with their nursing
colleagues with the use of a. Chat rooms b. Bulletin boards c. Conferencing systems d. Distservs on the Internet

3. Nurses may download any of thousands of software applications (apps) onto their personal digital assistant (PDA) to
assist them with patient care a. Most are very low cost and some are free b. Such programs include (1) Drug guides (2)
Medical dictionaries (3) Consult guides for a variety of patient populations and clinical problems c. Software can now be
downloaded onto a PDA to (1) Measure heart and respiratory rate (2) Perform ultrasounds on various organs (3) Test
hearing (4) Perform a simple EKG (5) Other physical assessments

4. As so many items of healthcare equipment have computer processers today, the nurse may not always realize that
software is being used

5. Some nursing applications include a handy “dashboard” a. Which is an application that provides a sort of a menu of
options from which the nurse can choose b. Typically, dashboards provide the nurse a quick way to order common
output from certain (or all) screens c. May provide some kind of alert that a task is due to be performed

Computer Systems

1. Every functioning computer is a system

2. It is a complex entity

3. Consists of an organized set of interconnected components or factors that function together as a unit to accomplish
results that one part alone could not

4. Computer system may refer to a single machine (and its peripherals and software) that is unconnected to any other
computer

5. The greatest range of functionality is realized when computers are connected to other computers in a network or, as
with the Internet, a system of networks in which any computer can communicate with any other computer.

6. Common types of computer networks are a. Point to point b. Local area network (LAN) c. Wide area network (WAN) d.
Metropolitan area networks (MAN)

7. LANs, WANs, and MANs are sequentially larger and given the number of users, they require communications
architecture to ensure all users on the network are served

8. If the network capacity is too small, some users will experience very long waits or perhaps the system will crash from
overload

9. Computer networks must allocate time and memory space to many users, and so must have a way to organize usage
of the network resources so that all users are served
10. There are a variety of allocation strategies for high-level communication in networks a. The most common are token
ring (developed by IBM) b. Star (also called multipoint; all communications go through a single hub computer) c. Bus (in
which all computers are connected to a single line) d. Tree e. For very large networks, backbone communication
technology is increasingly used

11. The use of systems in computer technology is based on system theory a. System theory and its subset, network
theory, provide the basis for understanding how the power of individual computers has been greatly enhanced through
the process of linking multiple computers into a single system and multiple computer systems into networks

Information Science

1. It is an interdisciplinary field

2. Primarily concerned with the a. Analysis b. Collection c. Classification d. Manipulation e. Storage f. Retrieval g.
Movement h. Dissemination i. Use of information

3. It is concerned with a. Technologies b. Strategies c. Methodologies for getting the right information to people when it
is needed without people getting overwhelmed with irrelevant and unwanted information

4. All science is concerned with a. Measurement b. Analysis

5. Information science is no different

6. Key themes in information science analysis include a. Optimality b. Performance c. Complexity d. Structure

7. Optimality varies with the situation a. Generally refers to achieving an optimum value for some desired outcome

8. Performance is typically considered in the context of average performance of the information system over a series of
communication instances

9. Averages are better representations of performance than long lists of single instance performance

10. Complexity is a reality with the enormous masses of data and information generated, collected, stored, and
retrieved a. A typical measure of complexity in informatics is the amount of time it takes to complete a task b. The time
required is most often a function of the amount of information that must be dealt with to complete the task

11. Structure means developing a system for a. Ordering b. Cataloging the data and information, particularly in a
database

12. Excellent structure serves to reduce the amount of time required to perform operations on the database, such as a.
Search b. Retrieve c. Update d. Sort

13. When data are well structured and cataloged in a database a. Complexity can actually be reduced because the
system  will not have to review all the data to find particular items

14. Rather, it will have to search only the sectors in which the data are going to be found, and the structure tells the
programs that operate on the database which sectors to search.

15. Information science is a rapidly growing field

16. Much of the progress is based on development and testing of mathematic algorithms related to information
management tasks, such as a. Storage and retrieval b. Database structure c. Measuring the value of information d. Other
work involved in increasing the efficiency of using information to make better decisions

17. In nursing, some key issues include ways nurses use information to make better nursing diagnoses and care decisions

18. Nursing information science is very concerned with measuring patient care outcomes and what nursing protocols
produce the best outcomes

19. Information science is only beginning to help people put the vast amount of data stored in multiple databases to
work in efforts to improve health

20. In the future, data mining and other technologies designed to harvest information from very large databases a. It is
likely to become a major focus of health research b. Holds great promise for improving healthcare by providing accurate
information to decision-makers
Open Source and Free Software

Free Software Free software is defined by the FSF in terms of four freedoms for software users:

a. To have the freedom to use

b. Study

c. Redistribute

d. Improve the software

Open Source Software Open source concept is said:

a. To promote software reliability and quality by supporting independent peer review

b. Rapid evolution of source code

c. As well as making the source code of software freely available

OSS/FS Applications

Many OSS/FS alternatives exist to more commonly known applications:

a. Operating system

b. Web browser

c. E-mail client

d. Word processing or integrated office suite

e. Presentation tools