CLT 101:

Information Technology
WEEK 4 – Computer Software
Lecturer: Mr Anthony K. Emil Jnr
Contact: anthony.emil@ttu.edu.gh
Teaching Assistant: Gloria Nyavor

FACULTY OF APPLIED SCIENCES

DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE
Computer Software
• A Software is a collection of instructions that tell
a computer how to work.
• Software is a set of instructions, data or programs used to
operate computers and execute specific tasks.
• It is the opposite of hardware, which describes the
physical aspects of a computer.
• Software is a generic term used to refer to
applications, scripts and programs that run on a device.
• It can be thought of as the variable part of a computer,
while hardware is the invariable part.
Computer Software
Types of Software
There are two main types of software −
a. System Software
b. Application Software
System Software
• A system software is a collection of programs designed to
operate, control, and extend the processing capabilities
of the computer itself.
• System software is generally prepared by the computer
manufacturers.
• These software products comprise of programs written in
low-level languages, which interact with the hardware at
a very basic level.
• System software serves as the interface between the
hardware and the end users.
System Software
Types of system software includes
• Operating System
• Firmware
• Device Drivers
• Utility Software
• Middleware
Operating System
• An Operating System (OS) is a system software
that acts as an interface between computer
hardware components and the user.
• Every computer system must have at least one
operating system to run other programs.
Examples include: Apple macOS, Microsoft
Windows, Google's Android OS, Linux Operating
System, and Apple iOS
Firmware
• Firmware is a specific class of system software that
provides the low-level control for a device's
specific hardware.
• It is mostly embedded in the essential part of the
hardware
• Software instructions residing in non-volatile storage
that holds its content without power
Examples include: BIOS, Code Inside a Printer, Software
controlling a heart defibrillator, software controlling
lights in an office building. TV Remote is a product that
contains a firmware
Device Drivers
• A Device driver is a system software that operates or controls a
particular type of device that is attached to a computer
• A driver provides a software interface to hardware devices, which
enables operating systems and other computer programs to access
hardware functions without needing to know precise details about
the hardware being used.
• Drivers are hardware dependent and operating-system-specific.
They usually provide the interrupt handling required for any
necessary asynchronous time-dependent hardware interface
• Examples include: Device drivers of printers, network cards, sound
cards, modems etc.[
Device Drivers
• A Device driver is a system software that operates or controls a
particular type of device that is attached to a computer
• A driver provides a software interface to hardware devices, which
enables operating systems and other computer programs to access
hardware functions without needing to know precise details about
the hardware being used.
• Drivers are hardware dependent and operating-system-specific.
They usually provide the interrupt handling required for any
necessary asynchronous time-dependent hardware interface
• Examples include: Device drivers of printers, network cards, sound
cards, modems etc.[
Utility Software
• Utility software is software designed to help
analyze, configure, optimize or maintain a
computer.
• Examples include: Antivirus, File Management
System, Disk Management tools, Compression tools,
Disk clean-up tool, File Management System, Disk
Defragmenter and Backup utility.
Middleware
• Middleware is a type of computer software that
provides services to software applications beyond
those available from the operating system.
Examples include: database middleware, application
server middleware, message-oriented middleware,
web middleware, and transaction-processing
monitors.
Features of System Software
• Close to the system
• Fast in speed
• Difficult to design
• Difficult to understand
• Less interactive
• Smaller in size
• Difficult to manipulate
• Generally written in low-level language
Application Software
• Application software products are designed to satisfy a
particular need of a particular environment.
• All software applications prepared in the computer lab
can come under the category of Application software.
• Application software may consist of a single program,
such as Microsoft's notepad for writing and editing a
simple text.
• It may also consist of a collection of programs, often
called a software package/bundle/suit, which work
together to accomplish a task, such as Microsoft office
Application Software
Examples of Application software are the following −
• Payroll Software
• Student Record Software
• Inventory Management Software
• Income Tax Software
• Railways Reservation Software
• Microsoft Office Suite Software
• Microsoft Word
• Microsoft Excel
• Microsoft PowerPoint
Features of Application Software
• Close to the user
• Easy to design
• More interactive
• Slow in speed
• Generally written in high-level language
• Easy to understand
• Easy to manipulate and use
• Bigger in size and requires large storage space
Reading Assignment
1. State the 10 differences between system software and
application software
2. List 10 examples of application software.
3. State 10 disadvantages of application software
4. State 10 disadvantages of system software