EEC112 Lecture Note 2023-2024

1|INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTER SOFT WARE (EEC112) – 2023/2024
COMPUTER APPRECIATION
A computer is a programmable electronic device that can accept, store, retrieve, process data
and give out information as output. Computers can be programmed to carry out a sequence of arithmetic
or logical operation automatically. A Computer System is a complete setup of computer hardware,
software and peripheral devices (mouse, webcam, etc.) needed for operation.
A computer hardware provides an operational environment for a software; hence, a software can not
execute any task without the existence of a computer hardware. similarly, a computer hardware is
operationally ineffective without the existence of a software.
A computer software is a set of programs, data and configuration developed to collectively execute an
array of tasks. A program is a sequence of instruction written with respect to the syntax rules of a
particular programming language, to solve a particular problem. A single software can consist of
hundreds of programs.
Brief History: Computers are developed to make complex and repetitive operations easy for humans as
they can easily retrieve stored data and process a wide range of data simultaneously by means of
software. The first existence of computer software was basically a set of instruction outlined on paper
to guide the steps in the electrical and mechanical circuit, this is because early computers were electro-
mechanical machines with multiple intricate moving parts. These machines were modified over time to
have the instructions embedded in them; these developments came in generations as explained below;
First generation (1937 – 1946): In 1937 the first electronic digital computer was built by John V.
Atanasoff and Clifford Berry. It was called the Atanasoff-Berry Computer (ABC). Other developments
continued until in 1946 when the first general-purpose digital computer, the Electronic Numerical
Integrator and Computer (ENIAC) was built. It was programmable, has storage and It is said that this
computer weighed 30 tons, and had 18,000 vacuum tubes which was used for processing. Computers of
this generation could only perform single task, and they had no operating system.
Second generation (1947 – 1962): This generation of computers used Transistors switches for
processing, which were more reliable than vacuum tubes. In 1951 the first computer for commercial use
was introduced to the public; the Universal Automatic Computer (UNIVAC). In 1953 the International
Business Machine (IBM) was introduced. The computers of this generation had memory and Operating
Systems. Storage media such as tape and disk were in use also, printers were used for output. Many
programming languages were developed in this generation as the computers of this generation were
programable. Some of these languages are FORTRAN (formula translator) invented by John Backus in
1957, COBOL (Common Business-Oriented Language) developed under the influence of Grace Brewster
Murray Hopper in 1959, these languages were used in programming the earlier computers.
Third generation (1963 – Present): This generation of computers used Integrated Circuits for processing
instead of transistor switches, this made computers became smaller, more powerful, reliable and they
are able to run many different programs at the same time.
Using the various available programming language, Microsoft developed the Disk Operating System (MS-
DOS) on 12th August, 1981. IBM also introduced the Personal Computer (PC) for home and office use in
1981. Microsoft later introduced the Windows Operating system in 1983. On 24th January, 1984 Apple
developed the Macintosh computer.
Most other contributions to the developments of computer softwares were made by introducing
programming languages which was easy to understand and highly effective in creating software Modern
day programming mainly makes use of high level languages such as C (developed in 1972 by Dennis
Ritchie), C++ (developed by Bjarne Stroupstrup in 1985), Java (invented by James Gosling in 1995),
Python (created by Guido Van Rossum in 1991), and further software applications in embedded systems
makes use of languages such as Arduino (created by Massimo Banzi in 2005) among others. These
languages are used in creating modern softwares and updates to the already existing software and
technology.
Due to the existence of flexible languages such as C and C++, programmers developed a GUI
(Graphical User Interface) to encourage ordinary people to use computers, these GUIs have buttons and
tabs which when clicked, engages some operations in the computer, and these GUIs are referred to as
operating systems. Earlier computers did not have any form of operating system, this made them only
operable by technically learned personnel. In today’s world, the average kid can expressly operate a
computer and perform series of tasks through the operating system. Modern ways of interacting with
computers such as voice commands have made it possible for people with disabilities to engage in
computer usage. Softwares and hardware are continuously developed daily.
APPLICATIONS OF COMPUTER SYSTEMS

Computers are used in every aspect of life in today’s world. Will explore few of this usage below;
Sector Examples of application
Health Anti-natal scanning devices, patient data storage, inferential prescription based on archived
medical records, measuring sugar levels of the body with glucometer, measuring heartbeats and
other vitals using computes
Agriculture Farm monitoring with drones, dispensing of fertilizers using UAVs, crop rotation planning and
weather prediction software
Education Virtual classes, Computer Based Testing, lecture schedule systems, result processing systems.
Banking Management of accounts via mobile applications, wire transfers between banks, accessing loans
via mobile applications
Transportation Planning of flight schedule, booking buses and flights via mobile and web applications, real time
map location trackers.
Food Computerized refrigerators help monitor and adjust temperature according to preserve food
preservation stored in it.
Entertainment Live-streaming of videos and music, maxing of sounds and others, video gaming, social media
Industry Equipment control, equipment testing with simulation, architectural designs and animation,
electrical design and simulation and others.
OPERATIONAL ANALYSIS OF A COMPUTER SYSTEM

Earlier on, we defined a computer to be an electronic computer that can collect, store, retrieve
process and present data via its output terminals. How does the computer collect, store and process
this data?
Operating
System and Input and
Data Firmware Output devices
Program Software Hardware User
Configurations
Fig 1.0: Operational Analysis of a computer system.
User: This refers to the human or machine that is operating the computer system. The broad operations
performed by the User on the computer are; Input data, perform computation on the data, save or
discard the computed output, retrieve as softcopy or hardcopy. Different operations of the user require
different software and hardware components to produce the desired output, below is a few examples
of the operations and required components on a computer system;
User Operation Required Hardware component Required Software Component
Type a letter Keyboard, mouse, screen, Word processing software.

processing unit, power supply unit e.g. WPS word, Microsoft Word,
Google docs
Perform mathematical Keyboard, mouse, screen, Formula processing software.
operation on a data processing unit, power supply unit e.g. Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets,
collection WPS Spreadsheet.
Watch a video Screen, speaker, processing unit, Video processing software.
power supply unit e.g. VLC player
Take a picture Camera, storage unit, processing Image processing software
unit, power supply e.g. Inbuilt camera software,
WhatsApp, snapchat, Facebook.
Browse the internet Network card, screen, keyboard, Browser
mouse, processing unit, power e.g. Opera Mini, Google Chrome,
supply unit Phoenix, Edge, Firefox, Brave, Safari
Hardware: This is the physical component that a computer system requires to perform its functions.
They are packaged electronic devices used to build up the computer. Hardware includes the input
devices (keyboard, mouse, I/O ports, microphone), processing components (motherboard, graphics
card, CPU and others), output devices (screens, speakers, I/O ports), storage components (Hard Disk
Drive, Solid State Drive), Ventilation fans, power supply and others.
Software: This comprises of program or group of programs, data and configurations (configs). These
components are packaged together into a single file suitable for a particular operating system. There
are two broad type of softwares which are Application software and System Software;
System Software: This is a collection of programs designed to operate, control and extend the
processing abilities of the computer itself. System softwares are generally developed by the computer
manufacturers. System software serves as the interface between the hardware and the end user.
Example of system softwares are Operating system, compilers, interpreter, assemblers, drivers, etc.
some of the features of system software are;
▪ System softwares interact with the computer components and the firmware automatically.
▪ They have high speed of operation due to the priority given to them when the processor tends to
allocate resources.
▪ They are quite complex to design.
▪ System softwares which are open-sourced are difficult to manipulate, however, most of them are
not open sourced e.g. the windows operating system.
▪ System softwares are generally programmed in low-level language
Application Software: These type of softwares are developed with the aim of solving real-world
problems or making a repetitive task seamless for humans. Application softwares are developed by
individuals or firms who may not be the manufacture of the computer, however, they are designed to
run on specific operating systems or cross platform (web applications). Example of application software
are; Desktop applications (Microsoft word, Corel Draw, Adobe Photoshop, AutoCAD), Web applications
(payment platforms like Remita, flight booking websites bookings.com, entertainment websites such
as Netflix), Mobile Applications (Games, banking apps, educational apps (Udemy, Coursera), social
medial apps such as Instagram, Facebook and others).
Application softwares have the following features;
▪ They usually have impressive GUIs and interact more with the user.
▪ They may be slow in speed of operation when launched on computers with low specifications.
▪ They are designed in high level languages which are easy to learn and practise.
▪ They provide more services to the needs users than system softwares.
▪ Application software packages are large in size and can easily be acquired over the internet
Some differences between hardware and software are shown in the table below;
S/N HARDWARE SOFTWARE

1 They are made of electronic components, They are a combination of programs written in
plastic casings and screens. high- or low-level languages.
2 It is manufactured or fabricated with It is developed by writing codes using IDEs
machines in the fabrication laboratories.
3 Hardwares are directly affected by Softwares are not affected by any form of
environmental factors such as heat, cold, environmental factor
dust.
4 Hardware is not directly affected by computer Software is directly affected by computer
viruses. viruses.
5 It cannot be transferred over a network It can be transferred over a network (upload
and download)
6 Hardwares are stored in bags or dry cabinet. Softwares are stored in devices such as the
hard disk drive.
7 Examples are Keyboard, Mouse, Monitor, Examples are Microsoft Word, Excel, Power
Printer, CPU, Hard disk, RAM, ROM etc. Point, Photoshop, MySQL etc.
Firmware: This is a type of program found on hardware device that provides control for that specific
hardware and also provides essential instruction on how the particular hardware communicate with
other hardware. Examples of firmware are BIOS (Basic Input Output System), EFI (Extensible Firmware
Interface).
Software and firmware are both programs but while softwares are large in size (up to a few gigabytes),
firmware is usually between few kilobytes. Softwares completely run on the CPU (main processor) but
firmware runs on smaller processor known as ROM (Read Only Memory) chip. Softwares interact with
the user but firmware only interacts with the hardware it is designed to control.
INPUT-PROCESS-OUTPUT (IPO) ALGORITHM
Algorithm can be defined as a set of steps written in plain English text to describe the stages
involved in performing a particular task. Algorithms can be written in form of flowcharts, a numbered
list, and pseudo code.
The Input–Process–Output (IPO) Algorithm is a summarized means of describing the operation
of a computer system. This description is often represented with flow charts. Below are few flowchart
symbols and their uses;
Symbol Name Uses
Terminal/terminator Indicate start/end of flow chart
process.
Decision Represents different decisions emerging

from different points
Action/Process Represents an action or a

predetermined process.
Input/output Allows for input and output of
information from the process
Connector Indicates the connection point between
two or more flow charts
Documents Indicates a generated report or

document.
Alternate Indicates an alternative process to take

place
Preparation Represents the procedures undergone
for the steps that follows.
Database Represents a secured storage system for

data or information.
The IPO Algorithm can be further explained using a case whereby a costumer pays for an item at the
checkout point of a supermarket. The flowchart and steps to solving this task are explained in class
during the lecture.
DATA AND DATA STORAGE
Data is referred to as a raw unprocessed form of information. Technically, data is a descriptive means
of modelling real world entities. A computer software can only solve or proffer solutions to real world
problems if the right data is fed to it for computation. Whenever we interact with a computer, we are
basically Inputting data, manipulating data or retrieving data.
Data exists in varying types; below are some data types and examples of a real-world item or event
they model;
Data type Description Real world model

Integer This represents all whole numbers e.g. 1, 2, 100, -Number of students in a class
(int) 340000, 1000000, occupies 4 bytes memory space. -Number of cars in a compound
Double This is still a numerical data type that occupies 8 -Total amount of money in the
(decimal) bytes memory space on the computer e.g. world
123456789011.22
Float This is a precise numerical data type with extensive -The volume of hydrogen in the
provision for fractions, it occupies 4 bytes memory human blood.
e.g. 3.00045 -The atomic mass of elements
Char This is a character data type which occupies 1 byte. -A, b, c
It is used to declare alphabets
String This is a collection of characters occupying 24 bytes. -Name of a person or sentences
BLOB Binary Large Object is used to store files such as -pictures and documents
photos, videos and documents
Observing the table above, it is obvious virtually every existing entity can be described with a
combination of the data types. Whenever we input data to the computer, we are making use of one or
more data type.
Why is data type import? Data type is very import because it informs the computer the amount of
memory space to create for the variable that will hold the data value.
A computer storage can be broadly divided in three parts;
- Random Access Memory (RAM)

- System storage drive
- Cloud storage drive
Storage is an essential feature of the computer. It is the means by which the computer keeps record of
data or information and retrieve them when needed by the user or an internal process. Data or
information is either stored for a brief moment or for long term.
Random Access Memory (RAM): This is a volatile, electronic storage media which directly communicate
with the Central Processing Unit (CPU). Whenever a software or file is needed in a process, the Operating
system copies an instance of that file or software onto the RAM for the CPU to use. Softwares run on
the RAM, which is why it’s sometimes called Run time memory. RAM has small capacity (from kilobytes
to a few Gigabytes) hence, quicker for the CPU to search through. RAM is a chip and has no rotating
part.
System storage: This can either be a Hard Disk Drive or a Solid-State Drive.;
Hard Disk Drive (HDD): This is a fixed non-volatile storage media used by the computer to store softwares
and other files. HDD stores a large amount of data due to its large capacity (ranges from a few gigabytes
to Terabytes). Records stored in the HDD are fetched by the operating system when needed by the
processor. The HDD is made of rotating magnetic disks, data is fetched from this magnetic disk by a
read-write head which is a thin electronic arm that slightly touches the surface of the disk. Most
computers come equipped with a hard disk drive.
Solid State Drive (SSD): The Solid-State Drive is an electrostatic device which stores data on an
electronic chip. It’s sometimes referred to as flash memory. Data is fetched electronically from this
device without any mechanical movements, the SSD operates much faster than the HDD and computers
with SSD are usually slim and faster in operation, however, computers with SSD tend to be more
expensive than those with HDD.
Other supporting memories of the computer are;
Read-Only Memory: This is also an electronic chip which stores very little programs dedicated to control
a specific hardware in the computer. They are not designed to interact with the user by any means,
hence, programs stored on this storage cannot be altered. Firmware is stored on a ROM.
Removable/External Drives: These are storage devices which are not on-board the computer circuit.
They are plugged into the USB port where files can be read from them by the Operating System
Cloud Storage: This is a remote storage drive provided by firms for storing and retrieving of files over
the network. Files such as photos, videos, documents can be stored on a remote (distant) drive over the
network by means of uploading these files to the precise drive. These drives are physical and are kept
in a safe location where a high speed (super computers) computer is used to serve the content of the
drive to the user via the internet. Example of such drive are Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, Amazon
cloud, Adobe Creative Cloud, etc. The section of the drive which a file is uploaded to is identified to
the user by the means of user email, this is part of the reasons why two users can never have the same
email address.
OPERATING SYSTEM (OS)
An operating system is a software which provides a compatible environment for application

softwares to run and serves as an interface between a computer user and computer hardware. They
are designed to load the instant the power button is pressed. Operating System exists on all kinds of
computers including desktops, laptops, PDA, mobile phones and so on. Some examples of operating
systems are Linux Operating System, Windows Operating System, Android OS, Mac OS, iOS. The MS-DOS
(Microsoft Disk Operating System).
Below is a quick illustration of the basic pattern of operating of the Operating System;
Fig 1.2: Pattern of operation of the Operating System.
USER
SOFTWARE
SYSTEM APPLICATION
SOFTWARE SOFTWARE
OPERATING SYSTEM
HARDWARE
RAM CPU I/O
The following are some of important functions of an operating System.
1. Memory Management
2. Processor Management
3. Device Management
4. File Management
5. Security
6. Control over system performance
7. Job accounting
8. Error detecting aids

10 | I N T R O D U C T I O N T O C O M P U T E R S O F T W A R E ( E E C 1 1 2 ) – 2 0 2 3 / 2 0 2 4
• Coordination between other software and users
Below are the precise activities carried out by the Operating System to perform the listed
functions;
1. Memory Management:
• Keeps tracks of primary memory, i.e., what part of it are in use by whom, what part are not
in use.
• The OS decides which process will get memory when and how much.
• Allocates the memory when a process requests it to do so.
• De-allocates the memory when a process no longer needs it or has been terminated.
2. Processor Management:
• Keeps tracks of processor and status of process. The program responsible for this task is
known as traffic controller.
• Allocates the processor (CPU) to a process.
• De-allocates processor when a process is no longer required.
3. Device Management:
• Keeps tracks of all devices. Program responsible for this task is known as the I/O controller.
• Decides which process gets the device when and for how long (efficient allocation).
• De-allocates devices.
4. File Management:
• Keeps track of information, location, uses, status etc. The collective facilities are often
known as file system.
• Allocates the resources efficiently.
• De-allocates the resources.
5. Security:
• Password management
• Protected folder access
• Application compatibility check before installations
6. Control over system performance:
• Notification of expired licence and product update
• Periodic clean-up of disc spaces to quicken search operations
7. Job Accounting:
• Monitoring the execution of tasks by different softwares
• Monitoring runtime limits of various applications
• Granting and removal of permissions from applications by operational data collected.
8. Error detecting aids:
• Diagnostic operations on softwares such as device drivers (e.g sound drivers, printer
drivers)
• Fixing of diagnosed errors and prescription of possible means of fixing errors where
possible.
• Troubleshooting and fixing of built-in drives when faulty
9. Coordination between other softwares and users:
• Granting user access to resources such as, web cam, network card for accessing the
internet
• Automatically opening files by launching the application suitable for handling the file
format
• Suggestion of alternate login procedure for users
• Provision of text-to-speech features for disabled users.
WINDOWS OPERATING SYSTEM
The windows OS is a Closed Source operating system which presents a Graphic User Interface (GUI) for
user interaction with the system. The windows OS is a graphical operating system.
A Closed Source software is the type of system software or application software which does not allow
users to modify or share its source code.
Just like other operating systems, the Windows OS performs the general functions of an OS and gives
users control by means of its GUI. The term “Window” refers to a graphic-controlled area of the screen.
Each process of the windows OS can be represented in a Window or Windows (plural), e.g. if you click
the icon of the file explorer, it opens in a window. The displayed interface of any process you see on
the Windows OS is called a Window.
The Windows OS is an advanced version of the Microsoft Disk Operating System (MS-DOS). The MS-DOS
was initialized and ran out of the disk. Its upgrade is only possible by getting a new version on disk and
running on the computer. The user interface was by means of command line where users had to type
line(s) of pseudo code to get tasks executed. The DOS systems where put out of use when the graphical
and more portable OS such as the Windows came into being.
An example of Graphical Interface of the Windows OS is the file explorer which is shown below;
Title: A view (“window”) of the Windows OS (Windows 10) Program Manager (File Explorer) interface
1. Navigation Pane: provides quick access to the file directory of a running or recent process.
2. Forward and Back Buttons: These buttons take the user to the next folder in the directory or
back to the previous folder all which has been recently accessed.
3. Ribbon: The ribbon presents the Home, Share, View, manage buttons which unfolds to various
function for formatting the view of the explorer and handling various file documents. The
functions vary with the selected file or folder.
4. Address Bar: Enable the user to view the current directory address and also instantly switch to a
different folder or director once you type the address and click.
5. Column Headings: This shows the title of the details of the files displayed in the explorer.
6. Search Box: This allows users to search for subfolders, documents, images, programs, Web pages,
and bookmarks in the current folder.
7. Files and Folders listing: Shows the content of the current folder with their details.
8. Preview/Details Page: This gives the user a quick glance at the current file (which the mouse
pointer is hovering on or clicked on).
9. Status Bar: This horizontal bar gives information about the current folder and its content. It has
buttons (to its extreme right) for users to toggle between list view and thumbnail view.
The Windows OS comes bundled with some maintenance software to enable it run smoothly, some
of these softwares are:
Windows Defender: This software helps protect the system from virus both online and offline
(transferred via I/O ports). The windows defender runs on a database which screens virus files and move
them to the sandbox. This database needs to be updated by the user to keep the software operational.
Task Manager: This interface displays the interfaces running in the background and foreground. It shows
details about which software is auto-start and which is not and also the memory used by the processes.
Any program or task can be ended from here and new ones lunched.
Control Panel: This is the core software of the OS. It enables the user to set the preference of operation
of the computer system. Programs can be uninstalled from the control panel and many other functions
such as screen deem, power settings, network settings etc. are controlled from the control panel.
The windows Operating System can be bought both online (over the network) and offline (in a
disk). During the process of installation, a product key is required to give the user access to features of
the software.
TYPICAL PROPERTIES OF A WINDOWS OS
Interface and Desktop: Windows OS is a Graphic Operating System which uses a simplified display on
the touch of the windows button. It enables users to access important softwares such as the control
panel, file explorer, photos, weather report, calendar and so on.
Taskbar/start menu: Microsoft has improved greatly on their task bar and have been able to present
more user-friendly taskbar than the previous versions of windows. Running tasks are now represented
by thumbnails of the program. Some tasks can be pinned to the taskbar for easy lunch.
Lower Hardware Requirements: The Microsoft OS requires low hardware specifications although not
lesser than standard. The windows 10 can be installed on a computer with 1GHz (32bit) or 2GHz (64bit)
processor.
Speed and Compatibility: Windows OS present a compactible environment for most enterprise
softwares. Outside the system softwares of the OS they are so many other softwares that are been run
on the windows OS from different developers. Due to the efficient sharing of resources by the OS, the
speed of operation is quite impressive on the windows OS if properly installed with device requirement
guide.
Safety: New security features in Windows include two new authentication methods tailored towards
touchscreens (PINs and picture passwords), the addition of antivirus capabilities to Windows Defender
Smart Screen filtering integrated into Windows, and support for the "Secure Boot" functionality on UEFI
systems to protect against malware infecting the boot process. Family Safety offers Parental controls,
which allows parents to monitor and manage their children's activities on a device with activity reports
and safety controls.
A GLANCE AT SOME SOFTWARE PACKAGES
Software packages are been used in every aspect of our day to day life, one of the biggest uses
of these packages are in schools and offices. Software packages such as Microsoft (MS) Encarta, Microsoft
Offices are used in research and documentation. The most commonly used software packages are the
likes of MS Office. Below are a few details about some of the software packages inside of MS Office.
Microsoft Word: This is a word processing software package created by Microsoft. MS Word is one of the
most used software packages across the globe based on its function. Microsoft word can be employed in
every branch of word processing and several image files can be inserted into typed text or saved out of
a document. MS Word file has the .docx extension and MS Word file can also be saved as PDF or a few
other file formats but the MS Word application package only opens a .docx file format. Below are a few
details about its features and functions;
File Tab: The File tab replaces the Office button from Word 2007. You can click it to check
the backstage view. This is where you come when you need to open or save files, create new
documents, print a document, and do other file-related operations.
Quick Access Toolbar: This is a collection of frequently used commands in Word. You can customize
this toolbar based on your comfort.
Ribbon: Ribbon contains commands organized in three components;
• Tabs: These appear across the top of the Ribbon and contain groups of related commands.
Home, Insert, Page Layout, view, Mailings, are examples of ribbon tabs.
• Groups: They organize related commands; each group name appears below the group on the
Ribbon. For example, group of commands related to fonts or group of commands related to
alignment (paragraph), etc. Title bar: This lies in the middle and at the top of the window.
Title bar shows the program and document titles.
Rulers: Word has two rulers - a horizontal ruler and a vertical ruler. The horizontal ruler appears just
beneath the Ribbon and is used to set margins and tab stops. The vertical ruler appears on the left edge
of the Word window and is used to gauge the vertical position of elements on the page.
Help: The Help Icon can be used to get word related help anytime you like. This provides nice tutorial
on various subjects related to word.
Zoom Control: Zoom control lets you zoom in for a closer look at your text.
View Buttons: this consist of;
• Print Layout view: This displays pages exactly as they will appear when printed.
• Full Screen Reading view: This gives a full screen view of the document.
• Web Layout view: This shows how a document appears when viewed by a Web browser, such
as Internet Explorer.
• Outline view: This lets you work with outlines established using Word’s standard heading
styles.
• Draft view: This formats text as it appears on the printed page with a few exceptions. For
example, headers and footers aren't shown. Most people prefer this mode.
Document Area: This is the area where you type. The flashing vertical bar is called the insertion point
and it represents the location where text will appear when you type.
Status Bar: This displays the document information as well as the insertion point location.
Microsoft Excel: MS Office offers us a spreadsheet package called the Microsoft Excel. MS Excel performs
several mathematical functions as well graphical illustration of data.
Below is a glance at the Excel UI;

File Tab: Performs the function of opening or saving files, create new sheets, print a sheet, and do
other file-related operations.
Quick Access Toolbar: It is a collection of frequently used tools of the software.
Ribbon: This consist of Tabs, Groups and Commands just like it is in MS Word although the functions of
the commands and contents of the groups are what differs.
Title Bar: This lies in the middle and at the top of the window. Title bar shows the program and the
sheet titles. This bar is available in most software packages.
Help: Just as in MS Word, the Help Icon can be used to get excel related help anytime. This provides
tutorial on various subjects related to excel.
Zoom Control: This function is similar to that of MS Word.
View Buttons: The group of three buttons located to the left of the Zoom control, near the bottom of
the screen, lets you switch among excels various sheet views.
• Normal Layout view − this displays the page in normal view.
• Page Layout view − this displays pages exactly as they will appear when printed. This gives a
full screen look of the document.
• Page Break view − this shows a preview of where pages will break when printed.
Sheet Area: The area where you enter data. The flashing vertical bar is called the insertion point and
it represents the location where text will appear when you type.
Row Bar: Rows are numbered from 1 onwards and keeps on increasing as you keep entering data.
Maximum limit is 1,048,576 rows.
Column Bar: Columns are numbered from A onwards and keeps on increasing as you keep entering
data. After Z, it will start the series of AA, AB and so on. Maximum limit is 16,384 columns.
Status Bar: This displays the current status of the active cell in the worksheet. A cell can be in either
of the four states;
(a) Ready mode which indicates that the worksheet is ready to accept user input
(b) Edit mode indicates that cell is editing mode, if it is not activated the you can activate editing
mode by double-clicking on a cell
(c) A cell enters into Enter mode when a user types data into a cell
(d) Point mode triggers when a formula is being entered using a cell reference by mouse pointing or
the arrow keys on the keyboard.
Dialog Box Launcher: This function is as stated in MS Word.
Corel Draw: This is a desktop publishing software package developed by Adobe. The software can be
used for various kind of graphic design. Below is a glance at its features;
Title Bar: Just like in most software packages, this bar shows the title of the document actively opened
in the window.
The Menu Bar: Corel draw has a menu bar that works in the same way as a menu bar does in other
packages like Microsoft Word, Macromedia Dreamweaver or any other application. It also gives you
access to all the things you can do in Corel draw. The File menu has the Open, Close, Save, Save as,
Document info, (gives you the size of your document and various other bits of information about it),
publish to the web option and the Exit option.
The Standard Bar: The Standard Bar gives you quick access to the most commonly used tasks, for
example you can save your work with one mouse click on the Save button (the small diskette) or paste
something with one mouse click, (the Clipboard), create a new document by clicking on the blank page
button. It just saves you clicking to open a menu then clicking again to select the option, (it saves you
one mouse click per task). The small red almost circle is a quick way of run (Lunch) other Corel products
such as Corel Photo paint, Corel Rave and various other Corel programs installed along with Corel Draw.
The Properties Bar (Edit Bar): These settings allow you to change the size of the document, (the small
rectangle), the orientation of it, (either portrait (default) or landscape, which units the ruler is in,
centimetres, inches, etc.
The Tool Bar (or Tool Box): This gives you access to all the drawing tools you need in Corel draw, You
will notice a small black arrow in the bottom right-hand corner of some of the tools, this means that
there are other tools of a similar nature hidden behind it. In Corel draw when you click on one of these
buttons, some more buttons fly out sideways, (like a side menu), this is known as a flyout and allows
you to select any of those other buttons. Below is a brief description of these tools;
The Pick Tool allows you to select objects, it will cancel any other task you have been
doing.
The Shape Tool allows you to change the shape of an object by moving the nodes that it
consists of.
The Magnifying Tool enables you to magnify some or all of your image in order to fine
tune it.
The Bezier Tool enables you to draw lines and curves you couldn't draw with the circle
tool
The Rectangle Tool allows you to draw rectangles
The Ellipse Tool will allow you to draw circles and ellipses (ovals)
The Polygon Tool will allow you to draw hexagons, spirals and grids
The Arrows Tool allows you to draw various shapes, such as arrows, tubes, stars, speech
boxes.
The Text Tool allows you to write text anywhere on your document, the style and size can
be changed
The Interactive Blend tool gives you access to various blending tools and transparency
tools
The Eye Dropper Tool allows you to select whatever colour you wish from an existing
object.
The Outline Tool allows you to select the width and colour of the outline you wish to draw
with
The Fill Tool will allow you access to various fills from a straight colour to a textured or
pattern fill.
The Interactive Fill Tool gives you the ability to apply various fills to your object or scene
The Colour Bar: The Colour Bar is the vertical column down the right-hand side of the screen. You can
apply any colour from this bar just by selecting the object you wish to colour and clicking on the colour
you wish to apply. The object or shape you apply the colour to must be closed, (all points must be joined
together without gaps) for the colour to be evenly applied.
Rulers are used to monitor the measurement of the graphic in the work area or to the size of any
imported file or the work area at large.
Tabs are used to switch from one work area to another. Corel draw allows users to create more than
one work area and actively perform different or the same graphical editing on either of the work area.
They are many other software packages that can be used to carry out the various needs of the
user. Softwares have to be installed on the computer before it can be used on that computer. Although
it can be shared over the network if the computer is networked with the serve that has the software
installed on it. A user can simply go in search of a software to use once he or she has a task at hand and
needs to use the computer. Each software has its own file format and can sometimes save files (output)
in different file format than its own. For example, Corel Draw has a .cdr file format but can export or
give output of graphic design as .jpeg, .pdf, .png and so on. These file formats are known as extensions
and are automatically added after the name/title of the file.
The windows operating system has its own file format too, for a software to be installed on the windows
OS, the software has to be the .exe format. But several file format such as .docx, .drw (for AutoCAD),
.Xlsx (for excel), and so on, can all be copied onto the Windows OS environment and the file explorer
can be used to copy, locate and open the file in the appropriate application.
Document extensions are suffixes added to the name of the document which indicate the file type,
these extensions also denote the type of software than can read and write that particular document.
Document extensions start with a dot (.) after the name/title of the document. E.g; if a document is
titled “passport.jpeg” it means a picture format of a file called “passport” and can be viewed with
image/photo viewing softwares.
Below is a table showing a few document extensions and the softwares that can read and write the
document with such extension;
Extensions File type Software

.jpeg, .PNG, .jpg Picture/photo/image Windows media player, Adobe Photoshop, Corel Draw
and others
.drw, .dwg, Drawings AutoCAD
.cdr Corel draw process file Corel draw, Photoshop
.psd Photoshop process file Photoshop
.docx Microsoft word file Microsoft Word, WPS office
.xlsx Excel file Microsoft Excel, WPS office
.pdf Portable Data File Adobe Acrobat, Google chrome, opera, Foxit reader
.mp3, .wav, .ogg Audio file Windows media player, Microsoft groove, apple music,
VLC media player and others.
.mp4, .mkv, Video file VLC media player, windows media player, apple
.mov movie.
.txt Text file Browsers, Microsoft word, WPS office, text readers
.ppt Power point file Microsoft power point, WPS office
.exe Software file (executable) Windows operating system
.zip, .XAR Zipped file WinRAR, 7zip
.APK Software file Android operating system
.ePub ebook ebook reader such as Freda, and others
.py, .cpp Program files Command prompt (terminal)
They are many other extensions and file types. Often times when a computer cannot identify a file type
or does not have a software to open such extension, it is misunderstood to be a viral file and some anti-
virus software will detect the file as virus. For this reason, some users who intend to use rare file formats
not known to the operating system usually turn off the “shield” of the anti-virus for the time they will
work on the unknown extension.
THE INTERNET
The internet is a large interconnection of computers (servers) sharing different resources over a
network. Practically, the internet is the “cable” laying under the sea and transferring data between
two or more data centres. It is also referred to as “the network of networks”. Practically, we are not
directly connected to the internet. The only devices connected to the internet are called servers.
The Web has been developed in several ways over time, the first version of the web (web 1.0) was
mainly to share information between company services such as emails and memos, this version of the
web was company-focused. The web 1.0 lasted from 1989 to 2005. The advent of web 2.0 in 2004 gave
room for social media, blogs, e-commerce and other interactive platforms that are user-focused. More
advancement has been made to the web and we now have web 3.0 (2016) which provides virtual reality
worlds and facilitates Blockchain technologies.
Some technologies that solely rely on the data provided through the internet are;
1. Electronic-Mail: Users communicate with one another by the use of emails online. Emails help to
convey texts (just like letters) and files (attachments such as documents, picture or video) between
two or more users (like a mailing list). Example of the use of mails are; Job recruitment agents send
mails of vacancies to their subscribers, a memo sent to a staff for a meeting via mails and so on.
2. World Wide Web (www) or The Web: As discussed earlier, the web is a large application of the
internet. It is a virtual means of requesting, fetching and interpreting data using protocols such as
the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (http) to pass the request from user and fetch the result from the
server. Protocols can be referred to as rules and languages used in communicating on a network.
The web is applicable in finance, health, cooperate and social worlds.
3. Streamed Broadcast: This is the sending and receiving of audio or video files over a network. This
is the service used by Apple Music, YouTube, Netflix, Apple TV, Amazon prime and so on.
4. Online Chat rooms: This has occupied a big space on the internet as most individuals tend to connect
via chatting apps. These platforms are synchronous in design and offers end-to-end encryption in
user conversations.
5. Threaded Conference: This is used by news groups. Information is sent to a large number of users
at a set time from when it was actually compiled. This communication is not synchronous in its
design.
6. Internet Telephone: These are communication systems which works based on the Voice Over
Internet Protocol (VOIP). They are used for highly secured conversations. Such are the service
providers in this field are CISCO, Skype and so on.
7. Internet of Things (IoT): This is the communication between ‘things’ (machines, sensors and many
other devices). This is achieved by embedding an internet enabled circuit system into a built
machinery or a device for the purpose of sending and receiving data automatically.
HOW DO YOU ACCESS THE INTERNET?
For an individual or a machine to access the internet, the following requirements have to be met;
• Provision of a Computer system (mobile phone, laptop, desktop, embedded devices)

• Provision of a Browser (software for interpreting the marked-up content of the web)
• Provision of a MODEM (A hardware for connecting a computer to a network)
• Subscription to an ISP (Internet Service Provider).
Computer is one of the hardware needed to access the internet, the computer interacts with the user
to take request (input) and gives back the result on screen via the browser and can be printed from
there (output). The computer system offers the operating system on which the browser is installed and
also the ISP software is installed.
A MODEM (Modulator Demodulator) can be a USB-Stick type or wireless type. A SIM (Subscriber
Identification Module) is inserted in this device to enable it connect to a specified ISP.
In simple terms, Modulation can be defined as the process of adding audio, image, video or text to an
electrical or optical carrier signal to be transmitted over a telecommunication or electronic medium.
Demodulation is the process of extracting the original information (those image, video, audio or text
we added during modulation) from the carrier signal. Note that this images, videos audios or texts are
added or extracted from the carrier wave or signal in form of electrical signal. These texts or audios or
images may be our search on Google or files we are trying to upload or download.
Browsers are application softwares installed on a computer to enable the user interact with web pages
and view, stream, upload or download files. Examples of browsers are Google Chrome, Safari, Opera
mini, Mozilla Firefox and so on. The significant feature of a browser is that it is designed to interpret
web pages into texts, images videos and so on whereas these web pages are originally formatted with
hypertext mark-up language (html), styled with CSS (cascading style sheet) and animated with
JavaScript).
ISP (Internet Service Provider) is an organisation that offers the services of providing a gateway or
access point to the internet. The common providers of the internet service in Nigeria are
telecommunication networks such as Glo, MTN, 9Mobile Airtel. But over time, the need for faster
connection to the internet became urgent and users started patronizing ISPs like Smile Network, IPNX,
MainOne, Spectranet etc. these ISPs offer a broadband connection which is typically faster than the
dial-up offered by some telecommunication networks. The requirements explained above work together
to enable surf the web.
Some other interesting technology concepts to take note of are discussed below;
Electronic Mails (E-Mails): This is one of the most used resources provided by the internet. It is an
electronic form of letter writing which composes of texts, attachments (documents, links, pictures and
short videos) which can be sent over a network between two or more users. Mails are sent to a user via
his or her user address which is peculiar to the various users. Users can send or receive mails from their
mail box which is a platform that can be accessed via a browser or an email application software. The
mail boxes present an organised user interface which consist of inbox, draft, sent mail, trash and others.
The volume of mails received by a user are limited by the amount of storage allocated to that user on
the mail server. The various email providing platforms such as Gmail (Google), Microsoft outlook mail,
Microsoft live mail and so on, have dedicated servers for email management. Emails can be used for
personal correspondence or for work purposes (such as sending memos) or for advertisement purposes
(such job adverts been sent to a collection of subscribed mail addresses).
Internet of Things (IoT): This is the communication between two or more machines or devices (things).
This communication includes sending and receiving of data. This is very similar to how humans
communicate via emails and chat platforms. An IoT module can be embedded into an already installed
machine or built into a machine from the onset. The data shared by the IoT module are fed to it by
sensors receiving analogue (variable natural conditions such as moisture, temperature, light energy) and
converting it to digital signal before sharing the signal with the IoT module, the module then acts as a
modem by sending this signal over the internet to a dedicated IP address where it can be accessed by
an onsite personnel or a machine. Most devices embedded with IoT modules are referred to as smart
devices. Many smart devices are used in numerous fields today, smart cameras, smart TV, smart traffic
controllers, smart watch, smart cars, smart doorbells, smart drones, missiles, UAVs (Unmanned Aerial
Vehicles) and many others.
SECURE ACCESS TO THE WEB
Most of the risks encountered on the internet occur on the web sessions. For a website whose resources
are transferred via an ordinary Hyper Text Transfer Protocol, its content is transferred as plain texts.
This text can be grabbed and altered while in transit. Web hosting services offers a Secured Socket
Layer (SSL) certificate which has a unique one-time key that is unlocked by the browser to open a
secured session between the browser and the website. This can be identified in the web address e.g.;
http://www.example.com (is not a secured website), https://www.example.com (is a secured
website).
Some other risks/security threats that comes with the internet are cases where spywares are installed
onto a user computer when the user clicks on malicious links. A spyware is a software that can be used
to feed sensitive user information to unauthorized third parties. This information can be used to
carryout identity theft among other crimes.

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1|INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTER SOFT WARE (EEC112) – 2023/2024

APPLICATIONS OF COMPUTER SYSTEMS

OPERATIONAL ANALYSIS OF A COMPUTER SYSTEM

Program Software Hardware User

Fig 1.0: Operational Analysis of a computer system.

Type a letter Keyboard, mouse, screen, Word processing software.

Application softwares have the following features;

S/N HARDWARE SOFTWARE

INPUT-PROCESS-OUTPUT (IPO) ALGORITHM

Decision Represents different decisions emerging

Action/Process Represents an action or a

Documents Indicates a generated report or

Alternate Indicates an alternative process to take

Database Represents a secured storage system for

DATA AND DATA STORAGE

Data type Description Real world model

A computer storage can be broadly divided in three parts;

- Random Access Memory (RAM)

Other supporting memories of the computer are;

OPERATING SYSTEM (OS)

An operating system is a software which provides a compatible environment for application

Fig 1.2: Pattern of operation of the Operating System.

RAM CPU I/O

The following are some of important functions of an operating System.

6. Control over system performance

8. Error detecting aids

• Coordination between other software and users

• Allocates the memory when a process requests it to do so.

• Allocates the processor (CPU) to a process.

• De-allocates processor when a process is no longer required.

• Allocates the resources efficiently.

• De-allocates the resources.

WINDOWS OPERATING SYSTEM

TYPICAL PROPERTIES OF A WINDOWS OS

A GLANCE AT SOME SOFTWARE PACKAGES

Ribbon: Ribbon contains commands organized in three components;

View Buttons: this consist of;

Below is a glance at the Excel UI;

Quick Access Toolbar: It is a collection of frequently used tools of the software.

Zoom Control: This function is similar to that of MS Word.

• Normal Layout view − this displays the page in normal view.

Dialog Box Launcher: This function is as stated in MS Word.

The Rectangle Tool allows you to draw rectangles

Extensions File type Software

HOW DO YOU ACCESS THE INTERNET?

• Provision of a Computer system (mobile phone, laptop, desktop, embedded devices)

SECURE ACCESS TO THE WEB

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