Software:
Systems and Application
Software
JM
2019 Basic Sciences MCHS
Why Learn About Software?
• Software is indispensable for any computer system
• Systems software needed for input, calculations,
and output
• Application software aids in productivity
• Personal tasks using software
– Income tax preparation
– Keeping a budget
– Internet research
– Games
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An Overview of Software
• Computer programs: sequences of
instructions for the computer
• Documentation: describes program functions
• Software – system software and application
software
3
Systems Software
• Systems software: coordinates the activities and
functions of hardware and programs
• Computer system platform: combination of a
hardware configuration and systems software
4
Application Software
• Application software: helps users solve particular
problems
• In most cases, application software resides on the
computer’s hard disk
• Application software can also be stored on CDs,
DVDs, and flash or keychain storage devices
5
Supporting Individual, Group, and
Organizational Goals
• Organisation – people, workgroup, enterprise –
supported with software and IS
• Organisation needs to classify the software and IS
uses to increase productivity – need to identify the
scope of problems and opportunities
• Sphere of influence: the scope of problems and
opportunities addressed by a particular
organisation
• For most companies, the spheres of influence are
personal, workgroup, and enterprise
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Supporting Individual, Group, and
Organizational Goals (continued)
Table 4.1: Software Supporting Individuals, Workgroups, and Enterprises
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Installing and Removing Software for
PCs
• Before you can use software, it must be installed
on a computer
• Software for personal computers typically comes
on CDs or is downloaded from the Web
• Most operating systems have an add/remove
program feature for removing software
– Does not work with all software
– Does not always remove all elements of the software
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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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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)
• Various 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
– 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 –interface between users,
application software and hardware
Figure 4.4: The Role of Systems Software
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Operating Systems (continued)
• OS acts as an intermediary between application
and hardware
• OS converts basic request into a set of details
instruction that the hardware requires
• Common hardware functions (e.g.)
– 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 Functions
1. 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 Functions
(continued)
1. Hardware independence
– Application program interface (API): allows
applications to make use of the operating system
2. Memory management
– Control how memory is accessed and maximize
available memory and storage
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Operating Systems Functions
(continued)
Figure 4.6: Application Program Interface Links Application Software to
the Operating System
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Operating Systems (continued)
1. 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
2. Networking capability
– Features and capabilities of the OS that aid users in
connecting to a computer network
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Operating Systems (continued)
1. Access to system resources and security
– Protection against unauthorized access
– Logins and passwords
2. 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
Table 4.2: 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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Enterprise Operating Systems
• z/OS
• MPE/iX
• HP-UX
• Linux
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Operating Systems for Small
Computers, Embedded Computers,
and Special-Purpose Devices
• Palm OS
• Windows Embedded
• Windows Mobile
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Utility Programs
• Help to perform maintenance or correct problems
with a computer sistem
• Common types of 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
• e.g. ?
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Application Software
• Primary function is to apply the power of the
computer to give individuals, workgroups, and the
entire enterprise the ability to solve problems and
perform specific tasks
• Application programs interact with systems
software; systems software then directs computer
hardware to perform the necessary tasks
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Overview of Application Software
• 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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Overview of Application Software
(continued)
Figure 4.13: Types of Application Software
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Overview of Application Software
(continued)
Table 4.4: A Comparison of Proprietary and Off-the-Shelf Software
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Overview of Application Software
(continued)
Table 4.4: A Comparison of Proprietary and Off-the-Shelf Software
(continued)
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Personal Application Software
• Serves the needs of an individual user
• Includes personal productivity software
– Enables users to improve their personal
effectiveness
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Personal Application Software
(continued)
Table 4.5: Examples of Personal Productivity Software
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Personal Application Software
(continued)
Table 4.5: Examples of Personal Productivity Software (continued)
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Personal Application Software
(continued)
• Software suite: collection of single application
programs packaged in a bundle
– Microsoft Office: most popular general-purpose
software suite
– Other general-purpose software suites: Corel’s
WordPerfect Office, Lotus SmartSuite, Sun
Microsystems’s StarOffice
• Integrated application packages: offer a range of
capabilities for less money than software suites
– Example: Microsoft Works
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Personal Application Software
(continued)
Table 4.6: Major Components of Leading Software Suites
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Workgroup Application Software
• Workgroup application software: support
teamwork, whether people are in the same location
or dispersed around the world
• Groupware: software that helps groups of people
work together more efficiently and effectively
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Workgroup Application Software
(continued)
Table 4.7: Ernst & Young’s “Three Cs” Rule for Groupware
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Enterprise Application Software
• Software that benefits an entire organization
• Enterprise resource planning (ERP) software:
set of integrated programs that manage a
company’s vital business operations for an entire
multisite, global organization
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Enterprise Application Software
(continued)
Table 4.8: Examples of Enterprise Application Software
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Application Software for Information,
Decision Support, and Specialized
Purposes
• Specialized application software for information,
decision support, and other purposes is available in
every industry
• Examples
– Genetic researchers use software to visualize and
analyze the human genome
– Music executives use decision support software to
help pick the next hit
– Decision support software is used to increase the
cure rate for cancer
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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 work-arounds
– Access support area of the manufacturer’s 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 usage—if 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, and 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 company’s vital business operations for
an entire multisite, global organization
• 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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Thanks
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