CHAPTER THREE: COMPUTER SOFTWARE AND HARDWARE
Software is detailed step-by-step sequence of instructions known as program which guide computer
hardware. A computer program is a sequence of instructions that tell the computer hardware what to do.
Programs are written in programming languages, which consists of a set of symbols combined according
to a given syntax.
A program must be in main memory (RAM) to be executed. These invisible, intangible components of a
computer that direct and control the operations of the hardware when processing data are referred to as
software.
Software is classified into two major types: system and application software.
1. System software
Systems software consists of programs that coordinates the activities of hardware and other programs.
System software is designed for a specific CPU and hardware class. The combination of a particular
hardware configuration and operating system is called a computer platform. These programs manage the
"behind the scenes" operation of the computer.
Examples
▪ Operating systems
▪ Utility Programs - Utility programs often come installed on computer systems or packaged with
operating systems. Utilities can also be purchased individually. Utility programs perform useful
tasks, such as virus detection, tracking computer jobs, and compressing data.
▪ Language translators/ processors – Compilers and interpreters
Operating systems
The functions of an operating system include:
▪ Perform common hardware functions
- Accept input and store data on disks and send data to output devices
▪ Provide a user interface
▪ Provide hardware independence
▪ Manage system memory
▪ Manage processing
▪ Control access to system resources
- Protection against unauthorized access
- Logins and passwords
▪ Manage files
- Physical storage location
- File permissions
- File access
Examples of operating systems include:
• DOS – Disk operating system Windows 3.1, 95, 98, NT, 2000, ME, XPLinux, Unix, MAC OS,
System/7
Generally, the OS acts as an interface between the user and the Hardware of the computer.
i.e It is a bridge between the user and the Hardware.
The User interface provided by the OS can be character based or graphical.
CUI -- Character user Interface
GUI -- Graphical user Interface
CUI : It is operated with keyboard only. Ex: MS-DOS, UNIX
GUI : The system can be operated with mouse and keyboard. Ex: Windows 95, Windows XP etc
• Disk Operating System (DOS): It was developed as early as 1980 by Bill Gates at the age of
19. It is suited for personal computers. Dos is a single user and single task operating system
• WINDOWS: It works with DOS and it supports single user and multitask system. It requires
a powerful PC with a minimum RAM of 8 MB.
• UNIX AND XENIX: It is suited for multi-user and multi-task system
❖ utility programs
they are programs that usually perform simple tasks and is normally linked to hardware which it works
with.
They include:
1) linkers and loaders
➢ Linker: accepts separate modules as its inputs and combines the statement to their
computer language equipment.
➢ Loader: transfers the load module, linker output into computer memory.
2) Text editors
Used to type text without any special formatting. They include:
➢ Line editors: they allow only one to work with one line of text at a time.
➢ Screen editors: allows you to work with large files.
3) Sort ad merge utility
➢ Sort: arranges records within a file in a certain sequence
➢ Merge: combine two contents, input files to produce one output file.
4) Diagnostic tools: they detect and correct fault systems from both hardware and software.
e.g
disk cleanup disk defragmenter
backup disk practitioner
restore system control
language translators: used to convert source codes, the program coded state and statement o their computer
language equivalent.
❖ Firmware: it’s a system that is fixed in micro-program which has been burnt into the ROM.
❖ Liveware: it’s a software developed by a company with various features added to it.
2. Application software
Applications software includes programs designed to help end users solve particular problems using the
computer or to perform specific tasks.
Includes:
❖ Custom designed: they are designed to solve particular problem in hand
❖ Application specific: they are developed by a software house to solve particular type of problem
and make it available to companies.
❖ General purpose: solves a variety of problems at the users’ desk
Sources of software
Advantages of proprietary software
▪ You can get exactly what you need in terms of reports, features etc.
▪ Being involved in development offers a further level in control over results.
▪ There is more flexibility in making modifications that may be required to counteract a new initiative
by a competitor or to meet new supplier or customer requirements. A merger with another firm or
an acquisition will also necessitate software changes to meet new business needs.
Disadvantages of proprietary software
▪ It can take a long time and significant resources to develop required features.
▪ In house system development staff may become hard pressed to provide the required level of
ongoing support and maintenance because of pressure to get on to other new projects.
▪ There is more risk concerning the features and performance of the software that has yet to be
developed.
Advantages of off-the-shelf software
▪ The initial cost is lower since the software firm is able to spread the development costs over a large
number of customers.
▪ There is lower risk that the software will fail to meet the basic business needs
– you can analyze existing features and performance of the package
▪ Package is likely to be of high quality since many customer firms have tested the software and
helped identify many of its bugs.
Disadvantages of off-the-shelf software
▪ An organization may have to pay for features that are not required and never used.
▪ The software may lack important features, thus requiring future modifications or customization.
This can be very expensive because users must adopt future releases of the software.
▪ Software may not match current work processes and data standards.
Application software is further classified into general-purpose software and applications.
General-purpose software
Examples include
▪ Word processing – Create, edit and print text documents. E.g. MS Word, Word Perfect.
▪ Spreadsheets – Provide a wide range of built-in functions for statistical, logical, financial, database,
graphics, data and time calculations. E.g. Lotus 1-2-3, Excel, Quattro Pro.
▪ Database management systems (DBMS) – Store, manipulate and retrieve data. E.g. Access, FoxPro,
dBase.
▪ Online Information Services – Obtain a broad range of information from commercial services. E.g.
America Online, CompuServe
▪ Communications- Ms Outlook for email
▪ Browsers e.g Internet Explorer, Eudora
▪ Graphics – Develop graphs, illustrations and drawings. E.g. Paint Shop, FreeHand, Corel
▪ Project Management – Plan, schedule, allocate and control people and resources needed to complete
a project according to schedule. E.g. Project for Windows, Time Line.
▪ Financial Management – Provide income and expense tracking and reporting to monitor and plan
budgets. E.g. Quicken
▪ Desktop publishing -used to create high-quality printed output including text and graphics; various
styles of pages can be laid out; art and text from other programs can also be integrated into published
pages. E.g. PageMaker, Publisher.
▪ Presentation packages like MS PowerPoint
Note: A software suite, such as Microsoft Office, offers a collection of powerful programs including
word processing, spreadsheet, database, graphics and other programs. The programs in a software suite
are designed to be used together. In addition, the commands, the icons and procedures are the same for
all programs in the suite.
FACTOR TO CONSIDER WHEN SELECTING COMPUTER HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE
✓ Brand/manufac ✓ Cost ✓ Scalability of
turer ✓ Warranty the system
✓ Memory ✓ Technical ✓ Reliability of
✓ Speed support the system
✓ Capacity ✓ Users
✓ Durability manual/guide
When acquiring software for your computer, you should keep the following factors in mind:
- How much does it cost? (if it isn't free)
If it costs more than you would like to spend, try using Google to search for a free alternative.
Almost 100% of the time, you will find something that can do the job.
- Will you actually use it?
This is only important if you have limited disk space, or, if you use windows if you are worried about
viruses, or causing problems to your registry.
- Will your hardware be able to handle it?
Some 3d applications, and video games will be significantly slower if you have outdated hardware,
so either lower the graphical settings until you achieve the desired frame rate (the speed at which the
computer draws the images to the screen), upgrade you hardware (see below), or consider uninstalling it
until you decide to upgrade it later.
Now, the only factor for hardware is the power of the hardware component versus the price, depending on
the tasks you will be performing on you computer, you will need less, or more power for each component.
For example, if all you want to do is browse the web, you will need very little RAM (1-2gb), and a fairly
slow processor. (2.7-3.0ghz single core should be fine).
On the other hand, if you want to play modern video games, you will need a fast video card, a lot of ram
(2-4gb), and a fast processor (2.8-3.2 GHz dual core).
Keep in mind, that most video games do not take full advantage of quad core processors, so a dual core
processer is ideal, however quad core processors are ideal for multitasking outside of video games. For
example running several YouTube videos at once.
Hardware: The physical components of the computer are known as ―Hardware. It refers to the objects
that we can actually touch.
Ex: input and output devices, processors, circuits and the cables
Application
Software
Proprietary Off-the-shelf
In - house Contract Customized Standard
developed package Package
In – house Contract
customization
customized
