COMPUTER SOFTWARE &
SYSTEM
CHAPTER #
3
Introduction to Computing
Computer System
System
A group or combination of interrelated, interdependent, or
interacting elements forming a collective entity.
Computer System
A functionally related group of elements, especially a
network of related computer hardware, software and data
transmission.
So a system of one or more computers and associated
software with common storage
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Computer System
A complete computer system includes hardware, software,
data, and users
Hardware consists of electronic devices, the parts you can
touch
Software (programs) consists of instructions that control the
computer
Data can be text, numbers, sounds, and images that the
computer manipulates
People who operate computers are called users
To manipulate data, the computer performs basic operations
which includes data input, processing, output, and storage
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Basic Operations of Computer
Input
it is the process of accepting data or information
Processing
it is the transformation process to convert the input into output
the way that a computer manipulates data
Output
it is the result produced by the computer
it is the outcome of the process
Storing
it is the process of storing or retaining the data or information or
instructions, so that the user can retain and retrieve it whenever required
Controlling
it is the process of directing the manner and sequence in which all the
operations are to be performed
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Basic Operations of Computer
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Basic Operations of Computer
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Basic Operations of Computer
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Components of Computer System
A computer system has four components
Hardware
Software
User
Data
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Components of Computer Systems
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Components of Computer Systems (Users)
Users
are the people operating the computer
are the most important part
tell the computer what to do
In fact the user is a critical part of a complete computer system,
especially when a personal computer is involved
this may seem surprising, since we tend to think of computer as intelligent
devices, capable of performing amazing tasks
People also sometimes believe that computer can think and make
decisions, just like human do
but this is not the case
even the most powerful supercomputer requires human interaction for
solving problems.
When working with a personal computer, the user can take on several
roles, depending on what he or she wants to accomplish
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Components of Computer Systems (Data)
Data
Pieces of information
Computer organize and present data
Data is collection of facts as values or measurements.
It can be numbers, words, observations or even just description of things
This information may be in the form of
Text documents
Images
Audio clips
Software programs, or other types of data
Communications devices perform both input and output functions,
allowing computers to share information
In a computer, data consists of small pieces of information that, by
themselves, may not make sense to a person
The computer manipulates data into useful information
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Components of Computer Systems (Hardware)
Computer hardware is the collection of physical
elements that comprise a computer system
Computer hardware refers to the physical parts or
components of a computer
such as monitor, keyboard, Computer data storage, hard
drive disk, mouse, printers, CPU(graphic cards, sound
cards, memory, motherboard and chips), etc
Hardware is tangible
all of the hardware components are physical objects that
you can actually touch
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Components of Computer Systems (Hardware)
Some of the hardware components are
Processor Serial ports
Motherboard Parallel port
Keyboard/mouse Sound card
RAM Video card
Hard drive Fan
CD/DVD Cables
Floppy Power switch
USB port Reset switch
Network card Case
Modem
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Components of Computer Systems (Hardware)
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Components of Computer Systems (Hardware)
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Components of Computer Systems (Software)
Computer software is a collection of computer programs and related data that
provides the instructions for telling a computer what to do and how to do it
It is not tangible
it has no substance
Software tells the hardware what to do
Through software we interact with the hardware
software convert human understandable language in to computer understandable language
It helps manage the computer hardware and provides common services for
efficient execution of various application software
We use operating system software to help analyze, configure, optimize and
maintain the computer
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Components of Computer Systems (Software)
Software are use for
Security purposes
Educational purposes like teaching and self learning
Banking system e.g. ATMs, online banking etc
Airline reservations
Chatting, video conferences etc
They are even used to run many application software’s
Other software applications are used
in many medical devices that monitor or control patients are
predominantly controlled by software e.g. heart rate, blood
pressure and breath rate checking monitors
to make design of buildings, roads, traffic signals, bridges
to protect the computers from viruses and prevent from a
loss
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Computer Program
Software is a collection of computer programs
A computer program is written in a computer language (such
as C++, Java, Python, or others) by programmers
The computer language is in a text format (source code) and
can be read by a person
if you do not understand the structure and rules of the language you
may not understand it very well
Once a program is written, an operation is performed on it
which is called compiling
it converts the source code into a form (binary language)
understandable by the computer hardware
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Software Types
There are two general types of software
Application Software
System software
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Application Software
Application software is computer software designed to help the user to
perform specific tasks
They are also known as an application or an app
in recent years, the abbreviation "app" has specifically come to mean
application software written for mobile devices
Examples include enterprise software, accounting software, office suites,
graphics software and media players
Applications may be bundled with the computer and its system software,
or may be published separately
Application programs are written in a computer language like any other
program
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Application Software
There are two major categories of application software
General Purpose
These software are general purpose and available on retail shops or through internet
They can be freeware or COTS (commercial off the shelf)
e.g. Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Adobe Photoshop, Jet Audio etc.
Custom
These software are purposely custom build according to the needs of the user
e.g. Riphah Campus Management System, HBL Banking System etc.
Some program packages come in a set with multiple programs included to
provide multiple capabilities such as the Microsoft Office suite of
programs
Microsoft Word is a program that gives the user the ability to write documents
Microsoft Outlook is used to send and receive e-mail
Other examples are word processors, spreadsheets, media players,
database applications etc.
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System Software
System software is computer software designed to
operate the computer hardware
provide basic functionality, and
provide a platform for running application software
System software includes device drivers, operating systems, servers,
utilities, and window system
It is responsible for managing a variety of independent hardware
components
so that they can work together harmoniously
Its purpose is to unburden the application software programmer from
the often complex details of the particular computer being used
including such accessories as communications devices, printers, device
readers, displays and keyboards, and also to partition the computer's
resources such as memory and processor time in a safe and stable manner
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System Software
Device drivers
They provides basic functionality to operate and control the hardware
connected to or built into the computer
Operating system
It allows the parts of a computer to work together by performing tasks like
transferring data between memory and disks or rendering output onto a
display device
e.g. Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X and Linux
It also provides a platform to run high-level system software and application
software
Utility software
it helps to analyze, configure, optimize and maintain the computer
Software Development Tools
like a compiler, linker or debugger
BIOS
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Operating Systems
The operating system is the core software component of your
computer
It performs many functions and is, in very basic terms
an interface between your computer and the outside world
Act as an intermediary between the user and the hardware
Manage the resources of the computer
Functions of Operating System
Processor management
assignment of processor to different tasks being performed by the computer system
Establishment and enforcement of a priority system
it determines and maintains the order in which jobs are to be executed in the
computer system
Automatic transition from job to job as directed by special control
statements
Interpretation of commands and instructions
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Operating Systems
An operating system performs
Resource Management
CPU management
Memory management
File System management
I/O management
Resource Sharing
Among Users
Among CPUs
Interfacing between hardware and users
OS provides an interface to several component including
monitor, keyboard, mouse etc using drivers
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Operating Systems
(operating system)
Operating Systems is intermediary between the User and the Hardware
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Compiler
A compiler is a computer program (or set of programs) that transforms
source code written in a programming language (the source language)
into computer understandable language (machine Language)
The name "compiler" is primarily used for programs that translate source
code (written in binary code) from a high-level programming language to
a lower level language (e.g., assembly language or machine code)
Compilers bridge source programs in high-level languages with the
underlying hardware
De Compilation
is a anti compilation process in which low level language is translated back to a
higher level
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Compiler
3) An executable
program is
created
1) A programmer writes
a computer program
2) The compiler translates
the program into a form
that the computer can
understand
Anybody who has this
executable on their
computer can then
run (use) it
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Device Drivers
A device driver is a program that controls a particular type of
device that is attached to your computer
The operating system provides an interface to several
component
including your monitor, keyboard, mouse etc using what is referred to
as "drivers"
This is why sometimes when you install a new printer or
other piece of hardware, your system will ask you to install
more software called a driver
There are device drivers for different hardware components
like printers, scanners and so on
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BIOS (Basic Input Output System)
BIOS contains all the code required to control the keyboard,
display screen, disk drives, serial communications, and a
number of miscellaneous functions.
BIOS software is stored on a non-volatile ROM chip built into
the system on the mother board.
The BIOS provides a small library of basic input/output
functions used to operate and control devices
such as the keyboard, text display functions and so forth, and these
software library functions are callable by external software
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Software Placement in a Computer System
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