Unit - 3 : Computer Software

Structure of Unit:
3.0 Objectives
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Types of Software
3.3 Types of Application Software
3.4 Device Drivers
3.5 Types of System Software
3.6 Operating System
3.7 Types of Operating System
3.8 Summary
3.9 Self Assessment Questions
3.10 Reference Books

3.0 Objectives
After completing the unit, you will be able to:
 Understand software and their importance
 Know the classification of softwares
 System software & application softwares
 Operating system and the classification.

3.1 Introduction
A system can be defined as a group of interrelated components that achieve a common goal by accepting
input and producing output with the help of organized processing. For example, a manufacturing system
accepts row material as input and producer finished goods as output with the help of production process.

Raw Finished
Input Production Out put
material Process goods

Figure 3.1 : Manufacturing Unit

So, we can define a computer as an electronic device which processes information under the control of a set
of instructions called “Program”. It has the ability to accept data, execute the programme for program
mathematical and logical operations on data. The results of the operations can be reported through output.
A computer is a complete system itself.

The computer as a system is, infect, a combination of hardware, operating system, system software and
application programme and user.

3.2 Types of Software

A computer is not capable of performing any task with just the hardware. It requires instructions to deter-
mine is to be done. Instructions are also entered like the data using keyboard. A sequence of instructions
given to a computer to perform a particular task is called a program. A set of programs written by specialist
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called programmers for a computer is called software. Softwares used on computers may be of different
types. Some important types of Software are discussed below:

3.2.1 System Software

System software helps the computer perform essential operating tasks buy a computer and enables the
application software to interact with the computer it also helps the computer to manage its internal and
external resources. The system software includes operating system, compilers, interpreters, assemblers etc.

User

Application Software
word processing, spreadsheet database etc.

Utility System Device

Programs Software Drivers

Hardware
Resources

Figure 3.2 : System Software

3.2.2 Utility Software

The softwares which are used for developing, writing, debugging and documenting programs are known as
utility software. These help the users in the preparation of programs. There are two types of utilities:

(i) File management utilities.

(ii) Program development utilities.

(i) File management utilities - These are a part of operating system and help the user in copying, erasing
(deleting), renaming and printing the files.

(ii) Program development utilities - These are used for writing and testing of programs. These include
editor, compiler, assembler, linker, loader, debuger etc. A simple text editor is a part of operating
system but an elaborate editor is stored separately. The compilers are stored separately.

All the softwares are controlled by the operating system. Utilities are those helpful programs that ensure the
smooth functioning of the computer. Utilities are meant to assist your computer. Some utilities help you
backup data, some help remove outdated files or recover data that has been accidentally erased. Some
make it easier to find and arrange the information you need. And some help you avoid virus attacks or clean
viruses, if any. In other words, the utility programs perform housekeeping functions.

It is an established truth that everything comes with certain pros and cons. Software also are not an excep-
tion to it. Utilities bridge the gaps by helping to solve the problems and maximize your computer’s potential.
Some important utilities are being discussed below.
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 1. Text Editor: This utility program is used for creating, editing text files. Using this program any
text manner can be typed and saved on a disk file. This file can be retrieved any time and can also
be edited, corrected etc. Text editor software supports special commands for text editing i.e., you
can insert, delete, find, replace characters, lines and paragraphs etc.

2. Backup Utility: This utility program facilitates the backing-up of disk. Back-up means duplicat-
ing the disk information so that in case of any damage or data-loss, this backed up data may be
used the files or folders or even drives can be backed up using this utility. You can back up files
floppy disk, a tape drive or even on another computer on your network. The backed up data may
be restored when needed i.e., if your original files are damaged or lost.

3. Compression Utility: This utility program facilitates compression of files. Large files can be
compressed so that they take less storage area. When needed, these compressed files can be
exploded back to their original form. By compression, the files are stored in a special format that
takes less space. However, these compressed files cannot be directly used, they need to be ex-
ploded back to their original form before they can be worked upon.

4. Disk Defragment: This utility program attempts to minimize the fragmentation on your disk. A
file is fragmented when it becomes too large for your computer to store in a single location on a
disk. When this happens, your computers split the file up and store it in pieces. You can use frag-
mented files, but it takes your computer longer to access them.

Disk Defragment or speeds up disk access by rearranging the files and free space on your com-
puter, so that files are stored in contiguous units and free space is consolidated in one contiguous
block.

5. Antivirus Software: This utility program ensures virus-free work environment. A computer
virus is a computer program that can inject other computer programs by modifying them in such a
way as to include a copy of itself A virus not only copies itself but also makes the computer system
behave abnormally. For instance, unknown or unasked messages may get flashed or unwanted
music get played or unwanted graphical displays might occur. An antivirus software scans your disk
for viruses and removes them, if any virus is found Moreover, some antivirus software remains
present in memory all the time so that they can detect the viruses (as soon as they occur) and
counterattack them.

3.2.3 Application Software

A computer can perform different functions by changing programs. Many tasks that you work on with a
computer are known as applications and the programs you use to perform them are known as application
software or application programs. For example, an application is writing a letter, preparing a budget or
creating a mailing list. The application programs you use for these applications are word processors, spread-
sheets and database managers. The development and wide distribution of these inexpensive and useful
application programs is what has made the computer an extremely useful tool for everyone throughout the
world. The application program you use depends on the task you want to perform. New PCs are usually
equipped not only with system software but also with some application software. The relationship between
hardware, software and the computer user is shown in the figure 3.3.
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 Users

Application Software

System Software

Computer
Hardware

Figure 3.3 : Relationship Between Hardware, Software and User

In the diagram, the hardware is at the centre of computer system, which consists of the physical devices or
components. The system software layer surrounds the hardware, which comprises the operating system
and programming environment of the computer system. This software layer is designed to hide the hard-
ware details of the computer from application programmers, and to co-ordinate the operations of the
different hardware devices for optimizing their performance. The application software layer, which sur-
rounds the system software, consists of a variety of software which are designed for performing specific
tasks, or for solving a particular problem. The outermost layer is the layer of users who generally interact
with the computer system using the user interface provided by the application software. Different interfaces
are supported by different application software. Hence the user interaction with computer system, depends
on his/her application of use at a particular moment.

3.3 Types of Application Software

In the early days of computers, everyone just paid for PC application software. Users brought it as part of
a computer or in a software store, or download it online with a credit card charge. There are following types
of application softwares are available in market :

(i) Commercial Software:

It is also known as proprietary software or packaged software. It is the software that is offered for sale,
such as MS-ward or Office 2000. Generally, we pay for it as part of the purchase of a new PC We pay for
a new game or other commercial program which are generally copyrighted. A copyright is the exclusive
legal right that prohibits copying of intellectual property without the permission of the copyright holder.
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Software manufacturers don’t sell us their software but provide us a license to become an authorized user
of it. In paying for a software license, we sign a contract in which we agree not to make copies of the
software to give away or for resale. That is we have only the permission to use the software and not the
software itself.

(ii) Public - domain Software:

It is not protected by copyright and thus may be duplicated by everyone at will. These are oftenly available
through sites on the Internet. We can duplicate public domain software without fear of legal prosecution.

(iii) Freeware:

It is copyrighted software that is distributed free of charge, today most often over the internet. It is due to the
wish of some developers to see the response of the users, so that they can make modifications in a later
version. Linux is an example of such a program. In its most recent form, freeware is made available by
companies trying to get money some other way -actually, by attracting viewers to their advertising. The web
browsers Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator are examples of this type. The copyrights of freeware
are generally retained by its developers.

(iv) Rental Ware:

It is software that users lease for a fee. This is the concept behind Application Service Providers (ASPs),
firms that lease software on the Internet. Users download programs whenever they require it.

(v) Printed Software:

It is an illegal copy of a software For example a commercial video game. In doing so the original copyright
owners are not paid for their creative work. A risk of picking up a virus is always there. Occasionally,
companies or individuals require software written specifically, to meet their unique needs. This software is
known as custom software, and it is developed by software engineers and programmers.

Some of the most commonly used application softwares are

(i) Word Processing Software: It helps us to use the computer system for document preparation,
text file manipulation like edit, create, view, format, store, retrieval and print documents / files. It is
useful for writing books, letters and other documents.

(ii) Education Software: It helps us to use the computer as a teaching and learning tool. NCERT has
effectively used educational software for providing quality education to the students of different
classes in India.

(iii) Graphics Software: It helps us to use computer system for creating, editing, viewing, storing,
retrieving and printing designs, pictures, graphics, drawings and everything that can be drawn
manually.

(iv) Entertainment Software: These softwares are used in computer systems as tools for developing
and playing video games.

(v) Spreadsheet Software: It is used in computer system for numeric data analysis. This software
maintains computerized ledger for financial, educational organizations, eg. MS-Excel.
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 (vi) Database Software: A database software helps us to use computer system for creation, mainte-
nance (add, delete, and update the records), organization and retrieval of data information from the
database. A database is a collection of files for storage and retrieval of data

(vii) Personal Help software: It helps us to use computer for storage and retrieval our personal infor-
mation. For example, planning and managing students personal schedules, such as study, play,
entertainment etc.

3.4 Device Drivers

Device drivers are essential piece of system software. As you know by now that an operating system act as
a link between the hardware and software enabling both to communicate and do their tasks.

A device driver or simply a drive, is a specially written program which translate the commands form the
operating system into commands that the specific hardware will understand. Each piece of hardware e.g., a
printer, monitor, scanner, mouse, keyboard, modem etc. has its own driver. Devices from different manu-
facturers work in different ways e.g., a printer from manufacturer HP will need a different driver than a
printer from manufacture Epson. If you try to use a device without the correct driver, then it probably will
not work or produce correct results.

Today, new operating systems like Windows Vista come pre-equipped with many derivers. So you simply
need to plug the device and it works as its driver is already available with the operating system. But this is
possible for commonly used devices.

3.5 Types of System Software

There are a lot of system software which are used to solve the system’s problem. Most commonly used
system softwares are language translator. A language translator is a program which converts statements
written in one language into statements in another language. There are basically there types of translators.
1. Assembler
2. Compiler
3. Interpreter

1. Assembler:

A computer can only understand machine language. Hence, the programs written in other language must be
translated into the machine language of the computer. Such translation is performed with the help of a
software. A program which translates an assembly language program into a machine language program is
called Assembler. An Assembler which runs on a computer for which it produces object codes (machine
code) is called a self Assembler (or Resident Assembler). A program written in assembly language is called
source program. The assembler converts the source program into machine language program known as
object program. In fact an assembler is a look-up table which contains machine language equivalent of the
mnemonics and memory addresses used in assembly language programs.
Working of an Assembler: An assembly language program (source program) is fed to the com-
puter though an input device. The assembler program present in the computer memory translates
this source program to an equivalent machine language program called the object program by
translating one instruction at a time.

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 Machine
Assembly Language Program Language
(Source Program) Assembler Program
Input Output (Object Program)

Figure 3.4 : Illustration of the Translation by an Assenbler

In the assembler reads the program twice. During first reading it develops the table of names used
in the source program, assign and stores the numerical address for each name. Then in the second
reading it translates the instructions into machine language and generates the object program. The
object program is stored on the disk. Such an assembler is called Two- Pass Assemble.
2. Compiler:
A program written in high level language needs to be translated into machine language before it can be
executed by the computer. This job of translation is performed with the help of a software program. This
program is known as a compiler. A Compiler is so called because for every program instruction of a high
level language, it compiles a set of machine language instructions. A program written in a high level language
is known as source program. The program obtained after compilation is known as the object program.

Machine
High Level Language
Language Program Input Output
Compiler Program
(Source (Object Pro-
Program) gram)

Figure 3.5 : Illustration of the translation by Compiler

Every high level language has its own compiler and it can translate only those programs which are written in
that particular language compilers are large programs which reside permanently on secondary storage.
When a program is to be compiled the compiler is copied into the main memory of the computer and is
executed in the CPU. During compilation the compiler analyses each statement in the source program and
generates a sequence of machine instructions the instruction. Besides translating in high level language into
machine language instructions, the compiler also brings out any errors related to the syntax (grammar) or
semantics (meaning) of the specified high level language.
A compiler can detects following kinds of errors :
(i) Illegal characters.
(ii) Illegal combination of characters
(iii) Improper sequencing of instructions in a program
3. Interpreter:
An interpreter is a translating program for the purpose of converting high level language in to machine
language. An interpreter translates only one statement of a high level language at a time. After translation the
statement is immediately executed. This is in contrast to a compiler which translator the entire source pro-
gram into object program. This object code is saved permanently for future use and is used every time the
program is to be executed. In this manner repeated compilation is not necessary for repeated execution of
a program. However, in the case of an interpreter the object program is not stored because the translation
and execution take place alternately. So it a statement is to be used again then it must be interpreted again.
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The advantage of an interpreter over a compiler is, fast response to changes in the source program. More-
over, a compiler is a complex program compared to an interpreter. Interpreter are easy to write and do not
require large memory space in the computer. The interpreter, however is a time consuming translation
method because each statement must be translated every time it is executed from the source program.
Thus, a compiled machine language program runs much faster than an interpreted one.

3.6 Operating System

An operating system is an important part of every computer system. A computer can be divided into four
components. The hardware, the operating system, the application program and the user.
The operating system controls and co-ordinate the use of the hardware among the various application
programs for the various users. The operating system (OS) provides the means for the proper use of these
resources in the operation of the computer system. The operating system can be explored from two view-
points: the user and the system.
User View
The user view of the computer varies by the interface being used. Most computer users sit in front of a PC,
consisting of a monitor, keyboard, mouse and system unit. Such a system is designed for one user to
monopolize its resources, to maximize the work that the user is performing. In this case, the operating
system is designed mostly for ease use of, with some attention paid to performance.
Some users sit at a terminal connected to a mainframe or minicomputer. Other users accessing the same
computer through other terminals. These users share resources and may exchange information. The operat-
ing system is designed to maximize resource utilization.
Other users sit at workstations, connected to networks of other workstations and servers. These users have
dedicated resources at their disposal, but they also share resources such as networking and servers – file,
compute and print servers. Therefore, their operating system is designed to compromise between individual
usability and resource utilization. Some computers have little or no user view. For example, embedded
computers in home devices but mostly they and their operating systems are designed to run without user
intervention.
System View
The operating system is the program that is most intimate with the hardware, it work as a resource allocator.
A computer system has many resources – hardware and software – that may be required to solve a prob-
lem such as CPU time, memory space, file-storage space, I/O devices and so on. The operating system
acts as the manager of these resources. The operating system must decide how to allocate resources to
specific programs and users so that it can operate the computer system efficiently and fairly.
A slightly different view of an operating system emphasizes the need to control the various I/O devices and
user programs. An operating system is a control program. A control program manages the execution of user
programs to prevent errors and improper use of the computer. It is especially concerned with the operation
and control of I/O devices.

3.7 Types of Operating System

Multi-user and Single-user Operating Systems
Computer operating systems of this type allow multiple users to access a computer system simultaneously.
Time-sharing systems can be classified as multi-user systems as they enable a multiple user access to a
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computer through time sharing. Single-user operating systems, as opposed to a multi-user operating sys-
tem, are usable by a only one user at a time. Being able to have multiple accounts on a Windows operating
system does not make it a multi-user system. Rather, only the network administrator is the real user. But for
a Unix-like operating system, it is possible for two users to login at a time and this capability of the OS
makes it a multi-user operating system.
Multi-tasking and Single-tasking Operating Systems
When a single program is allowed to run at a time, the system is grouped under the single-tasking system
category, while in case the operating system allows for execution of multiple tasks at a time, it is classified as
a multi-tasking operating system. Multi-tasking can be of two types namely, pre-emptive or co-operative.
In pre-emptive multitasking, the operating system slices the CPU time and dedicates one slot to each of the
programs. Unix-like operating systems such as Solaris and Linux support pre-emptive multitasking. If you
are aware of the multi-threading terminology, you can consider this type of multi-tasking as similar to inter-
leaved multi-threading. Cooperative multitasking is achieved by relying on each process to give time to the
other processes in a defined manner. This kind of multi-tasking is similar to the idea of block multi-threading
in which one thread runs till it is blocked by some other event. MS Windows prior to Windows 95 used to
support cooperative multitasking.
Embedded System
The operating systems designed for being used in embedded computer systems are known as embedded
operating systems. They are designed to operate on small machines like PDAs with less autonomy. They
are able to operate with a limited number of resources. They are very compact and extremely efficient by
design. Windows CE, FreeBSD and Minix 3 are some examples of embedded operating systems.
Mobile Operating System
Though not a functionally distinct kind of operating system, mobile OS is definitely an important mention in
the list of operating system types. A mobile OS controls a mobile device and its design supports wireless
communication and mobile applications. It has built-in support for mobile multimedia formats. Tablet PCs
and smart phones run on mobile operating systems. Operating systems thus contribute to simplifying human
interaction with the computer hardware. They are responsible for linking application programs with the
hardware, thus achieving an easy user access to computers.

3.8 Summary
We have learnt about computer software. We can differentiate between application, system and utility
software. We can complete your office work in less time and correctly by using office application software.
We have got little more knowledge about the operating system and its types. There are different system
software which are used by system components. System software controls internal computer operations.
Device drivers are essential piece of system software. We know that if we try to use a device without the
correct driver, then it probably will not garbled results.
Key Words
Application software: Software that pertains to a specific application
DBMS : Data Base Management System. A software that can handle an manage bulk of stored data.
Electronic Spreadsheet: Software that processes data in tabular form and allows manipulations, calcula-
tions, analysis of data.
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System Software: Software that controls internal computer operations.
Utility Software: A software that assists the computer by performing housekeeping functions.
Word Processor: Software that processes textual matter and creates organized documents.
Software: A set of programs that govern the operation of a computer system.
Multimedia Software: A software that incorporates images, text, sound, computer animation and video
sequences.
Graphic Software: A software that manipulates images.
Fragmentation: Scattered storage of files across disk.
Language Processor: Software that converts a high level language code into machine understandable
form.
Software: Instructions given to computer to make it work.
Operating System: Interface between a user and the hardware.

3.9 Self Assessment Questions

1. What are various categories of software?
2. What is application software? Why is it required?
3. List all types of application software and explain each in brief?
4. What is system software? Why system software is required?
5. What is the difference between an interpreter and a compiler?
6. What is an assembler? Explain its functioning.
7. What do you mean by operating system? List and explain types of operating system.
8. What do you understand by utility software? Explain briefly.

3.10 Reference Books

- Brian.K.Williams & Stacey C.Sawyer ( 2005 ) 'Using Information Technology' ; Tata McGraw Hill
Publication company limited, Delhi.
- Henry.C.Lucas,Jr. ( 2001 ) ' Information Technology'; Tata McGraw Hill Publication company
Limited, New Delhi.
- D.P.Sharma ( 2008 ); 'Information Technology' ; College Book Centre , 2008, Jaipur.
- P.K.Sinha, Priti Sinha,( 2007 ) 'Computer Fundamentals' ; BPB Publication, New Delhi.

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