UNIT 3: COMPUTER SOFTWARE

Structure
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Objectives
3.3 System Software
3.3.1 Operating Systems
3.3.2 Language Translators
3.3.3 Utility Programs
3.4 Application Software
3.4.1 Programming Languages
3.5 Difference between Application Software and System Software
3.6 Open Source Software
3.7 Acquiring application software
3.8 Summary
3.9 Unit End Exercises
3.10 References and Suggested Further Readings

3.1 INTRODUCTION
The word software collectively refers to various kinds of programs used
to operate computers and related devices. A program is a sequence of
instructions that a computer can interpret and execute. Programs can be built
into the hardware itself, or they may exist independently in a form known
as software. Hardware describes the physical components of computers and
related devices.
Software may be distributed on floppy disks, CD-ROMs, and on the Internet.
It is usually stored on an external long-term memory device, such as a hard
drive or magnetic diskette. When the program is in use, the computer reads
it from the storage device and temporarily places the instructions in random
access memory (RAM). The process of fetching and then performing
the instructions is called “running,” or “executing,” a program. Software
programs and procedures that are permanently stored in a computer’s read-
only memory (ROM) are called firmware.
The two main types of software are system software and application software.
Application software consists of programs that are aimed to help users in
solving particular computing problems. Microsoft Edge for web browsing,
Adobe Photoshop for developing computer graphics, social media tools
like WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter and Messenger for instant messaging
all lies in the application software category. The other class of software is
the system software, which encompasses the programs that heavily interact
with computer resources and provide services to other programs. Popular
examples in this are Operating Systems (OS), hardware drivers, compiler
etc.

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Information Technology
for Managers 3.2 OBJECTIVES
After reading this unit, you should be able to
●● Describe about the different types of operating systems and their
functions;
●● State the characteristics of system software and application software;
●● Differentiate between compiler and interpreters;
●● Differentiate between application software and system software;
●● Enumerate the advantages and disadvantages of compiles and
interpreters;
●● Define and explain the concepts and philosophy of open-source
software; and
●● Explain the process of software acquisition.

3.3 SYSTEM SOFTWARE

System software co-ordinates the various parts of computer system and
mediates between the application software and computer hardware.
Operating system is system software, which manages and controls the
computers activities. The other system software consists of computer
language translation programs that convert programming languages into
machine language and utility programs that perform common processing
tasks.
3.3.1 Operating System
An operating system is a set of computer programs that controls the
computer hardware and acts as an interface with the application programs.
The operating system plays a central role in the functioning of a computer
system. It is usually stored on disk, after the computer system is started
or booted up portions of operating system are transferred to memory as
required. The kernel as the name suggests is the heart of the operating
system and controls the most critical processes. Windows by Microsoft,
Linux, UNIX, and the Macintosh are the commonly used operating systems.
In some specialized or embedded computers the operating instructions are
contained in their circuitry; common examples are the microcomputers
found in calculators, automobile engines, mobile phones and microwave
ovens.
Functions of Operating System
An operating system performs allocation and assignment of system
resources, schedules the use of computer resources, monitors the computer
system activities etc. The various activities performed by a typical operating
system are:
●● Performing common computer hardware functions.
●● Providing a user interface
●● Providing a degree of hardware independence
●● Managing system memory
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●● Managing processing tasks Computer Software

●● Providing networking capability

●● Controlling access to system resources
●● Managing files
Common Hardware Functions
All application programs must perform certain tasks. For example
●● Getting input from the keyboard or some other input devices
●● Retrieving data from disks
●● Storing data on disks
●● Displaying information on a monitor or printer
Each of these basic functions requires a more detailed set of instructions
to complete. The operating system converts a simple, basic instruction
into the set of detailed instructions required by the hardware. In effect, the
operating system acts as intermediary between the application program and
the hardware. The typical OS performs hundreds of such functions, each
of which is translated into one or more instructions for the hardware. The
OS notifies the user if input/output devices need attention, if an error has
occurred, or if anything abnormal has happened in the system.
User Interface
One of the most important functions of any operating system is providing a
user interface. A user interface allows individuals to access and command
the computer system. The first user interfaces for mainframe and personal
computer systems were command based. A command-based user interface
requires that text commands be given to the computer to perform basic
activities. For example, the command ERASE TAXRTN would cause the
computer to erase or delete a file called TAXRTN. RENAME and COPY
are other examples of commands used to rename files and copy files from
one location to another. Many mainframe computers use a command-based
user interface. In some cases, a specific Job Control Language (JCL) is used
to control how jobs or tasks are to be run on the computer system.
A graphical user interface (GUI) uses pictures (called icons) and menus
displayed on screen to send commands to the computer system. Many
people find that GUIs are easier to use because user intuitively grasp the
functions. Today, the most widely used graphical user interface is Windows
by Microsoft. Alan Kay and others at Xerox PARC (Palo Alto Research
Center, located in California) were pioneers in investigating the use of
overlapping windows and icons as an interface. As the name suggests,
Windows is based on the use of a window, or a portion of the display screen
dedicated to a specific application. The screen can display several windows
at once. Another example which is also widely used is iOS by Apple. The use
of GUIs has contributed greatly to the increased use of computers because
users no longer need to know command-line syntax to accomplish tasks.
Hardware Independence
The applications make use of the operating system by making requests
for services through a defined application program interface (API).
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Information Technology Programmers can use APIs to create application software without having to
for Managers understand the inner workings of the operating system.
Suppose a computer manufacturer designs new hardware that can
operate much faster than before. If the same operating system for which
an application was developed can run on the new hardware, minimal (or
no) changes are needed to the application to enable it to run on the new
hardware. If APIs did not exist, the application software developers might
have to completely rewrite the application program to take advantage of the
new, faster hardware.
Memory Management
The purpose of memory management is to control how memory is accessed
and to maximize available memory and storage. The memory management
feature of many operating systems allows the computer to execute program
instructions effectively and with speed.
Memory controller allows the computer system to efficiently and effectively
store and retrieve data and instructions and to supply them to the CPU.
Memory management programs convert a user’s request for data or
instructions (called a logical view of the data) to a physical location where
the data or instructions are stored. A computer understands only the physical
view of data –that is, the specific location of the data in storage or memory
and the techniques needed to access it. Memory controller converts a logical
address to a physical address.
Memory management is important because memory can be divided into
different segments or areas. Some computer chips provide “rings” of
protection. An operating system can use one or more of these rings to make
sure the application programs do not penetrate an area of memory and disrupt
the functioning of the operating system, which could cause the computer
system to crash. Memory management features of today’s operating system
are needed to make sure that application programs can get the most from
available memory without interfering with other important functions of the
operating system or with other application programs.
Most operating systems support virtual memory, which allocates space on
the hard disk to supplement the immediate, functional memory capacity of
RAM. Virtual Memory works by swapping programs or parts of programs
between memory and one or more disk drives using a concept call paging.
This reduces CPU idle time and increases the number of jobs that can run
in a given time span.
Processing Task
Managing all processing activities is accomplished by the task management
features of operating systems. Task management allocates computer
resources to make the best use of system assets. Task management software
may permit one user to run several programs or tasks at the same time
(multitasking) and allow several users to use the same computer at the same
time (time-sharing).
An operating system with multitasking capabilities allows a user to run
more that one application at the same time. Without exiting a program, user
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may start another application and switch to newly started application, and Computer Software
then jump back to the first program, picking up where it was left off. Better
still, while user is working in the foreground on one program, one or more
other applications can be churning away, unseen, in the background, sorting
a database, printing a document, or performing other lengthy operations. In
the absence of starting background processes, a foreground process would
monopolize the computer and if the process happens to be non-interactive
such as a file print, then the user will just have to sit and stare at the screen
till the process completed. Multitasking can save users a considerable
amount of time and effort.
Time-sharing allows more than one person to use a computer system at
the same time. For example, 15 customer service representatives may be
entering sales data into a computer system for a mail-order company at the
same time. In another case, thousands of people may be simultaneously
using an on-line computer service to get stock quotes and valuable business
news.
Time-sharing works by dividing time into small CPU processing time
slices, which can be a few milliseconds or less in duration. During a time
slice, some tasks for the first user are done. The computer then goes from
that user to the next. During the next time slice, some tasks for the next user
are completed. This process continues through each user and cycles back to
the first user. Because the CPU processing time slices are small, it appears
that all jobs or tasks for all users are being completed at the same time. In
reality, each user is sharing the time of the computer with other users.
The ability of a computer to handle an increasing number of concurrent
users smoothly is called scalability. This is a critical feature for systems
expected to handle a large numbers of users such as a mainframe computer
or a Web server. Because personal computer operating systems usually are
orientated toward single users, the management of multiple-user tasks often
is not needed.
Networking Capability
The operating system can provide features and capabilities that aid users
in connecting to a computer network. For example, Apple computer users
have built-in network access through AppleShare feature, and the Microsoft
Windows operating systems come with the capability to link users to the
Internet.
Access to System Resources
Computers often handle sensitive data that can be accessed over networks.
The operating system needs to provide a high level of security against
unauthorized access to the users’ data and programs. Typically, the
operating system establishes a log-on procedure that requires users to enter
an identification code and a matching password. If the identification code is
invalid or if password does not go with identification code, the user cannot
gain access to the computer. The operating system also requires that user
passwords be changed frequently. If a user is successful in logging onto
the system, the operating system records the details of the user and system

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Information Technology usage. In some, organizations, these records are also used to bill users for
for Managers system and resource usage. The operating system also reports any attempted
breaches of security.
File Management
An operating system performs file management functions to ensure that the
files are available to CPU when needed and that they are protected from
access by unauthorized users. Many computers support multiple users who
store files on centrally located disks or tape drives. The operating system
must be able to resolve what to do if more than once user requests access to
the same file at the same time. Even on stand-alone personal computers with
only one user, file management is needed to keep track of where files are
located, what size they are, when they were created, and who created them.
3.3.2 Language Translators
The CPU (also called processor) of a computer understands commands
in machine language, where each instruction is a series of binary digits.
Programming in machine language is not easy, as programmers have
to remember the machine codes, which are in binary format. To help
programmers, other high level programming languages have been developed
whose instructions are easy to remember for programmers as these languages
use English words. C, Java, SQL are examples of high level programming
languages. Programming languages can be divided into assembly languages
and high-level programming languages.
For any program to be executed, it has to be first converted into its equivalent
machine language program and then loaded into the memory of computer.
To perform the translations of programs, language translators are used. As
the process of programming language translations are machine dependent,
the translators fall in the system software category.
Assemblers: The computer software that translates the assembly language
programs into corresponding machine language programs are known as
assemblers. Assembly language uses mnemonics instead of binary codes
used in machine language. For example ADD R1 R2 is an assembly language
instruction for adding the contents of register R1 with the contents of register
R2 and store the result in R1. The use of mnemonics helps programmers to
remember programming codes. But still to write big programs like a word
processing software can be very cumbersome in assembly language.
Compiler and Interpreter: Compiler and interpreter are used to translate
a high level programming language program into a machine language
program. As the translation process is very cumbersome, some compilers
first translate the source code (the program in high-level language) into
the equivalent assembly language program and then use the assemblers for
the next step. To define, a compiler is a program that translates a source
text written in a language A into a target program in language B, whereas,
interpreter is a program which directly executes the program in a given
programming language A.

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 Computer Software
Machine
Program Computer
Interpreter Language
Statement System
Statement

Statement
Translations
Execution

Fig 3.1: Working of Interpreter

Difference between Compiler and Interpreter

An interpreter is a language translator that reads the source code line-by-
line and executes them one by one. On the other hand, a compiler first reads
the complete source code and then generates its object code (the equivalent
machine language program).
Interpreter has the advantage that the process of translation takes less time
as compared to the compiler, but the program generated is less efficient
as compared to the compiler in terms of the time is to takes to execute the
program.
Compilers are generally used when the efficiency of the generated binary
(machine language) program is desired. Interpreters are mostly used for
educational purposes, where the programmer makes frequent translations
of the program as the changes to the program are frequent. Also, as the
interpreter generates the binary program on the fly, platform independence
can be achieved. Platform independence means the capability of the
program to be translated on any platform and executed on any platform. By
platform we mean the hardware and the operating system running on that
system. For example, interpreted languages such as HTML, Perl, and Lisp
are platform independent. Java, which is a half-compiled half-interpreted
language, has benefits of both. As Java programs are compiled to byte-code,
instead of binary code, it can be ported to any platform which has the Java
Virtual Machine software, which interprets the byte-code. By compiling
the program to byte code certain level of optimization that are possible in
compilers are achieved.
Step 1: Program Translation

Machine
Computer
Compiler Language
Program
Program
Translations

Step 2: Program Execution

Machine
Computer
Language
System
Program
Program
Execution
Fig 3.2: Working of Compiler
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Information Technology Advantages and Disadvantages of Interpreter over Compiler
for Managers
Advantages:
●● As compared to compiler no synthesis phase is required in interpreter:
Neither there is a need to learn target language B nor the target code is
to be generated. Thus interpreters don’t have synthesis phase.
●● Direct Execution: There is no intermediate compilation phase so the
code is directly executed.
Disadvantages:
●● Efficiency Loss: As the code is executed on the fly, the efficiency
of the program is low. In compilers, there is a separate phase for
optimization of the program code.
●● Interpreter must be available on target machine: The compiled code
can be executed on any similar machine. The code needs not to be
compiled every time. For languages, which are interpreter based, the
interpreter must be available on each machine where the code is to be
executed.
Activity A
Why is there a difference between High-Level and Low level languages?
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3.3.3 Utility Programs

A utility program is designed for general support to the processes of a
computer. They are usually for routine, repetitive tasks and many users share
them. Examples of utility programs include diagnostic programs, antivirus
tools, trace programs, input routines, and programs used to perform routine
tasks, i.e., perform everyday tasks, such as copying data from one storage
location to another. Utility programs are also available commercially; for
example, Norton Utilities package is a set of utility programs for checking
disks for computer viruses, checking hard drive for bad locations and
removing them and for performing disk compression. Some of the examples
of other such software for checking the health of hard disks are SeaTools by
Seagate, HDDScan, Fujitsu Diagnostic Tool.

3.4 APPLICATION SOFTWARE

Application software is a complete, self-contained program that performs a
specific function directly for the user. This is in contrast to system software,
which exists to support application programs. Application software may
consist of a single program, such as an image viewer; a small collection of
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programs (often called a software package) that work together to accomplish Computer Software
a task, such as a spreadsheet or text processing system; a larger collection
(often called a software suite) of related but independent programs and
packages that have a common user interface or shared data format, such
as Microsoft Office, which consists of closely integrated word processor,
spreadsheet, database manager, etc.; or a software system, such as a database
management system, which is a collection of fundamental programs that
may provide some service to a variety of other independent applications.
Some of the examples of application software according to their types are
given below in the table 3.1.
Table 3.1: Examples of Application Software
Type Software
Word Processing Microsoft Word, GoogleDoc, WordPerfect
Spreadsheet Microsoft Excel, Apple Numbers, Google
Sheets, Quip, Smartsheet
Graphics Apple Pie Design, Adobe Photoshop, Corel
Draw, Microsoft Paint
Desk Top Publishing FlipHTML5, Quark Express, Adobe InDesign,
Microsoft Publisher, LibreOffice Draw
Social Media messaging Facebook, LinkedIn, WhatApp, Twitter
Virtual Conferences MilanSetu, Zoom, Google Meet, Skype, Cisco
Webx,
Activity B
Explain the difference between Applications and Utilities with the help of
examples.
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3.4.1 Programming Languages
A programming language is an artificial language (as opposed to natural
languages such as Hindi, English etc.) that is used to generate or to express
computer programs. Both system software and application software are
developed using one or many programming languages.
Generations of Programming Languages
The programming languages have been divided into different generations
according to their characteristics and capabilities.
●● Machine Language The first generation of computer programming
languages is machine language. Programs in machine language consist
of instructions coded in of 0s and 1s, thus the alphabets of machine
language are 0 and 1. The storage locations and data items are also
specified using 0s and 1s. These languages are machine dependent.
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Information Technology There is a machine language corresponding to each microprocessor
for Managers available.
●● Assemble Language The second generation of computer
programming language started using mnemonics (like ADD, SUB)
to represent machine language instructions and storage locations.
Assembly language is also machine-dependent. System software or
at least part of it is usually developed in assembly languages.
●● Third Generation Language (3GL) 3GL are English-like languages.
They use statements and commands, which are similar to the words
used in English. 3GLs are easier to learn, but less efficient in the use of
computer resources as compared to machine and assembly languages.
Typically, a statement in 3GL is translated into many instructions of
machine language. C, BASIC, FORTRAN, COBOL and Pascal are
the popular third generation languages.
FORTRAN (FORmula TRANslation): Fortran was developed in 1956
by John Backus. It was developed keeping in mind the scientific and
engineering application.
COBOL (Common Business Oriented Language): COBOL was
developed in the early 1960s under the auspices of the U.S. Department of
Defense in cooperation with computer manufactures, users, and universities.
It was designed to be a language for writing programs for business problems.
Another design objective was to keep it machine independent. The language
was designed in such a manner that it could evolve and grow to take care of
changing program development requirements. Many standards for COBOL
have been published since then.
BASIC (Beginners All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code): BASIC
was developed in 1964 by John Kemeny and Thomas Kurtz to teach students
as Dartmouth College to use computers. It was meant to be a very simple
language to learn and also one that would be easy to translate. Furthermore,
the designers wished it to be a foundation language for students who wished
to learn more powerful languages such as FORTRAN or ALGOL.
Pascal: It was developed in the late 1960s by Niklaus Wirth of Zurich. He
named it after the great mathematician and philosopher, Blaise Pascal. Both
Pascal and BASIC have been used extensively for teaching to the beginners.
C: It was developed at Bell Laboratories in 1972 by Dennis Ritchie. Many
of its principles and ideas were taken from the earlier language B and
B’s earlier ancestors BCPL and CPL. C was developed with the purpose
of creating a high level language that could be used for writing machine
independent programs and would still allow the programmer to control the
behavior of individual bits of data. The bit processing features have made C
a popular system software development language.
●● Fourth Generation Languages (4GL): Fourth generation languages
are less procedural and even more English-like than 3GL languages.
The emphasis is more on the output format than the procedure applied
to achieve the results. That is why 4th generation languages are also
called as non-procedural languages. Some 4GLs are given in Table 3.2.
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 Table 3.2: Fourth Generation Languages Computer Software

4GLs Salient Feature

Natural, Power Builder, Visual Application Generators
C++, Visual Basic
SQL, RPG-III Query Languages/
Report Generators
Systat, SAS Graph Graphics Languages
Oracle HRMS, Oracle Financials, Application Software Packages
CRM, PMS, SAP Modules
●● Object Oriented Languages: Object Oriented Programming is a
type of programming in which programmers define the data types
and structure of the data, in addition, the operations (functions) that
can be applied to the data is also defined. The data and functions
together are known as objects. Programmers can create relationships
between objects. For example, objects can inherit characteristics from
other objects. One of the principal advantages of object-oriented
programming techniques over procedural programming techniques is
that they enable programmers to create modules that do not need to be
changed when a new type of object is added. A programmer can simply
create a new object that inherits many of its features from existing
objects. This makes object-oriented programs easier to modify. The
object-oriented programming languages are usually referred to by the
acronym OOPL, Java, C++ and Smalltalk are the popular languages.
●● Python: It was developed by Guido van Rossum in the late eighties and
early nineties at the National Research Institute for Mathematics and
Computer Science in the Netherlands. Python is derived from many
other languages, including ABC, Modula, C, C++, Algol, SmallTalk,
and Unix shell and other scripting languages. There is a fact behind
choosing the name Python. Guido van Rossum was reading the script
of a popular BBC comedy series “Monty Python’s Flying Circus”.
It was late on-air 1970s. Van Rossum wanted to select a name which
unique, sort, and little-bit mysterious. So he decided to select naming
Python after the “Monty Python’s Flying Circus”for their newly
created programming language.

3.5 DIFFERENCE BETWEEN APPLICATION

SOFTWARE AND SYSTEM SOFTWARE
System software and application software are computer programs. The
system software is also installed during the installation of the operating
system. However, the application software utilizes the capabilities of the
computer on which it is installed.
The programs and the file that comprises the operating system are system
software. These files include configuration files, system preferences, system
services, libraries of functions and the drivers for the hardware installed on
the computer. The computer programs in system software include compilers,
system utilities, assemblers, debuggers and file management tools.
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Information Technology Once you install the operating system, the system software is also installed.
for Managers Program such as “Software update” or “Windows update” can be used to
update the system software. However, the end user does not run the system
software. For example, while using the web browser, you don’t need to use
the assembler program.
System software is also called low-level software as it runs at most basic
level of the computer. It just creates a graphical user interface thorough
which the user can interact with hardware with the help of operating system.
System software just runs at the back so you don’t need to bother about it.
The system software provides an environment to run application software
and it controls the computer as well as the applications installed on the
machine.
Application software utilizes the capabilities of computer. When multiple
applications are packaged together then it is called application suite.
There is a common user interface in each application suite which makes
it easier for the user to learn different applications. In some cases, such
as Microsoft Office, the various application programs have the ability to
interact with each other. This facility is very handy for the user. For example,
a user can embed the spreadsheet in a word processor using the application
software. Application software cannot run without the presence of system
software.
Now, let us see the difference between system software and application
software. It can be listed as below -
1. System software gets installed when the operating system is installed
on the computer while application software is installed according to
the requirements of the user.
2. System software includes programs such as compilers, interpreters,
drivers, assemblers while application software includes software to
automate business processes like ERP, CRM, SCM, PMS, and other
such software developed by organizations for automation. Media
players, social media Apps, word processors, spreadsheet programs
are application software.
3. Generally, users do not interact with system software as it works
in the background whereas users interact with application software
while doing different activities.
4. A computer may not require more than one type of system software
while there may be a number of application software programs
installed on the computer at the same time.
5. System software can run independently of the application software
while application cannot run without the presence of the system
software.

3.6 OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE

Open Source Software (OSS) is primarily defined as software, which is
freely re-distributable and includes the source code. The licenses under
which OSS is released vary greatly. They can be easily downloaded from
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websites. OSS is vastly different from the mainstream software industry Computer Software
where source code is highly guarded and programs are only distributed in
non-modifiable format.
The most important aspect of the open source movement is the participation
of users. When a user wants a feature or a bug fix for a commercial program,
the user is at the mercy of the software vendor. However, with open source,
the user can modify the program according to his needs or fix a bug. Many
users will help develop the program for free, simply to improve the product
and for the benefit of the community.
These are a few of the most common and popular licenses for OSS. Some
examples are -
1. GNU Public License (GPL) V2 & V3
2. GNU Affero General Public License (AGPL)
3. Limited GNU Public License (LGPL)
4. MIT License
5. Berkeley Software Distribution (BSD) 3-Clause License
6. Apache License 2.0
7. The Artistic License
8. The Netscape Public License (NPL)
9. Mozilla Public License (MPL)
10. Apple Public Source License (APSL)
A few advantages of OSS are:
1) Cost Effective: Open source software often comes free. The individual
or organization users can save the software cost.
2) Customizable: Since Open source software comes with the source;
one can customize existing software to suit one’s needs. Closed source
software may be customizable, but you need to negotiate and/or pay
for customization. Open source licenses typically guarantee you the
right to be able to customize the software.
3) More Secure: Since the source code is open, more people scrutinize
the source code, and hence more flaws are found and corrected. The
end result is that the code produced is more secure compared to similar
closed-source code.
The following terms are synonymous with Open Source Software:
Freeware, Free/Libre/Open Source Software (FLOSS), and Free Open
Source Software (FOSS).
Activity C
Explain the differences between commercial software, shareware, open
source software, freeware, and public domain software.
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Information Technology
for Managers 3.7 ACQUIRING APPLICATION SOFTWARE
A company can either develop or purchase software for its use. In some
cases, the purchased software can be modified / customized according to
the needs of the company. The different options available are summarized
in the diagram below.

In-house
development
Build the
Software
Contract
Application
Software
Standard
Buy the package
Software
Customized
Package

Fig 3.3: Sources of Acquiring Application Software

Build the software If the requirements of the company are unique or specific,
then the decision to build the software may be taken. If the organization has
the required talent and time, it may be built by the company itself. This
kind of development is known as in-house development. Also the company
may obtain customized software from software vendors. Such software
developed for particular companies are called contract software.
Buy the software The Company has another option of purchasing, leasing,
or renting software from software companies, who develop programs
and sell them to many computer users and organizations. The software
developed for the general market is called off-the-shelf software. They are
readily available and many companies use them to support their business
processes.
Customized Software The Company can also opt to go for a mix of both
buy and build decision. In that case, the company can purchase some off-
the-shelf available software, and customize it to its needs by in-house or
external personnel. There are software vendors in the market who provide a
range of services like installing, modifying software, training end users, etc.
They can be contracted to do the customization.

3.8 SUMMARY
Computer software have developed so much over the past years that
it is very difficult to cover all aspects of the same. System software and
application software represents two broad levels of categorization. System
software encompasses of the operating system, language translators, and
the utility programs. Application software is aimed to solve particular user
computing problems. Open source software is distributed with the source
code and freely available at a fraction of cost as compared to proprietary
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software. Acquiring application software is an important business activity Computer Software
and requires to be managed carefully.

3.9 UNIT END EXERCISES

1. What are the main types of software?
2. What are the main functions of operating system?
3. Define multi-tasking and time-sharing system?
4. Difference between compiler and interpreter?
5. Name different generations of programming languages and their
characteristics?
6. What are the advantages of open-source software?
7. Describe the decision making process of acquiring application
software?

3.10 REFERENCES AND SUGGESTED FURTHER

READINGS
Laudon C K & Laudon J P, Management Information Systems, Pearson
education, Asia.
Stair R, Reynolds G, Principles of Information Systems; Course Technology.
Turban, T., Ephraim, M. and Wetherbe J., Information Technology for
Management, John Wiley and Sons, Inc.
http://www.differencebetween.com, site accessed on November 16, 2021.

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