CHAPTER 4 COMPUTER SCIENCE O LEVELS - 2210

Chapter 4 : Software
System Software & Application Software

Software and hardware hierarchy

Software Hierarchy

https://www.youtube.com/@86waqarkhan Contact : 0345 2098702 | 0313 4812026 1

 CHAPTER 4 COMPUTER SCIENCE O LEVELS - 2210

General Features Of System Software General Features of Application Software

» Set of programs to control and manage the » Used to perform various applications (apps)
operation of computer hardware. on a computer.

» Provides a platform on which other software » Allows a user to perform specific tasks using
can run. the computer’s resources.

» Required to allow hardware and software to » May be a single program (for

run without problems. example,notepad) or a suite of programs (for
example, Microsoft Office).
» Provides a human computer interface (HCI).
» User can execute the software as and when
» Controls the allocation and usage of they require.
hardware resources.

APPLICATION SOFTWARE
These are programs that allow the user to do specific tasks. Examples include:

WORD PROCESSOR
Word processing software is used to manipulate a text document, such as an essay or a report. This software
provides tools for copying, deleting and various types of formatting. Some of the functions of word processing
software include:
• creating, editing, saving and manipulating text
• copy and paste functions
• spell checkers and thesaurus
• import photos/images into a structured page format
• translation into a foreign language

SPREADSHEET
Spreadsheet software is used to organize and manipulate numerical data (in the form of integer, real, date, and
so on).Numbers are organized on a grid of lettered columns and numbered rows.
Some of the functions of spreadsheets include:
• use of formulas to carry out calculations
• ability to produce graphs
• ability to do modelling and “what if” calculations.

https://www.youtube.com/@86waqarkhan Contact : 0345 2098702 | 0313 4812026 2

 CHAPTER 4 COMPUTER SCIENCE O LEVELS - 2210

DATABASE
Database software is used to organise,manipulate and analyse data. A typical database is made up of one or
more tables. Tables consist of rows and columns. Each row is called a 'record' and each column is called a
'field.'
Some of the functions include:
• ability to carry out queries on database data and produce a report
• add, delete and modify data in a table

CONTROL AND MEASURING SOFTWARE

Control and measuring software is designed to allow a computer or microprocessor to interface with sensors so
that it is possible to:
• measure physical quantities in the real world (such as temperatures)
• to control applications (such as a chemical process) by comparing sensor data with stored data and sending out
signals to alter process parameters (e.g. open a valve to add acid and change the pH)

APPS
Apps is short for applications – a type of software. They normally refer to software which runs on mobile
phones or tablets.
Common examples of apps include:
• video and music streaming
• GPS (global positioning systems – help you find your way to a chosen location)
• camera facility (taking photos and storing/manipulating the images taken).

PHOTO EDITING SOFTWARE

Photo editing software allows a user to manipulate digital photographs stored on a computer; for example,
change brightness, change contrast, alter colour saturation or remove “red eye”. They also allow for very
complex manipulation of photos (e.g. change the features of a face,combine photos, alter the images to give
interesting effects and so on). They allow a photographer to remove unwanted items and generally “touch up” a
photo to make it as perfect as possible.

VIDEO EDITING SOFTWARE

Video editing software is the ability to manipulate videos to produce a new video.It enables the addition of
titles, colour correction and altering/adding sound to the original video.
Essentially it includes:
• rearranging, adding and/or removing sections of video clips and/or audio clips
• applying colour correction, filters and other video enhancements
• creating transitions between clips in the video footage

https://www.youtube.com/@86waqarkhan Contact : 0345 2098702 | 0313 4812026 3

 CHAPTER 4 COMPUTER SCIENCE O LEVELS - 2210

GRAPHICS MANIPULATION SOFTWARE

Graphics manipulation software allows bitmap and vector images to be changed.Bitmap images are made up of
pixels which contain information about image brightness and colour. Bitmap graphics editors can change the
pixels to produce a different image. Vector graphic editors operate in a different way and don’t use pixels –
instead they manipulate lines,curves and text to alter the stored image as required. Both types of editing
software might be chosen depending on the format of the original image.

SYSTEM SOFTWARE
These are programs that allow the hardware to run properly and allow the user to communicate with the
computer examples include:

COMPILERS:
A compiler is a computer program that translates a program written in a high-level language (HLL) into
machine code (code which is understood by the computer) so that it can be directly used by a computer to
perform a required task. The original program is called the source code and the code after compilation is called
the object code. Once a program is compiled, the machine code can be used again and again to perform the
same task without re-compilation.
Examples of high-level languages include: Java, Python,Visual Basic, Fortran, C++ and Algol.

LINKERS:
A linker (or link editor) is a computer program that takes one or more object file produced by a compiler and
combines them into a single program which can be run on a computer.
For example, many programming languages allow programmers to write different pieces of code, called
modules, separately. This simplifies the programming task since it allows the program to be broken up into
small, more manageable sub-tasks.However, at some point, it will be necessary to put all the modules together
to form the final program. This is the job of the linker.

DEVICE DRIVERS
A device driver is the name given to software that enables one or more hardware devices to communicate with
the computer's operating system. Without drivers, a hardware device (for example,a computer printer) would be
unable to work with the computer. All hardware devices connected to a computer have associated drivers. As
soon as a device is plugged into the USB port of a computer,the operating system looks for the appropriate
driver. An error message will be produced if it can’t be found.
Examples of drivers include: printers, memory sticks,mouse, CD drivers, and so on.

https://www.youtube.com/@86waqarkhan Contact : 0345 2098702 | 0313 4812026 4

 CHAPTER 4 COMPUTER SCIENCE O LEVELS - 2210

OPERATING SYSTEMS (O/S)

The operating system (OS) is essentially software running in the background of a computer system. It manages
many of the basic functions. Without the OS, most computers would be very user-unfriendly and the majority of
users would find it almost impossible to work with computers on a day-to-day basis.

For example, operating systems allow:

• input/output operations
• users to communicate with the computer (e.g. Windows)
• error handling to take place
• the loading and running of programs to occur
• managing of security (e.g. user accounts, log on passwords).

UTILITIES
Utility programs are software that are designed to carry out specific tasks on a computer. Essentially, they are
programs that help to manage, maintain and control computer resources.
Examples include:
• anti-virus (virus checkers)
• anti-spyware
• back-up of files
• disk repair and analysis
• file management and compression
• security
• screensavers
• disk defragmenter/ defragmentation software.

https://www.youtube.com/@86waqarkhan Contact : 0345 2098702 | 0313 4812026 5