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Lesson 1 - I.T (System Software and Application Software)

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42 views4 pages

Lesson 1 - I.T (System Software and Application Software)

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siepiner72
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© © All Rights Reserved
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ST.

ROSE’S HIGH SCHOOL


INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
GRADE 7 A, B & C
TEACHER: MS. MAYWATIE ROOPLALL
Lesson 1

Topic: System Software and Application Software


What is system Software?
System software is the name given to the software that controls hardware and how all other
software works. Examples of system software include operating systems and utility software.

 Operating system
The most commonly used system software is called an operating system. Without an operating
system, a computer would not work. Popular operating systems include Microsoft Windows 10,
Apple’s Mac OS X and many versions of LINUX. Popular mobile operating systems include
Apple iOS and Google Android.

Booting
The process of starting a computer is known as booting. The first thing a computer does when
you turn on the power button is to check that it is working properly by following certain
instructions held on a ROM chip known as the BIOS. It will then look for an operating system to
tell it what to do next. The operating system is loaded from disk to the computer’s random-
access memory (RAM).

Hardware control
The operating system supports tasks like accepting input and transferring data between primary
and secondary memory or displaying output. It also sets the rules for controlling hardware
resources such as peripheral devices like keyboard and mouse, the amount of memory used, CPU
time allocation and disk space used.

Software control
The operating system controls how all software applications, games or other programs work on
the computer.
Some methods used include :
 Memory management
When a program or data is too large to fit into main memory, a method called virtual memory
can be used to split the program into manageable blocks. The required blocks are swapped
between main memory and secondary storage to accommodate the program or data.

 Input/output management
Since each device has a program called a driver that allows the device to communicate with the
computer, the flow of information among devices must be managed and coordinated.

 Process management
Process management allocates time for processes to use the CPU, checks on processes waiting to
use the CPU, and signals when the CPU is available.

 File management
Files need to be saved, copied, renamed and deleted. A file manager checks the amount of
memory needed to perform these tasks and manages the organisation of the files in secondary
storage.

Utility software
Utility software is specialized software that tries to protect and maintain the system software.
Examples, include protecting software against damage caused by computer viruses, backing up
files and recovering files after software has stopped working (crashed).
Application software
Application software is defined as any program that enables the computer to carry out one or
more specific tasks.

 General-purpose software
The most popular applications are those that are not specific to any organisation or business and
can be used by anybody. The programs you use at school or home – for word processing,
databases, spreadsheets, presentations, drawing and painting – will be such programs. These
programs are known as general- purpose software, because the user decides what to use the
software for. For example, you might want to use a word processor to write a letter, or to design
a poster for a school play.

General-purpose software is much cheaper because it has been used by millions of people over a
number of years and is generally error (bug) free. Some applications are even available online,
where information can be accessed anywhere or updated by multiple users at the same time.
Popular examples of application programs (software) are Google docs , sheets and slides .

 Customized and custom-written software


Customized software is general-purpose software that has been modified to perform specific
tasks for the user. Word-processing, spreadsheet and database programs are examples of general-
purpose software that can be customized by automating certain parts of the software or writing
and adding programming modules to perform specific tasks.
In contrast, custom-written software, which is also known as bespoke or tailormade software, is
software written for use in specific organizations such as the military, in hospitals for medical
equipment, or in banks and other financial institutions. It also involves specific training ,since
users need to be able to use it efficiently. Other examples of tailormade software include that
used by air traffic controllers, who manage the flights of thousands of aircraft; accounting
software; airline reservation software; and computer-aided design. These are not general-
purpose, since the users of these kinds of software (for example, accountants and engineers) are
trained in a particular field of expertise. Since this software is specific to an organisation or
business it can be very costly to create and may take a long time to write before it can be used.

 Specialized software
Specialized software is written solely for a specific task rather than a range of functions.
Examples include the software on your mobile phone for your camera. It will only allow you to
manipulate and share the photos.
Another example would be an online card game, which would only allow you to play that
particular game.

 Integrated software
Many computers are sold with integrated software already installed. Integrated software is the
term for a program that includes all the major types of application (for example, word
processing, spreadsheet and database) and brings them together into a single software package.
Microsoft Office and Adobe Creative Suite are examples of integrated software.
The large software companies such as Microsoft sell their main application programs together in
one package. Although packages such as these are sold as integrated software, it is not true
integrated software, as the programs are also still separate applications.
Choosing software should be no different from choosing any tool for a job. Just as in
construction, you decide whether to use a drill or a hammer to carry out a particular task, so with
software you need to decide what it is you actually need to produce, and then choose the most
appropriate program. This is very important when choosing programs to use for your coursework

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