Chapter 4

Software
Systems
And
Application Software
 An Overview of Software
• Computer programs:
– Sequences of instructions for the computer
• Documentation:
– Describes program functions to help the user
operate the computer system
• Types of software:
– Systems software
– Application software

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First: System Software
 Systems Software
• Set of programs that coordinates the activities and
functions of hardware and other programs
• Computer system platform:
– Combination of a hardware configuration and
systems software
• Controls the operations of computer hardware
Supports the application programs’ problem-
solving capabilities
Types of systems software:

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 Systems Software

Systems Software Types

1. Operating systems
2. Utility programs
3. Middleware

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 1.Operating Systems
• Set of programs that controls computer hardware
and acts as an interface with application programs
• Kernel:
– Ties all components of the OS together and
regulates other programs

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 Operating Systems (continued)
• Combinations of OSs, computers, and users:
– Single computer with a single user
– Single computer with multiple simultaneous users
– Multiple computers with multiple users
– Special-purpose computers

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 Operating Systems (continued)
• Activities performed by the operating system:
– Perform common computer hardware functions
– Provide a user interface and input/output
management
– Provide a degree of hardware independence
– Manage system memory

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 Operating Systems (continued)
• Activities performed by the operating system
(continued):
– Manage processing tasks
– Provide networking capability
– Control access to system resources
– Manage files

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 Operating Systems (continued)
• Common hardware functions:
– Get input from keyboard or another input device
– Retrieve data from disks
– Store data on disks
– Display information on a monitor or printer

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 Operating Systems (continued)
• User interface and input/output management
– User interface:
• Allows individuals to access and command the
computer system
– Command-based user interface:
• Requires that text commands be given to the
computer to perform basic activities
– Graphical user interface (GUI):
• Uses icons and menus displayed on screen to send
commands to the computer system

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 Operating Systems (continued)
• Hardware independence:
– Application program interface (API):
• Allows applications to make use of the operating
system
• Memory management:
– Allows computer to execute program instructions
effectively and to speed processing

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Operating Systems (continued)

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 Operating Systems (continued)
• Processing tasks:
– Multitasking:
• More than one program can run at the same time
– Time-sharing:
• Allows more than one person to use a computer
system at the same time
– Scalability:
• Ability of the computer to handle an increasing
number of concurrent users smoothly

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 Operating Systems (continued)
• Networking capability:
– Allows computers in a network to send and receive
data and share computing resources
• Access to system resources and security:
– Protection against unauthorized access
– OS establishes a logon procedure
• File management:
– Ensures that files in secondary storage are available
when needed and that they are protected from
access by unauthorized users

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 Current Operating Systems
• Microsoft PC operating systems:
– Windows XP
– Windows Vista
– Windows 7
• Apple Computer Operating Systems:
– Wintel
– Mountain Lion (OS X 10.8)
• Linux:
– Red Hat Linux
– Caldera OpenLinux
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 Current Operating Systems
(continued)
• Google Chrome OS:
– Linux-based operating system designed for netbooks
and nettops
– Designed to run on inexpensive low-power
computers
– Chromium OS:
• Open-source version of Chrome OS

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 Workgroup Operating Systems
• Windows Server:
– Can be used to prevent unauthorized disclosure of
information
• UNIX:
– Can be used on many computer system types and
platforms
• Red Hat Linux:
– Can manage a cluster of up to eight servers
• Mac OS X Server:
– Includes support for 64-bit processing
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 Enterprise Operating Systems
• z/OS:
– IBM’s first 64-bit enterprise OS
• HP-UX and Linux:
– HP-UX:
• Robust UNIX-based OS from Hewlett-Packard
• Supports Internet, database, and business
applications on server and mainframe enterprise
systems

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 2. Utility Programs
• Help to perform maintenance or correct problems
with a computer system
• Common types of utilities:
– Hardware utilities
– Security utilities
– File-compression utilities
– Spam-filtering utilities
– Network and Internet utilities
– Server and mainframe utilities

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 2. Utility Programs (continued)
• Other utilities:
– Key logging software allows a manager to see every
keystroke a worker makes on a computer system
– Monitoring software can catalog the Internet sites
that employees visit
– Keyboard shortcut utilities allow users to map
common tasks to defined keyboard combinations

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 3. Middleware
• Software that allows different systems to
communicate and exchange data
• Can also be used as an interface between the
Internet and older legacy systems
• Service-oriented architecture (SOA):
– Uses modular application services to allow users to
interact with systems, and systems to interact with
each other

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Second: Application Software
 Application Software
• Helps users solve particular problems
• In most cases, resides on the computer’s hard disk
• Can be stored on CDs, DVDs, and even USB flash
drives

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 Application Software
• Application programs:
– Interact with systems software
– Help you perform common tasks, such as:
• Creating and formatting text documents
• Performing calculations
• Managing information

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 Overview of Application Software
• Proprietary software:
– One-of-a-kind program for a specific application,
usually developed and owned by a single company
• Off-the-shelf software:
– Existing software program that is purchased
• Application service provider (ASP):
– Company that can provide software, support, and
computer hardware on which to run the software
from the user’s facilities over a network

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 Overview of Application Software
(continued)
• Software as a service (SaaS):
– Allows businesses to subscribe to Web-delivered
business application software by paying a monthly
service charge or a per-use fee
– Can reduce expenses by sharing its running
applications among many businesses
• Cloud computing:
– Use of computing resources on the Internet (the
cloud) rather than on local computers

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 Personal Application Software
• Word processing
• Spreadsheet analysis
• Database applications
• Presentation graphics program
• Personal information managers
• Software suites and integrated software packages
• Other personal application software

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Personal Application Software
(continued)

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 Mobile Application Software
• Smartphone operating systems include:
– OS X iPhone (NO-iOS!), Android, WebOS-defunct,
Windows?
• Palm WebOS:

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 Workgroup Application Software

• Support teamwork, whether people are in the same

location or dispersed around the world
• Groupware:
– Software that helps groups of people work together
more effectively

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 Enterprise Application Software
• Software that benefits an entire organization
• Enterprise resource planning (ERP) software:
– Set of integrated programs that manage a
company’s vital business operations for an entire
multisite, global organization

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 Programming Languages

• Sets of keywords, symbols, and a system of rules

for constructing statements:
– By which humans can communicate instructions to
be executed by a computer
• Program code:
– Set of instructions that signal the CPU to perform
circuit-switching operations
• Syntax
– Set of rules associated with a programming
language
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 Visual, Object-Oriented, and Artificial
Intelligence Languages
• Visual programming:
– Uses a graphical or “visual” interface combined with
text-based commands
• Object-oriented programming languages:
– Programming languages that are based on objects
• Fifth-generation languages (5GLs):
– Used to create artificial intelligence or expert
systems applications
• Compiler:
– Converts the programmer’s source code into
machine-language instructions
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 Copyrights and Licenses
• Most software products are protected by law using
copyright or licensing provisions:
– In some cases, you are given unlimited use of
software on one or two computers
– In other cases, you pay for your usage; if you use
the software more, you pay more
• Some software now requires that you register or
activate it before it can be fully used

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 Freeware and Open-Source Software
• Freeware:
– Software that is made available to the public for free
• Open-source software:
– Distributed, typically for free, with the source code
• GPL grants you the right to:
– Run the program for any purpose
– Study how the program works and adapt it to your
needs
– Redistribute copies so you can help others
– Improve the program and release improvements to
the public
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Freeware and Open-Source Software
(continued)

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 Software Upgrades
• Software companies revise their programs and sell
new versions periodically
• Most software upgrades:
– Offer new features and capabilities
• Some users do not always get the most current
software upgrades or versions:
– Unless it includes significant improvements or
capabilities

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 Global Software Support
• Supporting local operations:
– One of the biggest challenges IS teams face when
putting together standardized, company-wide
systems
• Trend:
– Outsourcing global support to one or more third-
party distributors

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