CMPTR1-Q

Computer Fundamentals
Arbelle S. Masaga
Computer Software
 Software
Software ?
Computer Instructions or data, anything that can be stored
electronically is Software.

Examples:
Ms word, excel, power point,
spread sheets, etc.
 Types of Software
 System Software
 Application Software
 System Software
 The System Software consist of the Operating System and
all the utilities that enable the computer to function.
 In System software programs are designed to operate,
control and enhances the processing capabilities of the
computer
 It also helps hardware components to work together and
provide support for the development and execution of the
application software
 Operating System
An operating system is a software component of a computer system
that is responsible for the management of various activities of the
computer and the sharing of computer resources. It hosts several
applications that run on a computer and handles the operations of
computer hardware.

Users and application programs access the services offered by the

operating systems, by means of system calls and application programming
interfaces. Users interact with a computer operating system through
Command Line Interfaces (CLIs) or Graphical User Interfaces known
as GUIs. In short, an operating system enables user interaction with
computer systems by acting as an interface between users or application
User Interface

A program that controls a display for the user (usually on a

computer monitor) and that allows the user to interact with the system).
The user interface allows the user to communicate with the operating
system. The user interface provides means of:

Input - allowing the users to manipulate a system

Output - allowing the system to indicate the effects of the users'
manipulation.
Types of User Interface
Command line interface
Graphical user interface
Command Line Interface (CLI)
A command-line interface is a mechanism for interacting with a
computer operating system or software by typing commands to perform
specific tasks. This method of instructing a computer to perform a
given task is referred to as "entering" a command. It Accept input via
keyboard only. It is not suitable for beginners.
Graphical User Interface (GUI)
It is a type of user interface which allows people to interact with
computer with images rather than text commands.
Accept input via keyboard and pointing devices.
Easy to learn.

Elements of Graphical User Interface

Pointer
Icons
Desktop
Windows
Menus
Pointer
A symbol that appears on the display screen and that you
move to select objects and commands.
Usually, the pointer appears as a small angled arrow.

Icons
Small pictures that represent commands, files,
or windows.
Desktop
The area on the display screen where icons are grouped is often referred
to as the desktop because the icons are intended to represent real
objects on a real desktop.

Windows
Used to divide the screen into different areas.
In each window, you can run a different program or display a different
file.
Menus
Most graphical user interfaces let you execute commands by selecting
a choice from a menu.

Two types of menu:

o Pull-down menu
o Pop-up menu
Examples of Operating System

 Microsoft Windows
 MS-DOS
 Windows 3.1  Windows 7
 Windows 95  Windows 8
 Windows 98  Windows 10
 Windows ME 2000  Windows 11
 Windows NT  Windows Vista
 Windows 2000
 Windows XP Home  Apple iOS
 Windows XP Professional  Google Android
 Windows CE
 Palm OS
 Unix
 Linux
 Mac OS X
OPENING PROGRAMS FROM THE START MENU

1. Start menu is used to open programs installed on your computer. To

open a program in the left pane of the Start menu, click it.
2. Clicking All Programs, The left pane displays a long list of programs.
3. Clicking one of the program icons starts the program, and the Start
menu closes.
4. Move the pointer over its icon or name, a box appears that contains a
description of the program.
The search box
The search box is one of the most convenient ways to find things on your
computer. The exact location of the items doesn't matter. It will also search your e-
mail messages, saved instant messages, appointments, and contacts.
To use the search box, open the Start menu and start typing. You don't need to
click inside the box first. As you type, the search results appear above the search
box in the left pane of the Start menu.
A program, file, or folder will appear as a search result if:
Any word in its title matches or begins with your search term.
Any text in the actual contents of the file matches or begins with your search
term.
Any word in a property of the file, such as the author, matches or begins with
your search term.
 Click any search result to open it. Or, click the Clear button to clear the search
results and return to the main programs list. You can also click See more
results to search your entire computer.
 Search box also searches your Internet favorites and the history of websites
you've visited. If any of these webpages include the search term, they appear
under a heading called "Files."
Task Bar
When you start the computer system, then start button and task bar appears on
the bottom of the screen and by default remains visible when Windows is
running. Whenever a program is run or a window is opened, an icon representing
the program appears on the taskbar. To switch between windows or program,
click on the icon representing the window on the task bar. When the program or
window is closed, the icon disappears from the task bar.

 The system tray (notification area) is part of the task bar and displays the
current time as well as the status icons.
 Start a Program
To start a program, do the following;
1. Click on the Start Button.
2. Click on the All Programs, you will see a list of all the program icons
and program folders.
3. Point to the desired folder say Accessories and select the desired
program to run such as Paint.
Quit a Program
To quit a program, select the close button (×) in the upper right corner
of the window or click on File menu and select Close option.
Using menus, buttons, bars, and boxes
Menus, buttons, scroll bars, and check boxes are examples of controls
that you operate with your mouse or keyboard. These controls allow you
to select commands, change settings, or work with windows.

Menus:
Most programs contain hundreds of commands that you use to work
the program. Many of these commands are organized under menus. A
program menu shows you a list of choices. To choose one of the
commands listed in a menu, click it. Sometimes menus show submenus.
Recognizing menus isn't always easy, because not all menu controls
look same or even appear on a menu bar. When you see an arrow
next to a word or picture, you're probably looking at a menu control.
Scroll bars
When a document, webpage, or picture exceeds the size of its window, scroll
bars appear to allow you to see the information that is currently out of view. The
following picture shows the parts of a scroll bar.
To use a scroll bar:
Click the up or down scroll arrows to scroll the window's contents up or down in
small steps. Hold down the mouse button to scroll continuously.
Click an empty area of a scroll bar above or below the scroll box to scroll up or
down one page. Drag a scroll box up, down, left, or right to scroll the window in
that direction
Command buttons
A command button performs a command when you click it. You'll
most often see them in dialog boxes, which are small windows that
contain options for completing a task. For example, if you close a Paint
picture without saving it first, you might see a dialog box like this.
Option buttons
It allows you to make one choice among two or more options. They
frequently appear in dialog boxes. The following picture shows two option
buttons. The "Color" option is selected.
Check boxes
Check boxes allow you to choose multiple options at the same time. Click an
empty check box to select that option

To use check boxes:

Click an empty square to select that option. A check mark will appear in the
square, indicating that the option is selected.
To turn off an option, clear (remove) its check mark by clicking it.
Options that currently can't be selected or cleared are shown in gray.
Sliders
A slider lets you adjust a setting along a range of values. To use a slider,
drag the slider toward the value that you want.
A slider along the bar shows the currently selected value. In the example
shown below, the slider is positioned midway between slow and fast, indicating
a medium pointer speed.
 Text boxes
A text box allows you to type information, such as a search term or
password. The following picture shows a dialog box containing a text box.
We've entered "bear“ into the text box.

 Text boxes that require you to enter a password will usually hide your
password as you type it, in case someone else is looking÷ at your screen.
Drop-down lists
Drop-down lists are similar to menus. Instead of clicking a command,
though, you choose an option. When closed, a drop-down list shows only the
currently selected option. The other available options are hidden until you
click the control, as shown below.
List boxes
A list box displays a list of options that you can choose from. Unlike a drop-down
list, some or all of the options are visible without having to open the list.
To choose an option from the list, click it. If the option you want isn't visible, use
the scroll bar to scroll the list up or down. If the list box has a text box above it,
you can type the name or value of the option instead.
Tabs
In some dialog boxes, options are divided into two or more tabs. Only one tab,
or set of options, can be viewed at a time. The currently selected tab appears in
front of the other tabs. To switch to a different tab, click the tab.
Parts of a window
Although the contents of every window are different, all windows share some
things in common. For one thing, windows always appear on the desktop—the
main work area of your screen. In addition, most windows have the same basic
parts.
Parts of a typical window
Title bar - Displays the name of the document and program
Minimize, Maximize, and Close buttons - These buttons hide the window,
enlarge it to fill the whole screen, and close it, respectively
Menu bar - Contains items that you can click to make choices in a
program.
Scroll bar - Lets you scroll the contents of the window to see information
that is currently out of view.
Borders and corners. You can drag these with your mouse pointer to
Changing the size of a window
To maximize window, click its “Maximize button “ or double-click the
window's title bar.
To return a maximized window to its former size, click its Restore button
or, double-click the window's title bar.
To resize a window (make it smaller or bigger), point to any of the window's
borders or corners. When the mouse pointer changes to a two-headed arrow
(as in picture), drag the border or corner to shrink/enlarge the window.
Drag a window's border or corner to resize it.
Minimizing a window:
To minimize a window, click its Minimize button . The window disappears
from the desktop and is visible only as a button on the taskbar, the long horizontal
bar at the bottom of your screen.
To make a minimized window appear again on the desktop, click its taskbar
button. The window appears exactly as it did before you minimized it.
Closing a window
 Closing a window removes it from the desktop and taskbar. To close a window,
click its “Close button “.
 The taskbar provides a way to organize all of your windows. Each window has
a corresponding button on the taskbar. To switch to another window, just click
its taskbar button. The window appears in front of all other windows,
becoming the active window—the one you're currently working in.
 To easily identify a window, point to its taskbar button.
Dialog boxes
A dialog box is a special type of window that asks you a question, allows you to
select options to perform a task, or provides you with information. Most dialog
boxes can't be maximized, minimized, or resized. They can be moved.
 Utilities

The Utility Software is system software that helps to maintain

the proper and smooth functioning of a Computer System. It assists
the Operating System to manage, organize, maintain, and optimize
the functioning of the computer system.
Utility Software performs certain tasks like virus detection,
installation, and uninstallation, data backup, deletion of unwanted
files, etc. Some examples are antivirus software, file management
tools, compression tools, disk management tools, etc.
 Types of Utility Software
1. Antivirus

An antivirus is a utility software that helps to keep the

computer virus-free. Moreover, it notifies when any malicious file
is detected and removes such files. In addition, it scans any new
device attached to the computer and discards any virus if there.

Avast Antivirus
 Types of Utility Software
2. File Management System
These utility software are used to manage files of the computer
system. Since files are an important part of the system as all the data is
stored in the files. Therefore, this utility software help to browse,
search, arrange, find information, and quickly preview the files of
the system.
Windows Explorer is a default file management tool present in
the system.
 Types of Utility Software
3. Compression Tools
An important part of a computer is storage space, it is very
important to maintain this storage. Therefore, we use certain
utility software to compress big files and decrease their size, these
are compression tools. The format of the files changes while
compressing and we cannot access or edit them directly. In
addition, we can easily decompress the file and get the original
file back. Examples of compression tools are WinZip
 Types of Utility Software
4. Disk Cleanup Tool
This utility software helps to free up the
disk space. In addition, the files which are no
longer in use are removed from the disk.

5. Backup Utility
This utility software helps to back up the files,
folders and databases. Moreover, backup refers to
duplicating the disk information so that the data can be
restored if any data loss happens.
 Application Software
 Application Software includes programs that do real
work for user.

Example:
Payroll systems, Word Processor, Spreadsheet, Web
browser, Presentation software etc.,
 Application Software
 Actually, the application software consists of programs
that are designed to make users more comfortable or
productive to assist personal tasks
 The application software is present on computer hard
disk
 Application software can also be stored on CDs, DVDs,
and flash or keychain storage devices
 Type Of Application Software
1. Word Processing Software
This software contains the features to create, edit, delete, access,
format, and customize text files. In addition, they have several features
like thesauruses, Word Art, etc. to customize and make the files more
attractive and useful.
Furthermore, it basically helps to create reports, letters, newsletters,
manuals, books, etc.

Examples: MS-Word, WPS Writer

 Type Of Application Software
2. Spreadsheets
This software contains the data in the form of rows and columns.
The intersection of a row and column is a cell. They store the data and
have various formulas which in turn helps to analyze, calculate, and draw
conclusions from data. The business and financial sectors use this
software more often.
They also contain additional features like graphs, charts, 3D
graphs, tables, etc. for effective results.

Examples: MS Excel
 Type Of Application Software

3. Web Browsers
Web Browser is a software which we use to access information on
the web (World Wide Web). Browsers allow users to search for
information, read files, watch videos, download images, etc.

Examples: Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, Internet Explorer, etc.

 Type Of Application Software
4. Presentation Software
This software helps the users to display their projects and
information in the form of slides. Hence, the slideshow is the basic feature
of presentation software. Besides, those other features are graphs, charts,
adding audio, videos, transitions, etc.

Examples: PowerPoint Presentation

 Type Of Application Software
5. Games
Games are one of the favorite software. They are used by almost
all types of users. There is a large variety of games available ranging from
puzzles and mysteries to real-world animation games.
Thank You