Group 3

DESCRIBE SYSTEM SOFTWARE.

I. System software.
II. Application software.

Application Software:
Application software refers to programs that users
interact with to perform specific tasks or functions. This type of software
include wed browsers, word processors, spreadsheet applications,
games, photo editing tools, and more. Application software is developed
to meet the needs of users and can vary widely in purpose.
System software: This type of software is designed to manage the hardware
components of a computer system and provide a platform for running
software. It acts as an intermediary between the hardware and the end-user
applications, ensuring that the hardware functions properly and that software
applications can utilize the hardware resources efficiently.
Examples of system software include operating system like Windows, macOS,
and Linux as well as device drives that facilitate communication between
hardware devices and the operating system.
Components of System Software:
Operating System (OS): The operating system is a core component of
system software that manages computer hardware resources and
provides services for computer programs. It controls various operations
such as memory management, process management, file management,
and device management.
Device Drivers: Device drivers are specialized programs that allow the
operating system to communicate with hardware devices such as printers,
scanners, graphics cards, etc. They act as translators between the
hardware devices and the operating system.
Utilities: System utilities are software programs that perform specific
tasks related to managing and maintaining the computer system. These
utilities include disk defragmenters, antivirus programs, backup tools,
system diagnostics, etc.
Functions of System Software:
Resource Management: System software manages computer resources
such as CPU, memory, storage devices, and input/output devices efficiently
to ensure optimal performance.
Security: System software includes security features such as firewalls,
antivirus programs, encryption tools to protect the computer system from
malware, unauthorized access, and other security threats.
User Interface: System software provides a user interface through which
users can interact with the computer system. This interface can be graphical
(GUI) or command-line based.
System Maintenance: System software helps in maintaining the health and
stability of the computer system by performing tasks like disk cleanup,
defragmentation, software updates, etc.
Software/Hardware Interface in Computer Systems.
The software/hardware interface in computer systems refers to the
boundary or connection point between the software and hardware
components of a computer system and the software ran on it.
This interface is crucial as it defines how software programs can
interact and make practical with underlying hardware resources
effectively to perform various tasks and functions.
Hardware Interface: The hardware interface involves the physical
connections and specifications that allow different hardware
components to communicate with each other. It includes aspects such
as electrical signals, mechanical interfaces, buses, storage devices,
I/O devices, and protocols for data exchange.
Hardware interfaces can be parallel or serial, depending on whether
data is transmitted simultaneously or one bit at a time.
Software Interface: On the other hand, the software interface
comprises a set of rules, protocols, and methods that define how
software components interact with each other and with the underlying
hardware.
This can include interactions between an operating system and
hardware devices, communication between different software
modules within an application, or interfaces between applications
themselves.
At a fundamental level, the software/hardware interface includes
various elements such as:
1. Instruction Set Architecture (ISA): The ISA defines the set of
instructions that a processor can execute, including operations
such as arithmetic, logic, data movement, and control flow. It
serves as a bridge between the hardware and software, allowing
programmers to write code that can be understood and
executed by the processor.
2. Memory management: The interface also includes
mechanisms for managing memory resources, such as virtual
memory addressing. This ensures that software programs can
access and store data efficiently in different types of memory
(RAM, cache, and disk).
3. I/O Operations: Input/Output operation involve
communication between the CPU and external devices like
storage drives, displays, keyboards, and network interfaces.
The interface provide protocols and mechanisms for
transferring data between these devices and the software
running on the system.
4. Interrupt Handling: Hardware interrupts are signals sent by device
to request attention from the CPU. The interface includes mechanisms
for handling interrupts, prioritizing them, and responding appropriately
to ensure smooth operation of both hardware and software
components.
5. Device Drivers: Device drivers acts as intermediaries between
hardware devices and the operating system/software applications.
They provide a standardized interface for interacting with different
types of hardware components without requiring detailed knowledge
about their internal workings
6. System Calls: System calls are interfaces provided by the
operating system that allow user-level programs to request service
from the kernel (core part of the OS). These calls enable tasks such
as file operations, process management, network communication,
etc., to be performed by applications.