Computer software description
Description of Software
Software is a set of instructions that are aimed at
changing the state of computer hardware. It enables a computer (hardware) to
perform specific tasks.
At the lowest
lever, the software is in the form of an assembly language, which is a set of
instructions in a machine understandable form. At the highest level, the
software is in a form of high level languages, which are complied or
interpreted into machine language code.
You can buy
software from computer stores. There are thousands of programs available on the
Internet.
Types of Software
There are many
Software program packages to match the different needs of a user. It can be
categorised into three types:
Now, we will discuss about these three types of software's.
System Software
System software
serves as the interface between the user, the application software and the
computer's hardware such as printers, scanner, monitors, keyboards, etc. It
includes operating system, device drivers, diagnostic tools, utilities and
more.
Operating System
The operating system
recognises input from an input device such as the keyboard, mouse, microphone,
or PC camera; coordinates the display of output on the monitor; instructs a
printer how and when to print information; and manages data and instructions in
memory and information stored on disk. The operating system resides on the
computer's hard disk.
Functions of Operating System
There are
different types of operating systems. Most of them perform similar functions.
The main functions of oeprating system are:
Starting a
Computer: Starting or
restarting process of computer is called booting. When you start your computer
first time in the morning or after a complete shut down, this process is
called cold boot. When you restart a computer that already is
powered on, this process is called warm boot.
Each time you boot
a computer, the instructions of operating system are loaded, or copied from the
hard disk (storage) to the computer's memory (RAM). Once the operating system
is loaded, you see the initial Windows (only if OS is Windows) desktop screen.
Now you can work on computer.
The following steps explain what occurs during a cold boot on a computer,
using the Windows operating system:
1. When you turn on the computer, the
power supply sends an electrical signal to the motherboard and the other
devices located in the system unit.
2. These electrical signals look for the
ROM (Read Only Memory) chip that contains the BIOS. The BIOS ( basic
input/output system) contains the computer's startup instructions.
3. The BIOS executes a series of tests to
make sure that the computer hardware is connected properly and operating
correctly. The tests are collectively called the POST-Power-On Self Test.
4. On the motherboard, the results of POST
are compare with data in a (CMOS) chip. The CMOS chip stores information about
the computer, such as the amount of memory; type of disk drives, keyboard an
monitor. If any
problem is found, the computer may beep or display error messages.
5. If the POST completes successfully, the
BIOS searches for the operating system files and loads these files into memory
and executes them.
Now, operating system in memory takes control of the computer and shows the
desktop screen.
Managing
Information: An operating
system provides ways to manage and organise information store on computer. You
can use an operating system to sort, copy, move, delete or view files.
Control Hardware: An operating system controls the
different parts of a computer system an enables all the parts to work smoothly
an efficiently.
Run Software: Operating system runs software, such as
Microsoft Word, Photoshop an Corel Draw.
Accessing the Web: Some operating systems include a web
browser and an e-mail program, which enables you to use Internet and
communicate with others as soon as you set up Internet connection.
Types of Operating System
Earlier the
operating systems were device dependent. A device-dependent software product
was one that to run only on a specific type of computer. Now the
device-independent operating system has come that runs on many manufactures's
computers.
Single user/single tasking
A single
user/single tasking operating system allows a user to run one program at a
time. DOS is an example of single user OSs.
Graphical User Interface (GUI)
Graphical User
Interface (GUI) OS contains graphics and icons and is commonly navigated by
using computer mouse. The examples of GUI OS are System 7.x, Windows 98,
Windows CE.
Multi User
A multi user OS
allows multiple users to use the same computer at the same time and different
times. The examples of multi user OS are Linux, Unix, Windows 2000.
Multi Processor
An OS capable of
supporting and utilising more than one computer processor. Linux, Unix, Windows
2000 are alos multiprocessing operating systems.
Multitasking
A multitasking
operating system allows the user to work or more applications that reside in
the computer at the same time.
Multi Threading
An OS that allows
different parts of the software program to run concurrently.
Microsoft Operating System
The following is a
list of some commonly used operating systems made by Microsoft.
MS-DOS :
Short for
Microsoft Disk Operating System, MS-DOS is an operating system that preforms
tasks using text commands you enter.
Windows 3,1 (1993)
Windows 3.1 works with MS-DOS to control the
overall activity of a computer. Windows 3.1 depends on MS-DOS to operate and
cannot operate on its own. Hence, it is not a true operating system.
Windows 95 (1995)
Windows 3.1 was succeeded by Windows 95. This
operating system is more graphical and easier to use than Windows 3.1 Windows
95 was released in August 1995.
Windows 98 (1998)
Windows 98 is the successor of Windows 95.
This operating system includes many new and improved features but is otherwise
very similar to Windows 95.
Windows me
An upgraded version of the Windows 98
operating system is Windows Millennium Edition. It is also called Windows me
and it an operating system that has features designed specifically for the home
user.
Windows XP (2001)
Windows XP is the successor to Windows me, Windows
XP puts the exciting experiences of the digital age at your fingertips. There
are two versions of Windows XP: Windows Home edition and professional.
Windows Vista (2006)
Windows Vista is the successor to Windows XP,
Windows Vista comes in five editions. Windows Vista Home Basic, Home Premium,
Windows Vista Ultimate, Windows vista Business and Windows Vista Enterprise.
Windows 7 (2009)
It is a GUI ( Graphical User Interface) based operating
system in which pictures, images, icons and menus are used to give commands.
The commands are operated with the help of a mouse instead of using a keyboard.
The Most Important Windows launch Year
(1993) Windows NT
(1995) Windows 95
(2000) Windows 2000,Windows Me
(2001) Windows XP
(2006) Windows Vista
(2009) Windows 7
(2012) Windows 8
(2015) Windows 10
Device Drivers
Device drivers are
the software that act like "liaisons" between hardware in a computer
system and the OS. A device driver, also called a driver, is a
small program that tells the operating system how to communicate with a device. These devices
will not function with their correct drivers.
In the past,
installing a new hardware device often required setting switches and other
elements on the motherboard. Today, installation is easier because most devices
and operating systems support plug and play. Plug and play means the computer
can recognise a new device and assist you in its installation by loading the
necessary drives automatically.
Utility Program
It is also called a utility.
It helps in the management of computer hardware an application software. It
performs a small range of tasks. Disk defragmenters, system utilities, disk
scanner, virus scanner are some of the typical examples of utility software.
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