Computer System

COMPUTER SOFTWARE
Software is a Program commercially prepared and tested in software by one or a

group of programmers and system analyst to perform a specified task. Software
is simply set of instructions that cause a computer to perform one or more tasks. The set of
instructions is often called a program or, if the set is particularly large
and complex, a system. Computers cannot do any useful work without
instructions from software; thus a combination of software and hardware (the
computer) is necessary to do any computerized work.
Classification of software
Software can be broadly classified into system software and application
software
System software
Consists of programs that control operations of the computer and enable user to
make efficient use of computers. They coordinate computer activities and
optimize use of computers. They are used to control the computer and develop
and run application programs examples of jobs done by the system software are
management of computer resources, defragmentation etc. They can be divided
into;
Operating system – is a complex program and most important program that

runs on a computer and which controls the operation of a computer. It perform
basic tasks, such as recognizing input from the keyboard, sending output to the
display screen, keeping track of files and directories on the disk, and controlling
peripheral devices such as disk drives and printers. In general the operating
system supervises and directs all the software components and the hardware
components. Sophisticated operating system could handle multi-processors,
many users and tasks simultaneously. Examples of computers operating systems
are UNIX, Microsoft windows 95/98, Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows
XP, Windows Vista and Linux.
Service programs are programs designed for general support of the processes
of a computer; "a computer system provides utility programs to perform the
tasks needed by most users". The service programs can further be divided into;
o Utilities Performs a variety of tasks that maintain or enhance the
computer’s operating system Utility programs are generally fairly small.
Each type has a specific job to do. Below are some descriptions of utilities.
 Anti-virus applications protect your computer from the damage
that can be caused by viruses and similar programs
 Compression utilities make files smaller for storage (or sending
over the Internet) and then return them to normal size.
 Data recovery utilities attempt to restore data and files that have
been damaged or accidentally deleted.
 Disk defragmenters reorganize the data stored on disks so that it is
more efficiently arranged.
 Firewalls prevent outsiders from accessing your computer over a
network such as the Internet.
o Development programs are used in the creation of new software. They
comprise of sets of software tools to allow programs to be written and
tested. Knowledge of appropriate programming language is assumed.
Tools used here are
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 Text editors that allows one to enter and modify programs
statements
 Assembler- allows one to code in machine programs language .i.e.
processor specific
 Compilers-makes it possible for programmer to convert source
code to object code which can be stored and saved on different
computers.
 Interpreters-used to convert source programs statement by
statement as it executes the program without being compiled first.
 Libraries- commonly used parts or portions of a program which
can be called or included in the programmer’s code without having
to recode that portion.
 Diagnostic utilities-used to detect bugs in the logic of program
during program development
o Communication programs- refer to programs that make it possible to
transmit data.
Operating systems concepts

Operating Systems
Operating systems(OS) acts as an interface between the computer hardware and
the computer user and manages the whole computer system. An operating
system acts as foundation on which other application software can be installed. It
controls and monitors the running of application programs.
Functions of an operating system
The basic functions of an operating system are;
 Memory management – the operating system allocates memory to each
application running in the computer.
 Resource allocation and scheduling – In computer systems which are capable
of running several programs at once, the OS allocates processing time,
memory and input-output resources to each.
 Secondary store management – the OS controls the transfer of data from
secondary storage (e.g. disk) to memory and back again. It also has to
maintain a directory of the disk so that files and free space can quickly be
located.
 Interrupt handling – the OS detects many different kinds of interrupt such as
for example a user pressing the enter key on the keyboard, a printer sending a
message that it is out of paper, the real-time clock interrupting to indicate that
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 Allowing a user to communicate with the computer – a user gives
instructions to the computer via the OS to do various things such as copying a
file.
Types of Operating System
OS are classified into different types depending on their capability of processing.
 Single user and single tasking

 Single user and multitasking
 Multiuser
 Multiprocessing
 Real time
 embedded
single and single task OS
It is used but single user for standalone single computers for performing a single task.
Example are MS-DOS
Single user and multitasking OS
It allows execution of more than one task or process concurrently. This OS type are also
called time sharing.
Multiuser OS
It is used in computer network that allow same data application to be accessed by multiple
users at the same time.
Real time OS
They are design to respond to an event within a predetermine time. Processing is done
within a time constraint.
Programming language and their categories
 Machine Language: The binary system that computers understand natively.

 Assembly Language: Uses a basic set of symbols to represent the 0s and 1s of machine
code.
 Structured Programming Languages: More sophisticated than assembly language.
 High-Level Programming Languages: Provide a higher level of abstraction from the
computer's internal architecture.
 Natural Language Programming: Aims to enable people to communicate with
computers in human language
Application software
 Word processing applications. Writing tasks previously done on

typewriters with considerable effort can now be easily completed
with word-processing software. Documents can be easily edited
and formatted. Revisions can be made by deleting (cutting),
inserting, moving (cutting and pasting), and copying data.
Documents can be stored (saved) and opened again for revisions
and/or printing. Many styles and sizes of fonts are available to
make the document attractive. Example: MS Word, Word Pad etc.
 Spreadsheet applications. spreadsheet software permits
performance of an almost endless variety of quantitative tasks such
as budgeting, keeping track of inventory, preparing financial
reports, or manipulating numbers in any fashion, such as averaging
each of ten departmental monthly sales over a six-month period
 Database software: A database contains a list of information items
that are similar in format and/or nature. An example is a phone
book that lists a name, address, and phone number for each entry.
Once stored in a database, information can be retrieved in several
ways, using reports and queries.
 Desktop publishing software: This software permits the user to
prepare documents by using both word-processing devices and
graphics. Desktop publishing software uses word-processing
software, with all its ease of entering and revising data, and
supplements it with sophisticated visual features that stem from
graphics software.

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COMPUTER SOFTWARE

Software is a Program commercially prepared and tested in software by one or a

Operating system – is a complex program and most important program that

Operating systems concepts

Types of Operating System

OS are classified into different types depending on their capability of processing.

 Single user and single tasking

single and single task OS

Single user and multitasking OS

 Machine Language: The binary system that computers understand natively.

 Word processing applications. Writing tasks previously done on

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