COLLEGE OF BUSINESS EDUCATION (CBE)

MWANZA CAMPUS

Basics of computer applications and Information Literacy

ITT04115

COMPUTER SOFTWARE

Lecture 3

Definition of Computer Software:

Computer software, or just software, is the collection of computer programs and

related data that provide the instructions telling a computer what to do and how to do.

Point to understand: The terms software and program are used interchangeably as
they often refer to the same thing in daily usage. Even though they very close to
synonymous, there are still major differences between them should distinguish one from
the other. Software is a very broad term that is used to identify programs, data, and
other related files that are used to accomplish certain tasks in a computer or any other
device that is performs a computing task. In this sense, we can say that even a
program is also software. But in the broader meaning of the word, a program is any
set of instructions that are executed by a machine and tells computer what to do and
how to do (Computer or any other device that is performs a computing task).

Example: let’s say that you have software that records names and addresses in a
database. The program and the database are parts of the software but the database is
not program. It is simply an accessory to the program that makes it more useful.

TYPES OF COMPUTER SOFTWARE

Software can be categorized according to what it is designed to accomplish. There are

two main types of software:
1. Systems software and
2. Application software.

System software - is responsible for controlling, integrating, and managing the

individual hardware components of a computer system so that application program and
the users of the system see it as a functional unit without having to be concerned with
the low-level details such as transferring data from memory to disk, or rendering text
onto a display.

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In other words: System Software is a type of computer program that is designed to
run a computer's hardware and application programs.

TYPES OF SYSTEM SOFTWARE

System Software can be expressed in terms of Operating System, Utility Program,

Device Driver and language Translator:
✓ Operating System (OS): is system software that manages computer
hardware and software resources and provides common services for computer
programs.
Note: All computer programs, excluding firmware, require an operating system to
function. A computer's operating system is its most important program. It is considered
as the backbone of a computer managing both software and hardware device.
Operating systems are responsible for each and everything from the control and
allocation of memory to input from external devices and output to computer display. An
operating system also plays a vital role in security. Its job includes
preventing unauthorized user from accessing the computer system.

Basic Functions of an Operating System

• Booting the computer
• Performs basic computer tasks e.g. managing the various peripheral devices e.g.
mouse, keyboard
• Provides a user interface, e.g. command line, graphical user interface (GUI)
• Handles system resources such as computer's memory and sharing of the
central processing unit (CPU) time by various applications or peripheral devices
• Provides file management which refers to the way that the operating system
manipulates, stores, retrieves and saves data.
• Provide a software platform that other programs (i.e., application software) can
run.
• Enforce security to computer system.
• Detects reports and handles system errors (eg. IO errors).

Booting the computer - The process of starting or restarting the computer is known as
booting. A cold boot is when you turn on a computer that has been turned off
completely. A warm boot is the process of using the operating system to restart the
computer.

Performs basic computer tasks - The operating system performs basic computer
tasks, such as managing the various peripheral devices such as the mouse, keyboard
and printers. For example, most operating systems now are plug and play which
means a device such as a printer will automatically be detected and configured without

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any user intervention.

Provides a user interface- A user interacts with software through the user interface.
The two main types of user interfaces are: command line and a graphical user
interface (GUI). With a command line interface, the user interacts with the operating
system by typing commands to perform specific tasks. An example of a command line
interface are DOS (Disk Operating System), Unix and Linus. With a graphical user
interface, the user interacts with the operating system by using a mouse to access
windows, icons, and menus. An example of a graphical user interface is Windows Vista,
Windows 7, Window 8, Window XP, Window 2008, Window 2012.

Handles system resources - The operating system also handles system resources
such as the computer's memory and sharing of the central processing unit (CPU) time
by various applications or peripheral devices. Programs and input methods are
constantly competing for the attention of the CPU and demand memory, storage and
input/output bandwidth. The operating system ensures that each application gets the
necessary resources it needs in order to maximize the functionality of the overall
system.

Provides file management- The operating system also handles the organization and
tracking of files and directories (folders) saved or retrieved from a computer disk. The
file management system allows the user to perform such tasks as creating files and
directories, renaming files, coping and moving files, and deleting files. The operating
system keeps track of where files are located on the hard drive through the type of file
system. The type two main types of file system are File Allocation table (FAT) or New
Technology File system (NTFS).

Point to understanding: There various types of operating system and these are:
o Multi-user: Allows two or more users to run programs at the same time. Some
operating systems permit hundreds or even thousands of concurrent users.
o Multiprocessing: Supports running a program on more than one CPU or
processor.
o Multitasking: Allows more than one program to run concurrently.
o Multithreading: Allows different parts of a single program to run concurrently.
o Real time: Responds to input instantly. General-purpose operating systems,
such as DOS and UNIX, are not real-time.
o Embedded: These operating systems are designed to be compact, efficient at
resource usage, and reliable, forsaking many functions that non-embedded
computer operating systems provide, and which may not be used by
the specialized applications they run

Note: Example of Operating System can be: Linux, Unix and DOS (For Non

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Graphical OS) and Window XP, Window 7, Window 8, Window Vista, Window 2012,
Window 2008 and etc (Graphical OS).

Fig 1.1 screenshot for Non graphic Operating system

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Fig 1.2 screenshot for graphic Operating system

✓ Language Translator: It is system software which converts the high level

language to machine level language for the purpose of machine understanding.
The Machine can only understand the machine level language or binary
language 0's & 1's. The language translator rectifies the errors within the
program through different ways.
Point to understand: There are 3 types of language translator, they are as follows:-
o Compiler.
o Interpreter.
o Assembler.

a. Utility Software or Service Program: Utility Software is a kind of system

software designed to help, analyses, configure, optimize and maintain the
computer. A single piece of utility software is usually called a utility or tool.

Nota bene: in other words, we can say utility program is the system software design to
help/assist operating system to work at its high peak. If we are having
any problem related to system then we can solve it through utility software.

For example - Antivirus:- Utility detects and remove computer virus. Memory tester
checks for memory failure etc.

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The following are the activities those are coming under the utility software are -
o Formatting.
o Back-Up Recovery.
o Disk Defragmenter.
o Registry Cleaners.
o Disk Partitions. etc

Examples of utility program are: antivirus, Back-Up Recovery, Disk Defragmenter,

Registry Cleaners programs.

b. Device Drivers - Device drivers are needed for every peripheral and device
connected to a computer, from the mouse and keyboard to the printer. This type
of system software allows the Operating System (OS) to effectively identify and
communicate with hardware connected to a machine. The OS can include device
drivers for basic components, like the mouse and keyboard, while peripheral
manufacturers often provide discs with drivers for users to install with their
hardware.

Application software, application software is the type of computer software designed

to accomplish specific or multiple user tasks during computing process.

Nota bene: Application software may consist of a single program, such as an image
viewer; a small collection of programs (often called a software package) that work
closely together to accomplish a task, such as a spreadsheet or text processing system;
a larger collection (often called a software suite) of related but independent programs
and packages that have a common user interface or shared data format, such as
Microsoft Office, which consists of closely integrated word processor, spreadsheet,
database, etc.; in other words, we may say, example of application software are: Ms
Word, Ms Excel, Ms PowerPoint, Ms Publisher, Adobe Reader, Window Media player
e.t.c

TYPES OF APPLICATION SOFTWARE

Application software may follow under the following types:

• General purpose application software - General purpose application software
is a type of software that can be used for a variety of tasks. It is not limited to one
particular function. For example a word processor could be classed as general
purpose software as it would allow a user to write a novel, create a restaurant
menu or even make a poster. Examples of General purpose application software
include: Word processors, Spreadsheet and Presentation software.

• Special purpose application software - Special purpose application software is

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 a type of software created to execute one specific task. For example a camera
application on your phone will only allow you to take and share pictures. Another
example would be a chess game; it would only allow you to play chess. Other
examples of special purpose application software are web browsers, calculators,
media players, calendar programs etc

• Bespoke application software - Bespoke application software is tailor made for

a specific user and purpose. For example a factory may require software to run a
robot to make cars, however, it is the only factory making that car in the world, so
the software required would have to be specially built for the task. Other
examples might include software for the military, missile/UAV operations,
software for hospitals and medical equipment, software being written inside
banks and other financial institutions.

HOME WORK

1. Technically, different computer software from computer program

2. Is there any technical difference from the word “App” from Application?
3. Why do we need system software than application software for computer basic
function?
4. Explain the technical advantage of using non graphic OS rather than using
graphic OS.
5. Define the following
• Firmware
• Netware
• Middleware
• Open Source
• Free ware
6. Briefly explain the chief advantage of using Compiler to interpreter
7. Briefly explain the primary functions of operating system (OS)
8. Define the following terms with respect to software
• Package
• Suite
• Enterprise

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