NCM 110: Computer Software, Open Software, and Free Software

software

the general term applied to instructions that direct the computer’s hardware to perform work

program

organized instruction sets

package

set of related programs

programs

translate operations the user needs into language and instructions that the computer can understand

2 purposes of software

• to translate instructions created in human language into machine language

• packaged or stored software is needed to make the computer an economical work tool

hardware

consists of physical components

programming

much more practical and economical for one highly skilled person or team to develop programs that other people can buy and use to do common tasks

computer hardware

merely a collection of printed circuits, plastics, metal and wires; without software this cannot perform any function

package of programs that are typically needed to support an office computer

• word processing program

• spreadsheet program

• presentation graphics program

• database manager

3 basic types of software

• system software

• utility programs

• application software

systems software

• boots up the computer system

• controls input, output, storage

• controls the operations of the application software

utility programs

• consists of programs designed to support and optimize the functioning of the computer systems itself

• a third type of program which

  • maintains the system,

  • clean up unwanted programs,

  • protect the system against virus attacks,

  • access the World Wide Web

applications software

• includes the various programs that users require to perform day-to-day tasks

• programs that support the actual work of the user

types of systems software

• basic input/ output system (BIOS)

• operating system

systems software

• consists of a variety of programs that control the individual computer and make the user’s application programs work well with the hardware

• helps speed up the computer’s processing

• expands the power of the computer by creating cache memory

• reduces the amount of confusion when multiple programs are running together

• “cleans up” the hard drive so that storage is managed efficiently

basic input/ output system (BIOS)

• handles the first level of system control stored on a ROM chip on the motherboard

  • consists of a set of instructions permanently burned onto a computer chip

  • a combination of hardware and software

software on BIOS chip

• the first part of the computer to function when the system is turned on

• it first searches for an Operating System and loads it into the RAM

Firmware

programs on chips that straddle the line between hardware and software

Operating system

the first level of a system or software

Operating System

• the overall controller of the work of the computer

• can be upgraded or entirely changed through software

• can be purchased separately by the user or can be purchased with a computer

• handles the connection between the CPU and peripheral or a user, called an Interface

firmware

can’t be upgraded without changing the hardware chip

Interface

the connection between the CPU and peripheral or a user

operating system

• manages the interfaces to all peripheral hardware, schedule tasks, allocates storage in the memory and on disks, retrieves programs and dates from storage

management of storage

one of the most critical tasks performed by the OS

utility software

• include programs designed to keep computer systems operating efficiently

• adds power to the functioning of the system software or supporting the OS or application software programs

6 types of utility software

• security software

• disk management utilities

• backup utilities

• screensavers

• archival software

• programming environment support programs

security software

• protects the computer and its data from attacks that can destroy programs and data

types of security software

• anti-virus utilities

• firewalls

• encryption software

anti-virus

utilities that serve primarily to guard against malicious programs inadvertently accessed, usually through e-mail or downloads from the Internet

firewalls

are a type of security program that makes it much harder for unauthorized persons or systems to enter the computer and hijack or damage programs or data on the computer

encryption software

• encodes the data so that it cannot be read until it is decoded

• encryption is sufficiently high level that it cannot be decoded without a program at the receiver site

encryption

ensures safe online buying and selling by protecting credit card and personal data from unauthorized access

disk management utilities

• designed to help the user keep hard disk space clean and efficient

• help manage disk space by compressing data, partitioning disks for organized storage, and cleaning unnecessary files

  • analyzes use of disk space, defragmenting the drive, and deleting duplicate files if user commands

defragmenter

moves data around on the disk so that small empty spaces are eliminated and data and programs are relocated to better use the available space

backup utilities

• serve to help the users backup their data

application programs

usually don’t need to be backed up because licensed users can easily reload legal copiess

screensavers

• were originally developed for old technology screens (cathode ray tube screens or plasma screens) that would damage the screen for a long period of time

• computer programs that either blank the monitor screen or fill it with constantly moving images when user is away from the computer but does not completely turn it off

• provides a small measure of privacy because they hide whatever the user is working on when user steps away from the computer

• does not provide security