4.19 - Hardware and Software

What is meant by hardware?

Electrical or electro-mechanical parts of a computer and its input, output and storage devices.

What is meant by software?

A collection of programs and instructions that direct the hardware of a computer system

What is meant by system software?

Software needed to run the computer’s hardware and application programs.

Give 3 examples of system software.

• Operating System

• Utility Programs

• Libraries

• Translators

What is an operating system?

A set of programs that lies between applications software and the computer hardware.

What is meant by utility programs?

System software designed to optimise the performance of the computer or perform task.

Give 3 examples of tasks utility software would do.

• Backing up files

• Restoring corrupted files from backup

• Compressing or decompressing data

• Encrypting data before transmission

• Providing a firewalll

What does a disk defragmenter utility program do?

• A program that will reorganise a hard disk so that files which have been split up into blocks and stored all over the disk will be recombined in a single series of sequential blocks

• This makes reading a file quicker

• Used for HDDs, it is not needed for SSDs

What does a virus checker utility program do?

• Checks your hard drive for viruses and removes them

• Could even check incoming emails and internet downloads for viruses and remove them

What is meant by libraries?

• Collections of pre-written, pre-compiled routines or functions that can be called upon by other programs

• In Windows, they often have the .dll file extension

What is meant by application software?

• Programs that perform specific user-oriented tasks

• Can be categorised into: General Purpose, Special-Purpose or Bespoke Software

What is meant by general purpose software?

Can be used for many different purposes.

Give 3 examples of general purpose software.

• Word Processorr

• Spreadsheet

• Graphics Software

What is meant by special purpose software?

Performs a single specific task or set of tasks.

Give 3 examples of special purpose software.

• Payroll and Accounts Software

• Hotel Booking Systems

• Fingerprint Scanning Systems

• Browser Software

What is meant by bespoke software?

Software that will satisfy their particular requirements.

Give an advantage of a company using bespoke software over special purpose software.

• Likely to be well documented, well-tested and bug-free