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Software: Tools for
Productivity
AO reaChapter Topics
UNIT 3A: System Software: The Power behind the Power
3.1 The Operating System: What It Does
3.2 Other System Software: Device Drivers & Utility Programs
3.3 Common Features of the User Interface
3.4 Common Operating Systems
UNIT 3B: Application Software: Getting Started
3.5 Application Software: Where to Get It, How to Use It
3.6 Data Files & Program Files
3.7 Word Processing Software
3.8 Spreadsheet Programs
3.9 Database Software
3.10 Office Suites & Integrated Packages
3.11 Specialty Application SoftwareUNIT 3A: System Software: The Power behind the Power
* Application software is software that has been developed to solve a
particular problem for users—to perform useful work on specific tasks
or to provide entertainment. Ex. MS Word. Calendar, Facebook
System software runs at the most basic level of your computer and enables
the application software to interact with the computer and helps the
computer to manage its internal and external resources, as well as manage
the hardware. Ex. MS Windows, Linux, Printer driver, Disks Clean up, Screen
saver
There are three basic components of system software that you
need to know about:1. Operating systems: Ar
operating system is the principal
component of system software
in any computing system.
2. Device drivers: Device drivers
help the computer control
peripheral devices ———
3. Utility programs: Utility’
programs are generally used to
support, enhance, or expand a.
existing programs in a computer periphoral cavices)
system.The operating system manages the entire computer system.
* The operating system (OS) consists of the low-level, master system of
programs that manage the basic operations of the computer.
* Every general-purpose computer must have OS to run other programs.
+ 0S allows users to concentrate on applications rather than on complexities of the
computer.
+ Each application program is written to run on top of a particular 0S.
* The OS manages:
* Booting
* CPU management
* File management
* Task management
* Security managementBooting
* The process of loading an OS into the computer's main memory
* Booting involves four steps:
4. Turn the computer on.
2. Diagnostic routines test main memory, CPU, and other hardware.
3. Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) programs are copied to main memory.
* BIOS contains instructions for operating the hardware.
* The computer needs those instructions to operate the hardware and find a
copy of the OS.
4. Boot program obtains the OS and loads it into computer's main memory.Ore pocecr
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Warm boot—restart a computer that is already on
Boot disk—use a CD or flash drive containing all files to launch OS.
Boot from the cloudCPU Management
* CPU is the central processing unit.
* Supervisor (kernel) is the software that manages CPU
* Remains in memory while the computer runs
* Directs other programs not in memory to perform tasks that support application
programs
+ Memory Management
*+ 0S keeps track of memory locations to prevent programs and data from
overlapping each other
+ Swaps portions of programs and data into the same memory but at different
times
+ Keeps track of virtual memory
0CPU Management (continued)
* Queues, Buffers, Spooling
+ Queue: First-in, first-out (FIFO) sequence of data or programs that waits
in line for its turn to be processed
* Buffer: The place where the data or programs sit while they are waiting
* To spool: The act of placing a print job into a buffer. (Needed because
the CPU is faster than printers. The CPU can work on other tasks while
the print jobs wait.)File Management
* Afile is either a
* Data File: a named collection of data
* Program File: a program that exists in a
computer's secondary storage
* Files are located in many places on secondary
storage devices; OS locates files and facilitates
access to them
* The file system arranges files in a
hierarchical manner
* Top level is directories (folders)
* Subdirectories come below folders
* Find files using their pathname. Example:
C:/MyDocuments/Termpaper/section1.docTask Management
* Computers are required to perform many different tasks at once—to
do task management.
* Task: An operation such as storing, printing. or calculating
* Multitasking: Handling more than one program concurrently
* Example: You do word processing while playing music on your computer.
* 0S directs processor to alternate time on each program until processing is
complete.Drivers and utility programs add functionality to your computer and help it
perform better.
Device Drivers
* Specialized software programs that allow input and output devices to
communicate with the rest of the computer system.
+ When you buy a computer, many device drivers come with the system software.
* Device drivers also come with new hardware (on CDs/DVDs) or can be
downloaded from the manufacturer's website.
Utilities
* Service programs that perform tasks related to the control and allocation of
computer resources.
+ Examples: Backup, virus protection, data recovery, data compression, fle defragmentation, disk
cleanup, remove temp files,
* Some come with the OS, others can be bought separately (e.g., Norton
SystemWorks, McAfee Utilities).
5oN age
~ 3.3 Common Features of
the User InterfaceGraphical User Interface (GUI)
* Allows you to use a mouse or keystrokes to select icons and
commands from menus.
* Three main features of GUI are desktop, icons, and menus.
+ Desktop: The system's main interface screen
* Icons: Small pictorial figures that represent programs, data files, or
procedures.
* Rollover: A small text box that explains the icon when you roll your mouse
over it.
+ Menus: Lists of built-in commands and/or options from which to choose
pull-down, cascading, pull-up, pop-up.Menus* Most operating systems use GUIs with the following:
Title Bar: runs across the top of the display window and shows the
name of the folder you are in.
Menu Bar: shows the names of the pull-down menus available.
Toolbar: Displays menus and icons representing frequently used
options or commands.
Taskbar: The bar across the bottom of the Windows screen that
contains the Start button and icons that show open files/programs.
windows: Rectangular portion of the display screen through which you
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that execute, or run, when the program is opened.
* Source program files: Source program files contain high-level
computer instructions in the original form written by the computer
programmer.
* Executable files: To be made useful to the computer for
processing, a source program file must be translated into an
a executable file, which contains the instructions that tell the
computer how to perform a particular task. You use an executable
file by running it, as Microsoft Excel, CalculatorExchanging files
* Importing: getting data from another source and then
converting it into a format compatible with the program in
which you are currently working
* Exporting: transforming data into a format that can be used in
another program and then transmitting itData compression is a method of removing repetitive
elements from a data file so that it requires less storage
space and therefore less time to transmit. Later the data
is decompressed—the repeated patterns are restored.
* Lossless compression uses mathematical techniques to replace repetitive
patterns of bits with a kind of coded summary. During decompression, the
coded summaries are replaced with the original patterns of bits. Lossless
techniques are used when it's important that nothing be lost. Used for
database records, spreadsheets files,
* Lossy compression techniques permanently discard some data during
compression. Lossy data compression involves a certain loss of accuracy in
exchange for a high degree of compression. Examples of two lossy
compression file formats are jpeg and .mpeg, used for graphics files and
sound filesWord Processing uses computers to create,
edit, format, print, and store text.
* Microsoft Word best known
* Others: Corel WordPerfect, Apple iWork Pages, Google Apps, Zoho
Writer
* Word processing allows you to delete, insert, and replace text
* Additional features: creating, formatting, printing, savingSome special applications:
* Presentation graphics
a. * Financial
* Drawing & painting eo
* Video/audio editing
* Animation
* Web page design/authoring Wy
* Project management
* Portable Document Format (PDF)
= Computeraided designPresentation Graphics Software
* Uses graphics, animation, sound, data, and information to make
visual presentations
* Some packages: Microsoft PowerPoint, Corel Presentations, Harvard
Graphics
* Includes design and content templates
* Allows presentation to be dressed up with clip art, sound clips, special visual
effects, animation, and video clipsFinancial Software
* Ranges from personal-finance managers to accounting programs to
business packages
* Personal-finance programs include Quicken, Moneydance, YNAB
* Common features of financial software
* Track income & expenses
* Do financial reporting
* Offer tax categories to assist with tax recordkeeping
* May offer financial planning & portfolio management
* Investment softwareDrawing Programs | “7
* Graphics software used to design & illustrate objects & products
* Create vector images—created from geometrical formulas
+ Examples: CorelDRAW, Adobe Illustrator
Painting Programs
* Graphics programs that allow users to simulate painting on-screen
* Produce bit-mapped or raster images (tiny dots)Video-Editing Software
* Allows import to and editing of video footage on computer
+ Some video editing packages: Adobe Premiere Elements, Corel Video
Studio, Sony Pictures Digital Vegas,
* Audio-Editing Software
+ Allows import to and editing of sound files on computer
* Sound editing packages: Windows Sound Recorder. GoldWave. & WavePad.Animation Software
* Simulates movement by rapidly displaying a series of still pictures, or
frames
Computer animation: Creation of moving images by means of
computer
GIF animation: First format to be widely used for web pages
Packages: 3D GIF Designer, Easy GIF AnimatorWeb Page Design/Authoring Software
* Used to create web pages with sophisticated multimedia features.
* Packages: Adobe Dreamweaver, Seamonkey, Coffee Cup, etc.Project Management Software
A program used to plan and
schedule the people, costs, and
resources required to complete a
project on time
Packages: Mindjet MindManager,
MatchWare MindView, Microsoft
Project, etc.
SAOREGOaOn
ACsPortable Document Format (PDF)
* Multiplatform file format developed by Adobe Systems that allows
documents to be used with any operating system
* Captures text, graphic, and formatting information from a variety of
applications on different platforms. making it possible to send
documents and have them appear on the recipient's monitor as they
were intended to be viewed.
* Today, used for virtually any data that needs to be exchanged among
applications and users.Computer-Aided Design (CAD)
* Programs intended for 2D and 3D design of
products, structures, civil engineering
drawings, and maps.
+ Examples include Autodesk, AutoCAD, TurboCAD,
Alibre Design, and PowerCADD.
* CAD programs help design buildings, cars, planes,
electronic devices, roadways, bridges,
subdivisions.
* CAD/CAM programs: allow CAD programs to be
input into computer-aided manufacturing systems,
that make products.