Module 1 Introduction to Information and Communication

Technologies

Lesson 4

What are the Software Components of ComputersRationale

A computer system is generally composed of hardware and software.

Hardware comprises the physical components. Software comprises the set of instructions for the
computer. Without software, the computer will not be able to perform the tasks that you would like
it to do.

Scope

What is software?
What are the two kinds of software?
What is programming?
What are viruses and how do you deal with them?
How do computers respond to different character sets?
What are some general trends in software development?
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this lesson, you should be able to:
Define the function of software in a computer system
Distinguish between an operating system and an application system

 List different types of operating systems and application software

Define what are programming languages

Identify and avoid computer viruses

Compare different character sets

Identify general trends in software development

What are the Types of Software?

There are two sets of instructions that a computer must follow:
General instructions: Systems software or operating system such as DOS, Windows, Unix,
and Mac OS
Specific instructions: Application software for word processing, spreadsheets, library
management, etc.

Operating System

An organized collection of system programs which serves as the interface between the user
or application and the computer.
It manages the hardware resources:
o CPU management to facilitate sharing execution time of processes
o Memory management to allocate memory resources dynamically
o I/O management to handle reading and writing devices

Disk Operating Systems (DOS)

Disk Operating System (DOS) is a generic term describing any operating system that is
loaded from disk devices when the system is started or rebooted.
.

 It is not a user friendly OS since users need to memorize commands and use them by typing
line by line. This known as a command line interface. Very few end users use DOS
nowadays.

Microsoft Windows

A graphical user interface (GUI) originally running on DOS (Windows 3.x) that allows
multitasking or the ability to run several programs at the same time.
The most common versions in use are Windows 2000 and Windows XP.

Other Operating Systems

IBM OS/2 Macintosh OS

UNIX and its different flavors-SCO Unix
Linux and its different flavors (Open source OS)
Other proprietary OS

Utilities

The second classification of system software falls under utility software. Utilities are used to
support other software, such as operating systems and applications. Here is an overview of
the different categories of utilities.
o Data Compression Software
o Disk Management Tools
o Anti-Virus Software

Applications Software

A set of instructions designed to perform a specific task. The type of software

depends on the application
General purpose office software
Business management software
Special discipline software
Other applications
General Purpose Office Software
Word processing --MS Word, Open Office
Spreadsheets-Excel
Database management systems--MS Access, Oracle
PresentationPowerPoint
Desktop PublishingAdobe PageMaker
Graphics/ImagingCorel Draw, AdobePhotoshop

What Is Special Purpose Software?

Software that is used for specific applications is called special purpose software. Examples
are:
o Library management software--Athena, Library Solutions, Millenium
o Accounting Software
o Engineering Applications
o Architectural Applications
.

o Statistical Packages

Library Management Software

Single function: Handles only one library operation such as cataloging or

OPAC
Integrated:Can perform all or many operations using data from a single
database

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Open Source Software

Open source software abounds on the Internet. May be downloaded and used free of
charge subject to conditions imposed by the developers. Examples are:
o LINUX
o Open Office o phpMylibrary
o Greenstone

What is a Computer Virus?

Generally a computer virus is defined as a program or a code that gains access
without the users' knowledge and/or performs actions not intended by the user,
often damaging data and sometimes the whole system in the process.
Some security experts define viruses separately from worms, and Trojan
horses.

How do you protect your Computer and your Data?

From a Virus, Worm, Trojan Horse
From other causes
o Back-up data o Use firewall

How are Programs Written?

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Programming languages are used to write programs. However, before programs can be
written, a thorough systems analysis must be conducted.

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What are some Trends and Issues in Software Development?

Language
Computers use character sets stored in binary codes. Different scripts use different character sets.

More user friendly

Bigger in size because of more sophistication

More customized

More Web-enabled

More open source software