System Software and Application Software
Difference Between System Software and Application Software
Software:-Computers seem to perform amazing feats as they process information and display output almost instantly; but behind the scenes, they are really very simpleminded devices. All they do is plod along executing long strings of instructions that were previously written by a clever human programmer. The thing that makes a computer’s performances seem so amazing is that it executes these instructions very, very, very quickly, accurately, and tirelessly. Computers aren’t smart; they are just FAST.
But computers can’t do ANYTHING without step-by-step instructions written out for them. These lists of instructions are called programs. Programs (and the associated data) are known as software. Software needs to be installed onto a computer before it can be used. Software is often sold in sets of several programs and associated data called a software package, and typically comes on a CD-ROM or may be downloaded from the Internet. The Microsoft Office Suite is such a collection of programs and data that allows users to manipulate words, numbers, and data.
There are two major categories of software: System software and Application software.
System Software
System software controls a computer’s operations and manages a computer’s resources. System software includes the operating system, utilities, and computer programming tools.
The operating system (OS) controls the allocation of hardware resources such as memory space and CPU processing time, and handles the basic input and output (I/O) for data flowing from and to storage devices (such as hard disks) and peripherals (such as your keyboard). The operating system allows application software to access system resources without the applications having to know the details about the system hardware. The operating system often allocates resources and processing time between several programs which are running at once, which is called multitasking. Multitasking allows you to perform multiple tasks at the same time, such copying a chart from an open Excel document and pasting it into a report you have open in Word, all while your web browser is downloading a large file from the Internet in the background. It is the OS that plays traffic cop in this situation, deciding which program gets time on the CPU when, and handles the flow of data.
The operating system also includes software that provides the user with a operating environment for interacting with the computer. An operating environment could be a command-line interface (requiring the user to type in commands to control the computer), or it could be a graphical user interface (GUI, pronounced “gooey”) that allows users to interact with the computer using a mouse to point and click on icons, buttons, menus, etc.
IBM PC computers originally used the PC-DOS operating system (also sold by Microsoft to other PC users as MS-DOS). DOS is a general term that means “Disk Operating System” and old examples include DOS 3.3 for Apple II computers, and TRS-DOS of Radio Shack TRS-80 computer. However, when most people use the term DOS, they are referring to some version of Microsoft’s DOS for the PC — just as most people use the general term “PC” (which just means personal computer) to refer specifically to the IBM-PC and the PC-compatible computers descended from it.
Most PCs today use some version of the Microsoft Windows operating system (such as Windows 2000 or Windows XP). Windows includes a GUI user environment. A smaller number of PCs use the Linux operating system (a Unix-like OS).
Macintosh computers use some variation of the Macintosh OS, which is a GUI operating system. Older macs may use Mac OS 9, but newer Macs use Mac OS X (pronounced “O S ten”). OS X is built on top of FreeBSD, a Unix-like OS.
High-end microcomputer workstations, file servers, and mainframes often run some variation of the Unix operating system.
System software also includes the software needed to access a peripheral device connected to the computer. Such software is called a device driver, and it controls I/O to the peripheral. The device drivers may come already installed in the OS, or you may have to install or update a driver when you add a new peripheral device.
System software may also include security software, such as Virus checkers and firewalls. A virus checker searches files for potentially harmful programs such as viruses, worms, or trojan horses that are written by malicious programmers. Viruses and similar programs can perform disastrous activities on your computer system, such as erasing your hard disk. To be safe, you should scan all downloaded files and messages on your PC (anti-virus software can automatically do this) and never run any e-mail attachments if you don’t know what they are. (Note: There are vastly fewer viruses that affect Macintosh computers than affect PCs.) A firewall, or similar program, protects your computer from unauthorized access over a network or telecom connection.
Utilities are programs that perform a very specific task, usually related to managing system resources such as disk drives, printers, etc. Unlike application software, utilities tend to be smaller in size and perform activities related to the computer system (scanning for viruses, manipulating file settings, scanning for disk errors, etc.). Some utilities are memory-resident programs that are loaded into RAM and operate in the background.
System software also includes the tools used to write other programs. These include compilers, assemblers, and debuggers for various computer programming languages. A programming language allows a person to write computer instructions in a language that is easier for a human to understand, but which is then converted into the low level numerical instruction codes that a computer processor unit can execute. Some programming languages include C, C++, Java, FORTRAN, COBOL, PASCAL, BASIC, Visual Basic (and such scripting languages as JavaScript and Perl).
Software:-Computers seem to perform amazing feats as they process information and display output almost instantly; but behind the scenes, they are really very simpleminded devices. All they do is plod along executing long strings of instructions that were previously written by a clever human programmer. The thing that makes a computer’s performances seem so amazing is that it executes these instructions very, very, very quickly, accurately, and tirelessly. Computers aren’t smart; they are just FAST.
But computers can’t do ANYTHING without step-by-step instructions written out for them. These lists of instructions are called programs. Programs (and the associated data) are known as software. Software needs to be installed onto a computer before it can be used. Software is often sold in sets of several programs and associated data called a software package, and typically comes on a CD-ROM or may be downloaded from the Internet. The Microsoft Office Suite is such a collection of programs and data that allows users to manipulate words, numbers, and data.
There are two major categories of software: System software and Application software.
System Software
System software controls a computer’s operations and manages a computer’s resources. System software includes the operating system, utilities, and computer programming tools.
The operating system (OS) controls the allocation of hardware resources such as memory space and CPU processing time, and handles the basic input and output (I/O) for data flowing from and to storage devices (such as hard disks) and peripherals (such as your keyboard). The operating system allows application software to access system resources without the applications having to know the details about the system hardware. The operating system often allocates resources and processing time between several programs which are running at once, which is called multitasking. Multitasking allows you to perform multiple tasks at the same time, such copying a chart from an open Excel document and pasting it into a report you have open in Word, all while your web browser is downloading a large file from the Internet in the background. It is the OS that plays traffic cop in this situation, deciding which program gets time on the CPU when, and handles the flow of data.
The operating system also includes software that provides the user with a operating environment for interacting with the computer. An operating environment could be a command-line interface (requiring the user to type in commands to control the computer), or it could be a graphical user interface (GUI, pronounced “gooey”) that allows users to interact with the computer using a mouse to point and click on icons, buttons, menus, etc.
IBM PC computers originally used the PC-DOS operating system (also sold by Microsoft to other PC users as MS-DOS). DOS is a general term that means “Disk Operating System” and old examples include DOS 3.3 for Apple II computers, and TRS-DOS of Radio Shack TRS-80 computer. However, when most people use the term DOS, they are referring to some version of Microsoft’s DOS for the PC — just as most people use the general term “PC” (which just means personal computer) to refer specifically to the IBM-PC and the PC-compatible computers descended from it.
Most PCs today use some version of the Microsoft Windows operating system (such as Windows 2000 or Windows XP). Windows includes a GUI user environment. A smaller number of PCs use the Linux operating system (a Unix-like OS).
Macintosh computers use some variation of the Macintosh OS, which is a GUI operating system. Older macs may use Mac OS 9, but newer Macs use Mac OS X (pronounced “O S ten”). OS X is built on top of FreeBSD, a Unix-like OS.
High-end microcomputer workstations, file servers, and mainframes often run some variation of the Unix operating system.
System software also includes the software needed to access a peripheral device connected to the computer. Such software is called a device driver, and it controls I/O to the peripheral. The device drivers may come already installed in the OS, or you may have to install or update a driver when you add a new peripheral device.
System software may also include security software, such as Virus checkers and firewalls. A virus checker searches files for potentially harmful programs such as viruses, worms, or trojan horses that are written by malicious programmers. Viruses and similar programs can perform disastrous activities on your computer system, such as erasing your hard disk. To be safe, you should scan all downloaded files and messages on your PC (anti-virus software can automatically do this) and never run any e-mail attachments if you don’t know what they are. (Note: There are vastly fewer viruses that affect Macintosh computers than affect PCs.) A firewall, or similar program, protects your computer from unauthorized access over a network or telecom connection.
Utilities are programs that perform a very specific task, usually related to managing system resources such as disk drives, printers, etc. Unlike application software, utilities tend to be smaller in size and perform activities related to the computer system (scanning for viruses, manipulating file settings, scanning for disk errors, etc.). Some utilities are memory-resident programs that are loaded into RAM and operate in the background.
System software also includes the tools used to write other programs. These include compilers, assemblers, and debuggers for various computer programming languages. A programming language allows a person to write computer instructions in a language that is easier for a human to understand, but which is then converted into the low level numerical instruction codes that a computer processor unit can execute. Some programming languages include C, C++, Java, FORTRAN, COBOL, PASCAL, BASIC, Visual Basic (and such scripting languages as JavaScript and Perl).
posted by Satpal Singh @ 6:18 AM
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