What Is Software? (System Software & Application Software)
Category: COMPUTER SCIENCE | 14th March 2024, Thursday
Computer System Is Broadly Classified As Hardware And Software. Hardware Means Physical Components Of The Computer System. We Can Say That Hardware Cannot Perform Any Calculation, Comparison Or Manipulation Without Being Instructed To Do So. These Instructions Play A Vital Role In The Performance Of A Computer. A Complete
set Of Instructions Written To Solve A Problem On A Computer Is Called Software. I.e., Software Refers To The Set Of Computer Programs That Cause The Hardware (computer System) To Function In The Desired Manner.
Computer Software Is Normally Classified Into Two Broad Categories:
(i) System Software
(ii) Application Software
System Software
System Software Includes General Programs Written For A Computer. It Consists Of Pre-written Programs And Documentation Supplied By The Manufacturer Along With The Computer. These Programs Are Held Permanently In The Machine. The Primary Objectives Of This Software Are To:
(i) Enhance The Efficiency Of Hardware Utilization, And
(ii) Make Computers Simple To Use.
The First Objective Is Realized By That Component Of System Software Which Is Commonly Known As Operating System. System Software Is A Set Of Instruction To The Machine To Interpret And Execute Application Software. For Example, Language Translators (called Compilers And Interpreters), Operating Systems, Utilities And Special Purpose Software.
Operating System
An Operating System Is The Most Important System Software And It Is An Essential Software To Operate
the Computer System. An Operating System Manages Computer’s Resources Very Effectively, Takes Care Of Scheduling Multiple Jobs For Execution And Manages The Flow Of Data And Instructions Between The Input/output Units And The Main Memory.
The First Operating System, Called Batch Processing Operating System Was Developed For The Second Generation Computers. This Operating System Executes Jobs Serially One After Another From A Batch Of Jobs Submitted For Execution. The Central Processing Unit Is Kept Busy Only During The Processing Cycle Of A Job And Remains
idle During The Input And Output Operations. A Multi Programming Operating System Handles Multiple Jobs Simultaneously By Overlapping The Input/ Output And Processing Cycles Of Various Jobs.
Other Types Of Operating System Which Are Popular Today Are ‘multi-processing Operating Systems’ And ‘real Time Operating Systems’. A Multi-processing Operating System Uses Multiple CPUs To Process Multiple Jobs. A Real Time Operating System Is A Type Of Interactive Operating System With Strict Time Limitation. Receiving And
processing Data Is Done Quickly Enough To Produce Output, To Control, Direct Or Effect The Outcome Of Ongoing Activity. The Reservation System Used By Railway, Airlines, And Hotel Are The Examples Of Real Time Applications.
An Operating System Governs The Working Of The Computer And Input/output Devices. The Operating System Programs Act As An Interface Between The User’s Programs And The Computer’s Components And Helps In The Execution Of User’s Programs.
The Major Functions Of An Operating System Are:
(i) User Identification And Managing Of The Resources Used By The Users. Thus Un-authorized Users Cannot Use The Computer.
(ii) Sharing Of Computer Resources Among Many Users. The Sharing Is Achieved By Permitting Simultaneous Executions Of More Than One User Program. This Is Usually Called Multi-programming. A Mix Of Programs Can Keep The Whole Memory Occupied, All Devices Active, And The Control Unit And ALU Constantly Busy, Thus Increasing Utilization Of Hardware.
(iii) Executive Batches Of Programs, One After Another, Without Human Intervention.
(iv) Protection Of User’s Data And Programs.
(v) Controlling The Transfer Of Data And Programs Between The Main Memory And Secondary Storage And Other I/O Devices.
(vi) Providing Programs To Select Appropriate Translators.
(vii) Providing Facilities To Detect And Correct Errors In A User’s Program.
An Operating System Understands A Fixed Set Of Commands. This Set Of Commands Is Often Called Job Control Language (JCL). The JCL Commands Are Used By The Computer Users To Indicate Their Requirements To The Operating System. The Operating System Which Is Used With A Micro-computer Is Called CP/M (control Program For Microprocessor). Another Operating System Which Is Gaining Popularity And Which Is Available On A Variety Of Different Machines Is UNIX (UNIX Was Developed By Bell Laboratories).
Utility Software
Utility Software May Be Considered As System Software Which Is Used Quite Often In The Development Of A Program. Sort Merge Programs Are Used To Sort Records In A Particular Manner Or Sequence. Such Programs Are Normally Provided By The Manufacturers. The Programmer Can Also Develop His/her Own Utility Software And Keep It In The Secondary Memory Of The Computer.
Application Software
Application Software Is Written To Perform A Specific Task Or Process, Such As Accounting, Payroll, Mailing List, Result Preparation And So On. The Majority Of Application Software Is Written In High-level Languages.
Assuming That The Task To Be Carried Out Has Been Correctly Identified, Carefully Defined, The Prospective User Will Come Across The Following Alternative Sources For This Application Software.
(a) Write It Yourself : The Program Written By The User Can Be The Most Satisfactory Solution. It Will Be An Exact Match To The Needs Of The Business. The Program Can Grow With The Business.
(b) General Purpose Application Packages : Application Packages Refer To A Set Of Computer Programs, Which Have Been Written To Perform Specific, Commonly Required Tasks. Each Program Is Written In Such A Way That It Is
applicable To A Large Number Of Users. The Main Advantage Is That It Is Relatively Cheap As Cost Of The Package Is Spread Over A Number Of Customers.
The Major Disadvantage Of Application Package Is That It Is Not Likely To Fulfil All The Requirements Of The Prospective Users.
(c) Customized Software : It Refers To Computer Programs Specially Written To Match The Exact Needs Of The User. The Most Important Advantage Is That Such Software Fulfils All The Needs Of The Customer. The Major Disadvantage Is That
customised Software Costs Much More Than General Purpose Application Software, Because The Package Is Specially Made For One Particular Customer.
Common Application Packages
Some Of The Common Requirements Of The Users Of Personal Computers Have Been Identified And Common Applications Packages Have Been Developed To Meet Their Needs. These Packages Include Word Processor, Database Processing, Spreadsheet Calculations, Mail-merge, Presentations And Communications (email). These Packages Have Been Prepared So That They Are Simple To Use. They Also Provide Graphical User Interface To Make Them Very User Friendly. These Packages Are Readily Available In The Market And One Can Purchase Them, Install It On His/her Computer Easily And Start Using The Package.
Tags:
Software, Computer Software, Application Software, System Software, What Is Software
