Software Definition
Software Definition
Software is the name given to the computer programs that instruct the hardware
how to work. Software are the instructions in the form of programs which control
the operation of a computer, together with the associated documentation. Without
software, the computer would do absolutely nothing.
System Software
A single program operating system allows only one program to run at a time. This
means that if you are working in a spreadsheet and want to write a memo, you
must shut down the spreadsheet application and open up a word processor. This
is annoying, especially if you need to quote some data from the spreadsheet in
your memo! So new operating systems were designed that allowed multiple
programs to run at the same time.
The simplest form is multi-tasking. What this really means is that the programs
are taking turns with the processor. It allows a single user to have the
spreadsheet and the word processor open at the same time, and even more.
Now the user can see to copy data from one to the other. Much better!!
The computer must decide on how many time slices each program gets. The
active program gets the most. Next is programs that are doing things but which
aren't the foreground program. Last is programs that are open but aren't doing
anything. They need a little bit of time every now and then to see if they are
supposed to do something yet.
Functions of Operating System
The operating system directs the traffic inside the computer, deciding what
resources will be used and for how long.
Time in the CPU is divided into time slices which are measured in milliseconds.
Each task the CPU does is assigned a certain number of time slices. When time
expires, another task gets a turn. The first task must wait until it has another turn.
Since time slices are so small, you usually can't tell that any sharing is going on.
Tasks can be assigned priorities so that high priority (foreground) tasks get more
time slices than low priority (background) tasks.
Memory must be managed also by the operating system. All those rotating turns
of CPU use leave data waiting around in buffers. Care must be taken not to lose
data!! One way to help out the traffic jam is to use virtual memory. This includes
disk space as part of main memory. While it is slower to put data on a hard disk,
it increases the amount of data that can be held in memory at one time. When
the memory chips get full, some of the data is paged out to the hard disk. This is
called swapping. Windows uses a swap file for this purpose.
Flow control is also part of the operating system's responsibilities. The operating
system must manage all requests to read data from disks or tape and all writes to
these and to printers.
To speed up the output to printers, most operating systems now allow for print
spooling, where the data to be printed is first put in a file. This frees up the
processor for other work in between the times data is going to the printer. A
printer can only handle so much data at a time. Without print spooling you'd have
to wait for a print job to finish before you can do anything else. With it you can
request several print jobs and go on working. The print spool will hold all the
orders and process them in turn.
Monitoring System Activities
Some system security is part of the operating system, though additional software
can add more security functions. For multiple users who are not all allowed
access to everything, there must be a logon or login procedure where the user
supplies a user name or ID and a secret password. An administrator must set
up the permissions list of who can have access to what programs and what data.
Keeping track of what files are where is a major job. If you can't find a file, it
doesn't help to know that it is safe and secure somewhere. So an operating
system comes with basic file management commands. A user needs to be able
to create directories for storing files. (Dumping everything in one pile soon
becomes the needle-in-the-haystack story.) A user needs to copy, move, delete,
and rename files. This is the category of operating system functions that the user
actually sees the most.
There are many types of Operating System. For example Solaris Operating
System. The features are:
Security
Solaris 10 includes some of the world's most advanced security features, such as
Process and User Rights Management, Trusted Extensions for Mandatory Access
Control, the Cryptographic Framework and Secure By Default Networking that
allow you to safely deliver new solutions, consolidate with security and protect
mission-critical data.
Observability
The Solaris 10 release gives you observability into your system with tools such as
Solaris Dynamic Tracing (DTrace), which enables real-time application debugging
and optimization.
Performance
Solaris 10 delivers indisputable performance advantages for database, Web, and
Java technology-based services, as well as massive scalability, shattering world
records by delivering unbeatable price/performance advantages.
Networking
With its optimized network stack and support for today’s advanced network
computing protocols, Solaris 10 delivers high-performance networking to most
applications without modification.
Data Management
Solaris 10 offers dramatic advances in file system and volume management by
delivering virtually unlimited capacity and near-zero administration.
Availability
New Solaris 10 features, such as Predictive Self Healing, support automatic
diagnosis and recovery from hardware and application faults, maximizing system
uptime.
Types of Operating System
The operating system on most mobile devices and many consumer electronics,
called an embedded operating system, resides on ROM chip. Popular embedded
operating systems include Windows Embedded CE, Windows Mobile, Palm OS,
iPhone OS, BlackBerry, Embedded Linux and Symbiam OS.
DOS
DOS stands for Disk Operating System. In the early 1980s, Microsoft got the right
to QDOS (Quick and Dirty Operating System) developed by a small company,
Seattle Computer, and then has been sold it under the name MS-DOS. Microsoft
licenses a version called PC-DOS to IBM (International Business Machines) for its
IBM personal computers, and its version, MS-DOS, to many other PC
manufacturers.
Advantages: DOS has many advantages. The advantages will be the reasons for
learning DOS. DOS is the most popular microcomputer operating system for IBM
computers and compatibles ever sold worldwide. It runs thousands of
applications, and is easy to use. DOS is easy for novices to use, and many
publications and books are available for the operating system. DOS runs on low-
priced IBM computers and compatibles. DOS does not require an expensive
computer system while some others still do.
Disadvantages: DOS has some drawbacks, but there is no doubt that we will
continue to see DOS used in the 1990s. It will then slowly be replaced as the
dominant operating system. The hardware has evolved in significant ways. New
microcomputers have more capacity and faster electronics than the old IBM PC
and compatibles. This makes DOS an old operating system.
DOS has direct access to only 640 kilobytes of primary storage, although new
microcomputers have much more primary storage. This restriction is an inherent
limitation of DOS. Today's new software for word processing, graphics,
spreadsheets, and database management requires more primary storage. In
addition, DOS is a single tasking operating system. It can support only one user
and one program at a time.
Another disadvantage is that DOS has a character-based interface. A graphical
user interface is easier to the users than the character-based interface.
DOS creates a FAT for each disk during formatting. Every sector on the disk is
represented by an entry in the FAT as part of a cluster. DOS looks for available
clusters when a file is enlarged or created. When DOS allocates files on a freshly
formatted disk, DOS uses the first cluster and sequences through a connected
series of clusters, leaving many never-used clusters at the end of FAT. When a
file is erased or shortened, DOS marks the released clusters in the FAT as
available again. When a file is allocated more than one cluster, each cluster
points to the next cluster that contains more of the files. The pointer is the next
cluster number. The result is a chain of clusters that comprise the map of a file's
disk storage. Thus, FAT acts as a storage map and tells DOS exactly where to go
on the disk to get all parts of a file.
When the user specifies the application software to work on, the RAM part of
memory is filled with that image of that software. For example, if the user wants to
use WordPerfect, the command is taken from the command line and the
corresponding software is loaded on to the RAM and it works like a word
processor.
The files on DOS disks have specific purposes. A COM file extension identifies a
command file. Command files are the names of external DOS commands. Files
with CPI extensions operate the display screen. A file with the DAT extension is a
data file. Files with BAT extension are batch files. AUTOEXEC.BAT is a special
batch file that runs automatically when a computer is started. EXE files are
executable program files. SYS files are system files. SYS files are used to add or
modify hardware support to the basic PC operation.
Windows 3.x
Modes
Real Mode: This mode is for computers with less than 1MB of memory. It uses
expanded memory if available, and does not use extended memory.
Standard Mode: This is a normal Windows 3.0 operating mode. It works with
extended memory (XMS). This mode allows users to use DOS applications in the
window environment by allowing users to switch between DOS applications and
windows applications. The mode also uses expanded memory (EMS) if available.
386 Enhanced Mode: This mode is the extension of Windows/386 version that
runs on 386 and higher CPUs. This mode allows multitasking of Windows and
standard DOS applications. It converts character-based programs (DOS
applications) to bit-mapped graphics (Windows applications). It activates
EMM386.SYS memory manager to use EMS memory.
Windows 95
Windows 95 upgrades its earlier versions (Windows 3.x) in many ways. It has a
new 3-D interface. It is mostly a 32- bit system although it has 16-bit components
included for compatibility with Windows 3.x. Windows 95 does not need to have a
separate DOS. It integrates all DOS services. A Windows 95 system runs in
protected mode. This means that it speeds up the processors and provides more
safety.
Windows 95 serves two purposes: It will move developers to the Win32 API and
will ease the transition for users whose hardware is not yet ready to handle the
demands of Windows NT.
Windows 95 offers better preemptive multitasking. Although for most things,
cooperative multitasking is good. However, if users want to do several things
simultaneously, they are going to find that preemptive multitasking provides
smoother operation and better speed.
Because Windows 95 is based on Win32 and has borrowed some of NT's
features, some people are confused over which Windows to use. Windows 95 is
for anyone who has a lower capability computer that does not enable to use
Windows NT. Windows 95 is likely to perform better than NT as a desktop
system, especially when running older 16-bit Windows applications.
Disadvantages: Windows 95 still has limits from 16-bit components retained for
backward compatibility with 16-bit application. It does not give much benefit to the
16-bit applications. To get benefits from Windows 95, users must upgrade their
applications to 32-bit versions that support OLE and can interact directly with
Windows 95's shell. It will cost users significantly.
Windows 95 has a different user interface with Windows NT. The interface of NT
is much better. Windows 95 uses a different model for device drivers than NT.
Thus, not all Windows 95 applications run on NT without modification, and vice
versa. Windows 95 is a mix of 16- and 32-bit application programming interface,
but NT is solely a 32-bit interface.
OS/2
OS/2 stands for Operating System 2. This is another operating systems for
powerful microcomputers and networking. OS/2 was designed to avoid some of
the most serious limitations of DOS. OS/2 runs in 4MB of memory, although it
runs well in an 8MB system. It requires about 30MB of hard disk space. OS/2
WARP, the window version of OS/2, performs reasonably well in 4MB system and
requires less disk space.
Users do not need to abandon DOS and Windows to try out OS/2. OS/2 provides
a dual boot feature that allows users to boot up in either DOS or OS/2. OS/2 uses
folders much like those on the Macintosh and on some UNIX GUIs.
UNIX
Advantages: UNIX is the portable operating system that can be used with many
different computers from mainframe to microcomputer. The other operating
systems such as DOS, Windows, Mac operating system, and OS/2 cannot be
used for other systems. One of many strong features of UNIX is multitasking.
UNIX allows users to run multiple programs simultaneously.
UNIX also shares it among multiple users. UNIX is not restrained by the computer
systems such as conventional memory as the DOS and OS/2 systems are. It can
accomplish many operations that were formerly performed on minicomputers or
mainframes. It is important, because industry can achieve the performance and
benefits of large computers from microcomputers by using UNIX.
Networking is another strong feature of a UNIX operating system. UNIX can be
connected through several different kinds of equipment. It can share files among
them.
Disadvantages: Although UNIX can do many things, it can be difficult for novice
microcomputer users to understand. This is a reason it has had a limited impact
to date. UNIX was a minicomputer operating system used by programmers and
computer science professionals some time before the rise of the microcomputer.
This means that it has certain qualities making it useful to programmers - many
supporting utility programs and documentation, for instance. Some of its features
make it difficult for end users.
Limited application programs are another disadvantage for UNIX. UNIX off-the-
shelf programs for microcomputers are limited. However, this situation is going to
change, because many software vendors are rewriting DOS and Windows
applications for UNIX.
There is not a standard for UNIX. This may be the biggest problem for the
popularity of UNIX. The principal microcomputer versions are the AT& T UNIX
System V, the UC Berkeley UNIX, and Xenix developed by Microsoft for a
microcomputer version. AIX from IBM, Solaris, and Linux are other variants of
UNIX. An application program written for one version of UNIX may not run on
other versions.
There is also not a standard GUI for many UNIXs. There were several attempts to
combine the Sun, AT& T, and U.C. Berkeley versions of UNIX to produce a
standard graphical user interface. The one was Open Look (Sun/Open Windows)
by Sun, AT& T and Berkeley. Another graphical user interface was an OSF/Motif
by the Open Software Foundation (OSF). OSF/Motif is now in severe disarray.
It uses a graphics screen that places familiar office objects on a display screen.
Files, folders, programs, and disks are represented by icons. It has a hierarchical
file system that lets users drag document icons into and out of folder icons.
Folders can also contain other folders and so on.
In IBM computers and IBM compatible computers, software developers usually
decide how they make a user interface. In contrast, Macintosh application
developers usually conform to the Macintosh user interface. This consistent user
interface makes users easy to learn new programs from the start. This also
makes Macintosh operating system and its application programs
indistinguishable.
The Macintosh user interface style has been adapted to many other operating
systems. For example, OS/2 Presentation Manager and WARP, New Wave, most
UNIX systems, and Windows look very similar to the Macintosh graphics user
interface.
The Macintosh operating system has two major files. They are the System file
and the Finder. The system file manages the user interface. Both files work
together to achieve the operating system procedures such as formatting disks,
copying files, erasing files, and running application programs.
Advantages: The ease of use is the primary charm of the Macintosh. The
graphics interface such as menus, screen display, and dialog boxes are quite
more consistent across applications than they are in Windows. It also offers easy
plug and play. When install a board in a Mac, users need to plug it into a slot,
drag its driver icon into the System Folder, and reboot the computer.
It provides long filenames, integrated program and file management, desktop
icons, and shortcuts. It provides a high quality graphics processing that makes
Macintosh popular for desktop publishing (Mac is the standard computer in the
publishing industry). It has a great video architecture that allows users to add
multiple monitors to a computer by adding another video board and hook up
another monitor.
The later versions of Macintosh operating system (System 7.x series) enable
users to do multitasking. That is, multiple programs can run simultaneously, each
sharing the CPU (cooperative multitasking like Windows 3.x). System 7.x allows
applications programs to exchange and share data and commands with other
application programs.
It even provides built-in sound, SCSI, and Ethernet that allow users to work easily
with multimedia. It has much better multimedia toolkit than Windows has. The IBM
and compatible computers, PC, cannot match the Macintosh's toolkits for
multimedia, and Windows multimedia applications do not work together as
smoothly as their Macintosh counterparts.
Disadvantages: The first disadvantage of the Macintosh platform is the
incompatibility with DOS and Windows (PC) applications. This has been made
Macintoshes less attractive to corporate users that want to have compatibility and
connectivity within company and between companies. However, software (e.g.,
Insignia's SoftWindows) are now available for the Mac to allow it to run Windows
on PowerMac although it runs slowly. This is a great utility for a Mac user who
needs to run DOS or Windows applications occasionally. Another solution for this
is the fact that networks connecting Macintoshes to PCs are available these days.
Types of Utilities
A utility program, also called a utility, is a type of system software that allows a
user to perform maintenance-type tasks, usually related to managing a compter,
its devices, or its programs. Most operating systems include several built-in utility
programs. Users often buy stand-alone utilities, however, because they offer
improvements over those included with the operating system. There are few
types of utilities recently used:
Antivirus Programs
Disc Burning
Disc burning software writes text, graphics, audio, and video files on a recordable
or rewritable CD, DVD, or Blu-ray Disc. This software enables the home user
easily to back up contents of their hard disk on an optical disc and make
duplicates of uncopyrighted music or movies. Disc burning software usually also
include photo editing, audio editing, and video editing capabilities.
Media Player
A media player is a program that allows you to view images and animation, listen
to audio, and watch video files on your computer. Media players may also include
the capability to organize media files, convert them to different formats, connect
to and purchase media from an online media store, download podcasts and
vodcasts, burn audio CDs, and transfer media to portable media players.
Windows includes Windows Media Player.
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