1.5 - Systems software Flashcards
What is systems software?
Software that governs the computer system
What’s the purpose of systems software?
- Controls the hardware, including any peripherals
- Allows applications to run
- Provides a user interface
- Maintains the system
What are the types of systems software?
- Operating systems
- Utilities
What is an operating system?
The software that manages the hardware and software resources in a computer system + provides the user interface
Name some roles of the operating system
- Controlling hardware components
- Providing a platform for software to run on
- Providing a user interface
- Has multitasking facilities
- Managing the computer’s memory
- Managing peripherals
- Managing files
- Managing users
Give some examples of operating systems:
- Microsoft Windows
- Apple OS X
- Linux
- IOS
What is a user interface?
A program, or suite of programs that allows a user to interact with a computer
What are the types of user interface?
- GUI (or WIMP)
- CLI
- Mobile UI
- Menu driven interface
- Sound interface
What does GUI stand for?
Graphical user interface
What does WIMP stand for?
Windows
Icons
Menus
Pointers
What does CLI stand for?
Command line interface
What does Mobile UI stand for?
Mobile user interface
What is a graphical user interface?
- All objects are represented by icons
—> Icons represent functions - Right clicking brings up content sensitive menus
- Different shaped pointers have different uses
How do users interact with a GUI?
By a mouse and on screen pointer
Give some advantages of using GUI?
- Powerful
- Easy to use
Give some disadvantages of using GUI?
- Requires a lot of processing power
- Needs more RAM
- Slow for experienced programmers
What is a command line interface?
- All user commands must be typed in as text
- No graphics
Give some advantages of using CLI?
- Quicker for expert users who know the commands
- Takes less space on the disk and in RAM
- Needs less memory to function
Give some disadvantages of using CLI?
- Users require training to understand the commands
- More difficult to present the user with options for commands
- Users will generally need to memorise CLI commands
Give an example of a CLI:
DOS
What does DOS stand for?
Disk Operating System
What is a menu interface?
User is offered a menu
—> Can choose an option from it
Give some advantages of using Menu interface?
- Very easy to use
- Doesn’t need a lot of processing power
- You don’t need to learn/remember the commands
Give some disadvantages of using Menu interface?
- May be slow to use
Give an example where menu interfaces are used:
Cashpoint ATMS
What is a mobile interface?
- Similar to GUI but responds to touch
- Fingers are used to open programs and interact with them
- Gestures: swiping (for scrolling) and pinching (resizing)
Where are Mobile UIs found?
Smartphones & Tablets
What type of interface is this?
GUI
What type of interface is this?
CLI
What type of interface is this?
Mobile UI
What does multitasking mean?
To be able to run more than one program simultaneously
Why does computer memory need to be managed?
- More than one program can run at the same time
- More than one document can be opened at the same time
What does file handling allow the user to do?
- Create, modify and delete files and folders
- Copy and duplicate files and folders
- Move files and folders
- Rename files and folder, sort items into different orders, according to name, file type, date created and more
search for particular files and folders - Restore deleted files
- Set access rights to files such as read only or edit
How does the OS do user management?
- Individual users to be created and deleted
- Access levels to be given to users, such as administrator rights or standard user rights
- Keeping a log of files a user creates, accesses, edits and deletes
What is the device driver?
Software that controls and communicates with peripherals
What is the purpose of the device driver?
Translates the OS’ instructions into a format the specific hardware can understand
What is a Peripheral?
An external device connected to a computer system to input or output data
What is used to temporarily store data until it can be processed?
A buffer
What’s the advantages of using device drivers?
- Any device can be used with the operating system (as long as a driver is available for it)
- Drivers can be updated, usually to give better performance or to remove a bug
Give some examples of utility softwares
- Encryption software
- Defragmentation software
- Data compression software
- Backup software
What was the purpose of utility software?
- Provides extra functionality that make it easier to use
- Configure & maintains computer
What is utility software?
Dedicated programs used for the maintenance & organisation of a computer system
What is the purpose of Encryption software?
Disguises the contents of files so they can only be understood by authorised users
What’s the purpose of Automatic backups?
Regular copies of the data are be made
What’s the purpose of Defragmentation software?
Takes fragmented files and rearranges segments so that they can run continuously
When does fragmentation occur?
When there is limited contiguous space in which to store a file:
* Data may be stored then deleted on the hard drive
* New files may be bigger than spaces left by deleted files
* New files are split up
How does defragmentation work?
Empty spaces are collected together on the hard disk drive & file fragments are moved together to be stored together
—> Fewer disk accesses are needed
What is a problem with fragmented files?
Increases access time - Takes longer to read & load bc of distance between fragments of the file
What are the effects of defragmentation on a file?
- Takes less time to read & access –> Data is stored contiguously
- Quicker to save new files
Why does a file take less time to read & access when it has been defragmented?
Read/ write head of hard drive doesn’t need to move as far to read the next piece of data bc it’s in the adjacent memory location
Why is it quicker to save new files when a file has been defragmented?
There is more free space together so it doesn’t need to split the file & can store the data contiguously
What are the advantages of Defragmentation software?
- Reduces performance time
- Frees up space
What’s the purpose of compression software?
- Reduces the size of a file stored on secondary storage
- Allows utilities (e.g. WinZip) enables users to compress & decompress files/folders
What are the advantages of compression software?
- Reduces bandwidth usage & data compression
- Increases the amount of data that can be stored/ archived on a disk
- Can enable files to fit with strict email attachments
