4.1 Flashcards
What is hardware?
The electrical or electro-mechanical parts of a computer system
What is software? 2 categories?
All of the programs that make a computer function
System & application software
What are examples of system software?
- operating system
- utility programs
- library programs
- translators
What are examples of application software?
- general purpose
- special purpose
What is systems software?
Required to run and manage the computers hardware and applications programs
What are some things systems software does?
- allocates jobs to the processor
- peripheral management
- maintaining security and checking for viruses
- software installation
- translating program code into machine code
What does the OS do?
Serves as a middle man for communication between the computers hardware and software as software applications cannot talk directly to the hardware
What are the tasks of an OS?
- resource management
- provision of a user interface
What is included in resource management?
- processor scheduling
- memory management
- backing store management
- IO management
What is utility software designed to do
Some analyse, configure, optimise or maintain a computer system:
- defragmentation
- install/uninstall software
- keep software up to date
- monitor resources and performance
Some perform additional common tasks needed by users:
- virus checks
- automatic backup
- file compression
What is a library?
Collection of pre-compiled routines that can be used by other programs
What are the 3 types of translators?
Assemblers = translate assembly language into machine code
Compilers = translate high - level, language programs into object code
Interpreters = also translate high-level
What are the types of application software categories?
- general purpose
- special purpose
- off the shelf
- bespoke
What is general purpose software used for?
Generic tasks:
- word processors
- graphic packages
- spreadsheet software
What is special purpose software used for?
Single, specific job:
- payroll/accountancy software
- media players
- calendar programs
- online payment softwares
What are the benefits of off-the shelf?
- readily available for anyone to use
- usually lower cost
- likely to be well documented and tested
What are the drawbacks of off-the-shelf?
- little to no control of the features of the product
- may not do exactly what you want
What is bespoke software?
Created to fulfil your own exact specifications
What are the benefits and drawbacks of bespoke software?
Benefits:
- complete control over the process
Drawbacks:
- significantly increased cost
- several weeks or years to develop
