Chapter 2 - Software Flashcards
What are the 2 main categories of software?
System Software (including the Operating System and Utility Software)
Application Software
What is system software?
System software is often described as the interface between the computer hardware and application software
What is Application software?
Application software enables the computer to do a particular task.
Give 3 examples of application software
Spreadsheets
Word processors
Games
Web browsers
Databases
What is utility software?
A program that carries out a specific task to assist the operating system.
Give 3 examples of utility software
Disk defragmentation software
Task scheduling
Data backup and restore
What are the 3 main functions of system software?
Allocating memory
Managing storage
Allocating processing time
What is real time processing?
Data is processed immediately after it is input
Give 3 applications that use real time processing
Airline/concert ticket booking
Online stock control systems (e.g. Amazon)
Air traffic control systems
What is batch processing?
Batches of similar data are collected together
The batches are input together at an agreed time
The batches are processed together without human input
Give 3 applications that use batch processing
Billing systems (electricity, gas)
Payroll systems (weekly or monthly)
Banking systems (statements)
What is a master file?
The main file used to store reference data within an application on a computer system
What is a transaction file?
A transaction file used to store transactions
Used to update the master file
What is a multi-user system?
Many users at different computers sharing the processing power of a powerful computer.
It uses time-sharing to allocate processor time to each user in turn
What is a time slice?
A time slice is a small amount of processor time given to each user in a time-sharing system.
What is fragmentation?
A file is stored in several separate areas of storage scattered througout a hard drive
What is defragmentation?
Defragmentation is the process of rearranging data on a disk so that:
- Files are stored in blocks that are all together
- all the free storage space on the disk is brought together
What is task scheduling?
There are 2 possible answers:
1. Timeslicing to get maximum use of processor
2. Set up tasks to run automatically at a given time, e.g.
backups, virus checks + software updates
What is round-robin scheduling?
In multi-user systems using time-sharing, the processor executes a task from the first computer, then moves on to the next in sequence. When it reaches the last computer it will go back to the first computer and continue from there.
What is backup?
A copy of the original file stored on a different storage device…
…in case the original gets corrupted or destroyed.
What are the three main methods of backup?
Full backup
Incremental backup
Differential Backup
What is a full backup?
A complete copy of all the files
What is an incremental backup?
A copy is made of all the files that have changed since the last backup (of any kind)
What is a differential backup?
A copy is made of all the files that have changed since the last FULL backup
Give 4 ways that files can be damaged
Files may be damaged by:
- hard disk failure
- a virus
- accidental deletion
- fire or other natural disaster
What is a virus?
A computer program…
…that is designed to cause damage to a computer system
What is anti-virus software?
Anti-virus software is Utility software that detects, quarantines and removes viruses that have infected a computer system
What does it mean to ‘restore files’?
After an incident where files have been damaged, they will be restored from a backup.
