Chapter 5 - Software

Question 1

describe how the following came into existence:

the BIOS (basic I/O system)

(hint: it always comes first when you turn a computer system on)

Answer 1

1. it first came in two parts w/ the 1970s home computer craze: an internal ROM chip that stored some of the necessities + a cassette tape machine that stored the remaining software
2. it later became something to be stored in read-only CMOS flash memory as firmware w/ only the required bits of the OS being copied into the RAM

Question 2

list the two main types of the following OS component:

the HCI (human-computer interface)

(hint: think of the UI contained on your devices’ computer systems)

Answer 2

1. the CLI (the directly-communicating command line interface)
2. the GUI (the more intuitive graphical user interface)

Question 3

list some advantageous points of the following interface types:

GUIs and CLIs

(hint: the latter involves more direct human-computer communications)

Answer 3

• GUIs: use WIMPs and other actions like pinching so are easier to use with a lower risk of making serious mistakes from not having to type commands in
• CLIs: are text-based so are less limited in terms of command options

Question 4

describe the three parts of the following management type an OS does:

memory management

(hint: one of those parts involves optimizing storage drives)

Answer 4

1. optimization (determines the hows and wheres of computer memory allocation during multitasking + ocassionally swaps data with an HDD/SSD)
2. organization (determines an app’s allocated memory size in the most efficient way possible w/ the possible allocation options being contiguous, partitioned, paged, and segmented)
3. protection (helps prevent data losses and computer crashes by preventing multiple competing apps from simultaneously using the same memory location - always mandatory for memory organization types)

Question 5

describe the other tasks an OS carries out in the following field:

computer system management

(hint: think stored files and user security)

Answer 5

1. security management (involves tasks like installing newly-available OS/antimalware definition updates + ensuring data privacy through user account control enforcement)
2. process management (involves resource allocation + data transmission permits)
3. hardware management (involves tasks like controling I/O device queues and buffers via drivers + assigning hardware resource priorities)
4. file management (involves tasks like maintaining file directory structures + specifying logical file storage formats on a disk drive)

(more on disk formatting up next)

Question 6

describe how the following type of utility software does its job:

a disk formatter

(hint: it aids w/ disk partitioning)

Answer 6

by performing the following tasks:
1. assigning storage space to different disk partitions that must then be formatted using FAT/NTFS/whatever
2. formatting disk partitions to aid w/ file recognition (eg. full NTFS formatting involves reading an entire zero-filled disk sector back and then deleting any existing data before the formatting)
3. checking for bad sector errors (hard = manufacturing error-induced; soft = sudden power loss-induced) on a disk

Question 7

describe how the following type of utility software does its job:

an antimalware suite

(hint: try running a Defender scan on a Windows PC if you have one)

Answer 7

by performing tasks like heuristically checking files at the pre-loading stage + quarantining potentially-infected files into either autodeletion or user decision-making

(usually involving a database of known malware definitions)

Question 8

describe how the following type of utility software does its job:

a disk defragmenter/analyzer

(hint: think of HDD-stored files getting scattered around over time)

Answer 8

by performing the following tasks:
1. putting fragmented files that’re stored on an HDD back into contiguous segments (not allowed with SSDs)
2. analyzing disks for their usage by reviewing different files/folders in an optimizing way

Question 9

describe how the following type of utility software does its job:

backup software

(hint: try opening one yourself without running it)

Answer 9

by allowing users to create regular system backup schedules, carrying backup procedures whenever a file’s been modded, and sometimes even permitting for files to be reverted to their earlier versions

Question 10

list the situations where the following could be used:

program libraries

(hint: they can make programming more efficient)

Answer 10

1. during software development as a timesaver
2. as an aid for DLL-requesting developers who need their subroutines at runtime

(more on DLLs later)

Question 11

list the pros of doing the following:

developing software using library programs and routines

(hint: think back to the previous card)

Answer 11

1. they save development time + costs by removing rewriting needs + being pre-tested elsewhere
2. they also lead to modular programming that can allow for continuity with other apps if the program using the libraries forms part of a software suite + the maintenance of a specific corporate image

Question 12

compare the following library types with each other:

static and dynamic

(hint: we talked briefly about DLLs 2 cards back)

Answer 12

• static libraries: linked w/ software developments upon compilation so are embedded into the compiled executables
• dynamic libraries/DLLs: not linked w/ software developments until they’re actually run so come in standalone files that’re available to multiple other developments

(more on the pros and cons of DLLs up next)