Lecture 4: Software - 18/1 Flashcards
What are the 4 types of software licenses?
Commercial/proprietary
Shareware/trialware
Freeware
Open source
Pros/cons of commercial/proprietary software license
Pay to use
Pros:
Robust/stable
Feature rich
Customer support
Cons:
Expensive
Usually can’t modify
Pros/cons of shareware/trialware software license
Free for limited time/only with limited features
Pros:
Robust/stable
Feature rich
Customer support
Can try for free
Cons:
Eventually have to buy
Usually can’t modify
Pros/cons of freeware software license
Free, source code not normally available
Pros:
Free
Cons:
Usually can’t modify
Can be buggy
Little/no customer support
Could turn proprietary at any time
Pros/cons of open source software license
Free, source code made available
Pros:
Free
Can modify code
Cons:
Can be buggy
Little/no customer support
What are the 5 interface types?
Command line interface (cli)
Graphical user interface (GUI)
Menu-driven interface (mdi)
Form-based interface (fbi)
Natural language interface (nli)
Command line interface (cli)
User prompted to enter text-based commands, computer responds with text-based output (computer programmers, systems administrators)
Graphical user interface (GUI)
User uses keyboard or mouse, computer responds with graphical output (operating system)
Menu-driven interface (mdi)
Computer provides a set of choices, user responds with choice (kiosk/ATM)
Form-based interface (fbi)
User inputs a value into a field based on a range of possible values (setting font size/type)
Natural language interface (nli)
User types in a question, computer responds with an answer (search engines)
Primary types of software
Spreadsheets, word processing, data management, presentation, graphics, personal info management, personal finance, web authoring, etc.
What is a software suite?
Different software bundled together to accomplish different aspects of a common application
Example: Microsoft Office
What is an operating system?
System software with special privileges that allow it to manage hardware and other software; provides interface between user and hardware
What is an operating system kernel?
Software that is part of the OS that provides interface between application and hardware
