Topic 5 - Systems Software

Question 1

what is system software?

Answer 1

• software designed to run and maintain a computer system

Question 2

what is an operating system (OS) ?

Answer 2

• a complex piece of software,
• consisting of a group of programs that manages the computer’s resources

Question 3

main functions of OS :

Answer 3

• user interface
• memory management
• peripheral management
• security management
• file + disk management

Question 4

user interface ( 2 types )

Answer 4

• allows the user to interact with computer system
• GUI and Command line

Question 5

GUI ( Graphical User Interface )

Answer 5

• designed to be easy for everyday users to use
• visual and interactive
• WIMP based ( windows, icons, menus and pointers )
• touchscreen devices use finger gestures`

Question 6

command-line

Answer 6

• text based in which user enters specific commands to complete tasks
• more efficient and powerful than GUI, better for advanced users
• automate programs using scripts

Question 7

memory-management

Answer 7

• OS can carry out multi-tasking by managing memory and CPU processing time
• OS moves parts of an opened application to memory
• makes sure that applications don’t overwrite
• divides CPU allocation time and switches between them very fast
• organises movement of data to and from virtual memory

Question 8

peripheral management

Answer 8

• device drivers are used to communicate with peripherals
• they translate signals between OS and hardware
• system installs new, matching drivers

Question 9

file and disk management

Answer 9

• manages hard disk and splits it into storage sectors
• keep track of free space in disk
• naming, saving, movement and deletion of files

Question 10

user management

Answer 10

• single user or multi user
• OS responsible for user accounts which allow different users to access different data or resources
• it means they can’t access other users’ personal data
• protected with username and matching password, or modern

Question 11

utility software

Answer 11

helps to maintain or configure a computer

Question 12

defragmentation utility

Answer 12

• small gaps appear in the disk and so the OS splits files into smaller blocks to fill up the gaps
• the disk is fragmented which makes the read/write speed slower
• defragmentation reorganises the files and collects free space

Question 13

compression utility

Answer 13

• reduces size of files
• take up less disk space and quicker to download

Question 14

encryption utility

Answer 14

• encrypts data to stop 3rd party from accessing it
• scrambles it using a key
• intercepted data is secured
• decrypted using same key