Topic 7-selection And Use Of Appropriate Software Flashcards
System software
Is any computer software that managed and controls hardware thus allowing the applications software to do a useful job.
Systems software is a set of programs which instructs the hardware what to do
Systems software includes the following programmes :
- operating systems
- GUI (graphical user interface)
- file management
- utilities
Applications software
Software that allows the computer to be applied to a particular purpose or application
E.g order processing, stock control, games, creating websites, image editing, word processing
The operating system
What is the purpose
Tasks operating systems would perform include
Allows the applications software (database, browsers,word-processors, games etc) to interact with the computer hardware. Allows computer hardware to behave in a predictable way so that the application software can use it
Tasks operating system would include:
-diagram checks -controls receipt of input from the input devices such as the keyboard and mouse
-controls output- sends information to the screen or other output devices
Brands of systems software include
- Windows
- Macintosh OS-X
- UNIX
- Linux
System software: windows
- Microsoft Windows is the most popular make of systems software
- developed to work on lots of different types of computers from different manufacturers
- New system needs to cope with the increased security issues and need to run more demanding applications
systems software: UNIX
Main features of UNIX
Who is likely to use UNIX
-is Systems software can be used by different types of computer e.g mainframes and PCs
-uses a GUI like windows but it also makes use of command line interface.
-Main features of UNIX:
>written in the program language C >it’s a multi-programming operating system >Multitasking operating system -can be used to run hundreds of terminals
-computer professionals and Internet service providers
Linux
Why more people are using it
How it is being used and how it will be used in the future
- free operating system
- Many users of this operating system prefer it (not just because it’s free) but because of its security and stability
- mainly used as sever software but is increasing with home and small business users
Macintosh OS
Systems software developed by Apple Who developed the first operating system to make use of a graphical user interface
Mac operating system is used with Mac computers which are popular in the area of graphic design
Graphical user interface (GUI)
Interface that allows users to communicate with the computer using icons and Pull-down menus
Operating system
Software that controls the hardware of a computer and is used to run the applications software. Operating systems control the handling of input, output
System software
Any computer software that manages and controls the hardware thus allowing the application software to do a useful job
Systems software consists of a group of programs
Utility programs
Software which helps the user perform tasks such as virus checking, file compression
Three types of interface
- command line/driven interface: here you have to type a series of commands this type of interface is hard to use
- menu-driven interface: here you are presented with a list of things to do&you have to choose one of them by typing either a number or letter(easy to use but limited in sorts of thing you can do with them)
- GUI: very easy to use& have all the features e.g windows, icons, menus, pointers
Command line/driven interface
Advantages and disadvantages
Interfaces where you have to type in commands in a certain language in order to get the computer to do something.
A: -quicker: sometimes you can do a task quicker by typing a command line rather than using the mouse and all the features of windows
D:-difficult for beginners to use have to learn structure (called the syntax) of commands
-have to remember instructions: hard to remember the instructions command you need in order to do particular task
Graphical user interface (GUIs)
The main features of a GUI:
-Windows
- icons
Instead of typing in commands you enter them by pointing and clicking at objects on the screen
-Windows:screen is divided into areas called Windows are useful if you need to work on many tasks. -icons:small pictures used to represent commands, files or Windows. By moving pointer and clicking u can Carry out a command or open a window
Graphical user interface (GUIs) The main features of a GUI: -menus -pointers -desktop -drag and drop -taskbars
- allow a user to make selections from a list can be pop-up or pull down so they don’t clutter the desktop when they are not being used
- arrow that appears when using windows. Mouse, joystick, touch pads, light pen can be used to move the pointer
- working area of GUI&where all icons are seen
- show the programs that are open
Advantages of GUI
- no language needed my phone in the past you had to type in certain instructions to communicate with the computer
- use of icons: novice users can simply select the program of things they want to do by pointing and double-clicking
- easier to use a mouse-most users would prefer to use a mouse to point” rather than use the keyboard
Disadvantages of GUI
- no memory needed:sophisticated GUIs have large memory requirements so computers may need upgrading or new computers bought
- increased processing requirements: faster and more powerful processes are needed to run the latest GUIs, it involves upgrading the processor or buying new computers
Menu-driven interfaces
Advantages and disadvantages
Advantages:
-A simple interface which is easy to use
Disadvantages:
-only suitable where there are a few items to select from on the menu
Form-given interfaces
Used to collect information from a user in a step-by-step manner.
The user supplies this information by typing into a form.
Validation checks ensure that the only enters valid data
Natural language interface
Advantages & disadvantages
An interface that allows the user to interact using natural written or spoken language(e.g English) instead of computer language
A:-Learning how to use it is easy because it uses words we are familiar with and can remember
D: -natural language is so ambiguous at times so it is necessary to restrict the language to certain words
Why is an interface needed
Systems software has to perform many different tasks and needs to be used by anyone who uses a computer it is important that the interface makes it as easy as possible to complete a task using the software
Utilities
Definition
Why it’s not regarded as an application
A program that performs a very specific task and a series of utilities comes as part of the systems software
Because they are simple and only perform one very specific task which is always related in some way to managing the computers resources
Examples of utilities
- file converters: used to save files in different formats
- virus scanners: used to scan the memory and hard drive for viruses
- security and accounting: used to check user IDs and passwords and to keep a record of network activity
File management software What file management software performs -file/folder organisations -backup copy creation -file compression
- file/folder organisations: use to create folders, copy,delete, rename , move folders/files
- backup copy creation: used for the taking of backup copies for security purposes
- file compression: used to compress files before storing or before being sent over a network e.g winZip
What file management software performs
-defragmentation
- Each time a file is saved using Windows it puts the data anywhere It can find on the hard drive & programs become scattered over the surface > reduces the access time &wastes hard drive space
- defragmentation software used to tidy up the service of a magnetic hard drive files can be accessed &read more quickly by operating system
Driver
Peripheral
- Short specially written program that understands the operation of the device it controls/operates. It is needed to allow the systems or application software to use the connected device properly
- A device connected to and under the control of the central processing unit
Peripheral drivers
Each peripheral device (printer, scanner, digital camera, WebCam)need some sort of software to work, software is called peripheral drivers
What does peripheral driver software do
- Provides communication between the operating system/applications software and the peripheral device
- convert instructions from the software into a form that the peripheral device can understand
- enable the peripheral device to work with other applications and operating systems software
- produce error message that says printer or scanner not ready
- tell the computer what the printer is and what it is capable of doing
Where do you get peripheral driver software
Main ways of obtaining printer driver software
- if the device you are attaching uses blog-and-play, as soon as the device is connected the operating system will look to see if it has the appropriate driver software and will install it automatically
- you may find that you have them as part of your operating system, so you just need to install them
- you can reinstall them from the disks which originally came with the device
- you can install them from your backups of the hard drive
Printer drivers
- Many different types of printers>Printer drivers are needed to convert the instructions from the applications or systems software into A phone that the printer can understand
- there are many drivers included as part of the operating system&if a new printer is attached the operating system will search for the driver needed to run it (does this automatically)
Package software
Generic software
The programs and the documentation for a piece of software
This is an applications package that is appropriate for a wide range of tasks and can be us e in lots of areas of work
E.g word-processing, database, presentation, desktop publishing
What can application software be divided into
- bespoke software
- integrated software
- generic software
- package software
- specific software
Integrated software
An application package consisting of software for many different programmes
E.g office software which consists of word-processing, database, spreadsheet
-Microsoft office=integrated package and each of its components=generic package
Advantages and disadvantages of integrated software
A:-cheaper than buying individual packages
-consistency of the user interface between the modules which makes it easier to learn
-easier to install as only have to install 1 package
D:the integrated package may be weaker in one or more of the separate applications
-have to pay for modules you may never use so waste of money
Specific software
Bespoke software
- Software that performs a particular task e.g payroll (working out wages), programs for working out income tax, garden design software
- also called tailor-made software as it specifically created and written for a particular business or organisation. It’s produced when there is no suitable software package available
Advantages and disadvantages of bespoke software
A:-organisation doesn’t have to change the way it works to fit around the way software works
-you can specify exactly what the software must do
-there may not be a suitable software package on the market
D:-more expensive than buying an off-the-shelf package
-may contain more errors that weren’t discovered during testing
Off-the-shelf software
Advantages
Software that hasn’t been developed for a particular user
- much cheaper than developing new software
- no delay between buying the software and using it
- likely to be tested more carefully as its used by many more users
- more help available if needed
Generic packages
Software that is not restricted to any particular job and can be used by any businesses on a day to day basis
Features of word-processing:
Things to consider when creating the page layout/format
- margins
- headers and footers: text placed at top&bottom of
- borders Page
- gutters
- paper size
- page orientation
- pagination
Features of word-processing:
Formatting text features
- font colour
- font type (e.g arial, times new roman)
- font size
- font effects e.g shadow
- font style e.g italic,bold
Features of word-processing:
Formatting paragraphs/blocks of text
- tabs and indents
- hyphenation
- line spacing (single and double)
- justification e.g left,centre, right
- bullet points/numbering :symbol placed infront of text
Features of word-processing:
Advanced features of word-processing software
- templates: used to specify the structure of a document e.g fonts, page layout, formatting
- mail merge: combing a list of names& addresses with a standard letter so that many letters are produced with each letter being addressed to a different person
- spellcheck: has a dictionary which checks spelling
- Thesaurus: word processor lists synonyms
Spreadsheet software:
What spreadsheets are ideal for
- budgets
- cash flow forecasts
- accounts e.g profits and loss, end of yr account
- producing graphs and chats from sets of data
Functions of spreadsheet
- use of functions such as IF, average, count
- ability to replicate formulae across rows and down columns
- can produce graphs/charts using a range of data
- applying validation checks to cells so that only data meeting certain criteria can be entered
Advanced functions of spreadsheet
- use of macros
- lookup tables e.g VLOOKUP
- linking worksheets
- protecting cells
- pivot tables
Macros
What they are
Why they are set up
- macro consists of keystrokes and menu choices which are recorded by the user as a small program rather than doing the same instructions&commands you can simply run a macro
- so that a complex task can be reduced to pressing a button to do the task
Database software
Allows data to be entered and stored in a structured way to make it easier to retrieve data
Presentation software features
- can apply colour schemes to slides
- can add images
- can add a background graphic to slide
- can produce speaker notes and handouts
- can add slide transitions e.g fade-out effect
- can add animation effects
- can design consistently using templates
Advanced features of presentation software
- action buttons to allow control over which slide is viewed next
- can add movies and sound to a presentation
- timing features to make sure you allocate the right time to each slide
- ability to hyperlink e.g to another slide or website or file
Web browser software and features
(Generic software)software you use to access internet e.g Microsoft Internet explorer
- bookmarks/favourites: storage area where the Url of a website can be stored so it can be accessed l8
- searCh facilities and -chat rooms
- instant messaging
- ability to set up usernames and passwords
- e-mail facilities
E-mail facilities
- forward
- address book : the names&email addresses of all
- groups: lists of people and their email addresses. They are used when an email needs to be sent out to a specific group of people e.g working with a team set up group and send email to the group
- search email -reply
- attach file
Generic software which can be used to develop websites
Specialist web design software
- word-processing software: it is easier to word process text using this software e.g Microsoft word
- desktop publishing software e.g Microsoft publisher
- photo/image of the editing software: images may not be right size for space on webpages>edited
- packages such as Microsoft frontpage
- Adobe dreamweaver
- browser software: needed to check how the webpage/website will look on the screen
- scanning software:
Simple features of website design software
- ability to add and format text with different sized headings and subheadings like word-processing
- adding tables to help layout text and images
- ability to add hyperlinks to other webpages
- ability to add mailto link: allows a viewer of the website to send an email by opening the users e-mail application
Advanced features of website design software:
CSS
cascading style sheets (CSS):
Instead of applying certain formatting to each block of text, you can apply an existing cascading style sheet>means that this block of text will have the same font, font size and colour as defined in the CSS
-saves time
Advanced features of website design software:
Ability to create a webpage using frames
Means that you can have multiple webpages in a single Browser window. By doing this the user can select a link in one frame that loads content into another frame>allowing user to stay in same browser window
Advanced features of a website design software
Ability to create a form and use it to collect data
Ability look at the HTML code
Forms can be created enable you to collect data from a user e.g ask the user to sign a guestbook and add their comments to feedback page
When a website is being developed using website development software, the program is generating a series of HTML codes that are the instructions that explain how you want the website to be set out
