Topic 7: Systems Software

Question 1

What are some of the things an operating system does

Answer 1

-controlling hardware components
-providing a platform for software to run on
-providing a
user interface
-multitasking facilities
-managing the computer’s
memory
-managing peripherals
-managing files
-managing users

Question 2

What is a user interface

Answer 2

A user interface is a program, or suite of programs that allows a user to interact with a computer. It is split into three main parts: Graphical user interface, Mobile user interface and Command line interface.

Question 3

What does the GUI do

Answer 3

GUIs feature a desktop where everything is displayed. Applications run in Windows, and all objects (apps, hardware and files) are represented by icons. Application features are accessible through the use of menus. Users interact with the interface by using a mouse and on-screen pointer.

Question 4

What does a MUI do

Answer 4

MUI’s respond to touch. Fingers are used to open programs and interact with them. Gestures such as swiping are used to scroll within documents. Pinching and stretching are used to re-size images.

Question 5

What do CLI’s do

Answer 5

Command line interfaces are text-based. Users control the computer by typing in commands. CLIs require little processing power and are extremely powerful, but are difficult to use. Originally most interfaces were CLIs, and they still exist within modern operating systems.

Question 6

What is multitasking

Answer 6

Multitasking means to be able to run more than one program simultaneously.

Question 7

What are the requirements for multitasking

Answer 7

Multitasking is possible only if:

-the operating system can support multitasking
-the computer has enough memory to hold more than one program in primary memory at the same time

Question 8

Why do computers need memory management

Answer 8

Computer memory must be managed to ensure that:

-more than one program can run at the same time
-more than one document can be opened at the same time

Question 9

What are peripheral devices

Answer 9

Peripherals are exteral hardware devices connected to a computer.

Question 10

What is needed for a peripheral to connect to a computer

Answer 10

To operate a peripheral, the operating system uses a program called a device driver. Device drivers contain instructions on how to control a device. Each connected device has its own driver.

Question 11

What are the advantages of device drivers

Answer 11

-any device can be used with the operating system, as long as a driver is available for it
-drivers can be updated, usually to give better performance or to remove a bug

Question 12

What is file handling software

Answer 12

The file handling software allows users to:
-create, modify and delete files and folders
-copy and duplicate files and folders
-move files and folders
-rename files and folders
-sort items into different orders, according to name, file type, date created and more
-search for particular files and folders
-restore deleted files
-set access rights to files such as read only or edit

Question 13

How do Operating Systems manage users

Answer 13

-individual users to be created and deleted
-access levels to be given to users, such as administrator rights or standard user rights
-auditing (keeping a log) of files a user creates, accesses, edits and deletes

Question 14

What purpose does a utility software have

Answer 14

Helps maintain the system

Question 15

How does a utility software help maintain the system

Answer 15

-encryption software
defragmentation software
-data compression software
-backup software

Question 16

How does encryption software work

Answer 16

Encryption software disguises the contents of files so they can only be understood by authorised users. The software uses a complex algorithm to scramble the contents. Only authorised users can descramble the content.

Question 17

How does disk defragmentation work

Answer 17

When a file is stored on a
hard disk it is actually stored not as a whole file, but as a series of segments scattered. Over time, more and more files become fragmented, as do individual files. A fragmented disk takes longer to read from and write to, making a computer run slower. Defragmentation software takes the fragmented files and rearranges the segments so that they run contiguously. This decreases read/write time, thereby speeding up computer performance.

Question 18

What is data compression software

Answer 18

Compression software reduces the size of a file stored on secondary storage.

Question 19

How does full backup software work

Answer 19

A full backup involves making a copy of every file on the computer or network. They can require a lot of storage space and can be time consuming to make.