Utility & Application Software Flashcards
Use & selection of file types & formats
What is utility software
Software that is designed to manage, maintain & control
Utility is like a toolbox to help us optimise & maintain our computer systems
What are Disk Utilities
Designed to maintain the performance of a computers disk drive
What are the 3 disk utilities
File compressors
Backup
Disk defragmenter
What is the role of file compressors
Compresses files to reduce their size & decompresses them for later access
What is the role of backup utilities
Backing up files can be slow as a manual process
Backup utilities allow you to automate the backup process
What is the role of disk defragmenter
Overtime a disks drive becomes fragmented, which slows down file access
This utility reorganises the data for quicker access (but only required on a HDD when using Windows file systems)
What is the use of utility software
- Cleaning up files
- Software updates
- Backing up data
- Security checks
What is another use of utility software
To gather data to clean up the system & speed up the performance by searching for junk data and removing it to free up storage space
Factors that affect the performance of utility software
- Amount of memory available on the digital device for utility software
- bandwidth (the amount of data that can be sent from one point to another in a certain period of time)
- Memory failures
What are network utilities
Designed to maintain good network traffic & keep networks secure
What are the 2 network utilities & their functions
Firewalls - Prevent unauthorised access by monitoring & blocking suspicious traffic
Antivirus - Prevents computers from receiving viruses & detects & removes viruses that have already infected a system
What other 2 utilities are there & what is their function
Registry cleaners - Designed for Windows systems to remove old, redundant registry entries. This can help improve system performance
System profilers - Display a detailed breakdown of the system, including hardware & software. This can help with deciding where a system needs upgrading & diagnosing problems with the system
What is application software & what is the use of it
Enables users to interact with their digital devices to perform many different functions
They are constructed using computing programming code
What are the 3 different types of application software
- Productivity software
- Graphics software
- Communications Software
What is the use of Productivity software
These are applications like word processors, desktop publishers & spreadsheets that are used in office environments to support business tasks & improve efficiency
What is the use of Graphics software
These applications are used to edit photos or create original artwork
What is the use of Communications software
These applications make communicating quicker & easier. They include instant messaging, email, & VOIP software
What are the factors affecting the choice, use & performance of application software
Functionality - how well the software works without disrupting workflow
Compatibility - whether the software the matches existing systems
User friendliness - How easy the software is to use
Price - whether the software is affordable for most people/within budgets
Usability - how well the software can be understood, learned & used
What is open source software
The source code is available to read & modify
It is collaborative effort where programmers contribute to the programming of the source code
It is also free
What are the pros & cons of open software
Pros
- Most are free to use
- Support & fixes are provided by the community, often via forums
- Usually compatible with other proprietary utility software
Cons
- Support with fast response may not be available when needed, as it relies on goodwill
- Can be copied & modified by individuals with a malicious intent
- There may be indirect costs involved in paying for support & training
What is proprietary software
The source code is privately owned by the software company
*E.g. Microsoft, Apple, Sage
Proprietary operating systems, software specifications & code are kept a secret within a company to avoid copies being made & to stop modifications being made by anyone other than the company’s designated programmers
They need to be purchased
What are the pros & cons of proprietary software
Pros
- Support (e.g. for setup & troubleshooting) is provided by the software creators
- It may have more features than open source software
Cons
- The software company may be slow to provide updates & bug fixes
- Software is usually very generic, with limited customisation due to copyright or complexity issues
- It can be costly
When choosing software what should users consider
Ease of use - familitary is paramount
Reliability - ensuring software works as intended
Capability - that the software can do the job
When looking at performance what should users consider
- The maturity of the software, as stable versions of software can be more efficient given there has been time for bugs to be resolved
- Compatible with other devices interfaces or systems (interoperability)
- Support of dedicated hardware for complex tasks
What are all the image file types
JPG
PNG
GIF
BMP
What are JPGs features*
Good compression lossy so files cannot be decompressed
What are PNGs features
Uses lossless compression to save high quality images in a low file size also allow transparency
What are GIFs features
Small file size but low quality die to the limited number of colours. Can display basic transparency & animation
What are BMPs features
An uncompressed file format, so image quality is extremely high but file size is very large
What are all the video file types
MP4
MOV
AVI
MKV
What are MP4s features
Supports high quality video while still compressing file size.
Works on a wide variety of devices and software
What are MOVs features
Designed for use with Apple QuickTime software, but it can be played using other software. Can it provide high quality but can also be compressed. Good for streaming
What are AVIs features
Uncompressed so is very high quality but very large file size not good for streaming.
What are MKVs features
Supports high quality video playback but is not well supported by some devices, e.g. iPads cant play .mkv files
What are the 3 implications of file types
Compatibility
Quality
File size
Why is compatibility important when choosing file types & why might it be an issue?
Some file types only work with certain software
Issue
May need to purchase new software
Sharing files with others who do not have the required software
Why is quality important when choosing file types & why might it be an issue?
Different image, video & audio file types provide different levels of quality
Issue
Choice will depend on intended use of the files
e.g. is high quality the importance or small file size?
Why is file size important when choosing file types & why might it be an issue?
The file type affects the file size - some types are very efficient in the way they store data whereas others use lots of storage space
Issue
File size may have implications for storing, transmitting or displaying files
