330 likes | 490 Views
Using Information Technology. Chapter 4 System Software. System Software The Power behind the Power. 4.1 The Components of System Software 4.2 The Operating System: What It Does 4.3 Other System Software: Device Drivers & Utility Programs 4.4 Common Operating Systems
E N D
Using Information Technology Chapter 4 System Software
System SoftwareThe Power behind the Power • 4.1 The Components of System Software • 4.2 The Operating System: What It Does • 4.3 Other System Software: Device Drivers & Utility Programs • 4.4 Common Operating Systems • 4.5 The OS of the Future: “The Network is the Computer” • 4.6 Online Software & Application Software Providers: Turning Point for the Software Industry?
4.1 The Components of System Software • Operating system - the principal component of system software • Device drivers - help the computer control peripheral devices • Utility programs - support, enhance, or expand existing programs
4.2 The Operating System: What It Does • Booting - the process of loading an operating system into a computer’s main memory
The Operating System: What It Does • User interface - user-controllable display screen that allows you to communicate, or interact, with your computer
The Operating System: What It Does CPU Management • Supervisor (kernel) - program which remains in main memory while the computer is running, and directs other “nonresident” programs to perform tasks that support application programs
The Operating System: What It Does File Management • Move • Rename • Delete • Copy • Back up
The Operating System: What It DoesTask Management Processing of two or more programs
Formatting (initializing) a disk - the process of preparing that disk so that it can store data or programs Security management The Operating System: What It Does
4.3 Other System Software: Device Drivers & Utility Programs • Device drivers - specialized software programs that allow input and output devices to communicate with the rest of the computer system
Utilities: Service Programs • Backup utility - program which makes a duplicate copy of the information on your hard disk • Data-recovery utility - program which restores data that has been physically damaged or corrupted
Utilities: Service Programs • Antivirus software - program that scans hard disks, floppy disks, and memory to detect viruses • Data compression utility - program which removes redundant elements, gaps, and unnecessary data from a computer’s storage space so that less space (fewer bits) is required to store or transmit data
Utilities: Service Programs • Fragmentation - the scattering of portions of files about the disk in nonadjacent areas, thus greatly slowing access to the files • Defragmenter utility - program that finds all the scattered files on your hard disk and reorganizes them as contiguous files
Utilities: Service Programs • Disk scanner and disk cleanup utilities: • Detect & remove unnecessary files • Detect & correct disk problems
Platform - the particular processor model and operating system on which a computer system is based Disk Operating System (DOS) - the original operating system produced by Microsoft, which had a hard-to-use command-driven user interface 4.4 Common Operating SystemsDesktop & Laptop Operating Systems
Desktop & Laptop Operating Systems • Mac OS - operating system which runs only on Apple Macintosh computers Mac OS X
Desktop & Laptop Operating Systems • Microsoft Windows 3.X - released in 1992; simply a layer over DOS • Microsoft Windows 95/98 - successors to 3.X • Plug and Play - the ability of a computer to automatically configure a new hardware component that is added to it • Microsoft Windows Me (WinMe) - Millennium Edition • Microsoft Windows XP
Network Operating Systems • Novell’s Netware - a long popular network operating system for coordinating microcomputer-based local area networks (LANs) throughout a company or campus
Network Operating Systems • Windows NT - Microsoft’s multitasking OS designed to run on network servers; it allows multiple users to share resources such as data and programs • Windows XP - successor to Windows NT
Network Operating Systems • Windows XP - Microsoft’s newest OS, which combines elements of Windows 2000 and Windows Me New GUI featured in Windows XP
Network Operating Systems • UNIX - a multitasking operating system for multiple users with built-in networking capability and versions that can run on all kinds of computers • Sun Microsystems’ Solaris • Berkeley Software Distribution (BSD)
Network Operating Systems • Linux - a free version of UNIX, with continual improvements resulting from the efforts of tens of thousands of volunteer programmers
Network Operating Systems • Open-source software - software which any programmer can download from the Internet for free and modify with suggested improvements Linus Torvalds, creator of Linux
Operating Systems for Handhelds • Palm OS - the dominant OS for handhelds, which runs the Palm and Handspring Visor, and is licensed to other companies • Windows CE (now Pocket PC) - slimmed-down version of Windows for handhelds
4.5 The OS of the Future: “The Network is the Computer” • .Net - Microsoft’s platform for an OS for the entire Internet, designed to link unrelated websites so that people can organize all info in their lives using PCs and smaller devices
The OS of the Future • E-speak - H-P’s version of an Internet OS, or “universal language,” that allows different websites to communicate with one another
The OS of the Future • Jini - Sun Microsystems’ software designed to let all types of electronic gadgets on a wired or wireless network communicate with one another
The Opposite Possibility: No One Company Dominates • Distributed System - a non-centralized network consisting of several computers and other devices that can communicate with one another
4.6 Online Software & Application Software Providers: Turning Point for the Software Industry? • ASP (Application Service Provider) - a firm that leases software over the Internet to customers
Network Computers Revisited: “Thin Clients” versus “Fat Clients” • Thin client - users download not only data but also different kinds of application software from an online source
Network Computers Revisited: “Thin Clients” versus “Fat Clients” Fat client - users provide their own software and are usually responsible for any upgrades of hardware and software • Data can be input or downloaded from online sources.
From ERP to ASP: The Evolution of “Rentalware” • ERP (Enterprise resource planning) software - large client/server software applications that help companies organize and operate their businesses
Summary • Three components of system software: Operating system, device drivers and utility program • The principal functions of the operating system: user interface, CPU management, file management, task management, security management • Common Operating system, Windows XP, 2000, 98, Linux, Unix, Palm OS, Windows CE