HI friend today i discuss what is software? types of software, details of software. in few days i have write following topics of AMIE SECTION A COMPUTING & INFORMATICS STUDY NOTES. following topics are a) introduction to computer , b) what is a computer, c) generation of computer, d) types of computer e) computer organization. i give you the following link of the above topics
Today i discussed about the organization of computer or the main parts of a computer. please read the topic very carefully......
SOFTWARE
INTRODUCTION
In the previous lesson we discussed about the different parts
and configurations of computer. It has been mentioned that programs or
instructions have to be fed to the computer to do specific task. So it is
necessary to provide sequence of instructions so that your work can be done. We
can divide the computer components into two major areas, namely, hardware and software. Hardware is the machine itself and its various individual
equipment. It includes all mechanical, electronic and magnetic devices such as
monitor, printer, electronic circuit, floppy and hard disk. In this lesson we
will discuss about the other part, namely, software.
OBJECTIVES
After going through this
lesson you will be able to
·
explain the concept of
software
·
distinguish between different types of software
·
differentiate application software from system software
·
define a language
·
differentiate between different types of language
·
distinguish between compiler and interpreter
WHAT IS
SOFTWARE?
As you know computer cannot
do anything without instructions from the user. In order to do any specific job
you have to give a sequence of instructions to the computer. This set of
instructions is called a computer program.
Software refers to the set of computer programs, procedures that describe the
programs, how they are to be used. We can say that it is the collection of
programs, which increase the capabilities of the hardware. Software guides the
computer at every step where to start and stop during a particular job. The
process of software development is called programming.
You should keep in mind that
software and hardware are complementary to each other. Both have to work
together to produce meaningful result. Another important point you should know
that producing software is difficult and expensive.
SOFTWARE
TYPES
Computer software is normally
classified into two broad categories.
·
Application Software
·
System software
Application Software: Application Software is a set of programs to carry out
operations for a specific application. For example, payroll is an application
software for an organization to produce pay slips as an output. Application
software is useful for word processing, billing system, accounting, producing
statistical report, analysis of numerous data in research, weather forecasting,
etc. In later modules you will learn about MS WORD, Lotus 1-2-3 and dBASE III
Plus. All these are application softwares.
Another example of
application software is programming language. Among the programming languages
COBOL (Common Business Oriented Language) is more suitable for business
application whereas FORTRAN (Formula Translation) is useful for scientific
application. We will discuss about languages in next section.
System Software: You know that an instruction is a set of programs that
has to be fed to the computer for operation of computer system as a whole. When
you switch on the computer the programs written in ROM is executed which
activates different units of your computer and makes it ready for you to work
on it. This set of program can be called system software. Therefore system
software may be defined as a set of one or more programs designed to control
the operation of computer system.
System software are general
programs designed for performing tasks such as controlling all operations
required to move data into and out of the computer. It communicates with
printers, card reader, disk, tapes etc. monitor the use of various hardware
like memory, CPU etc. Also system software are essential for the development of
applications software. System Software allows application packages to be run on
the computer with less time and effort. Remember
that it is not possible to run application software without system software.
Development of system
software is a complex task and it requires extensive knowledge of computer
technology. Due to its complexity it is
not developed in house. Computer manufactures build and supply this system
software with the computer system. DOS, UNIX and WINDOWS are some of the widely
used system software. Out of these UNIX is a multi-user operating system
whereas DOS and WINDOWS are PC-based. We will discuss in detail about DOS and
WINDOWS in the next module.
So without system software it
is impossible to operate your computer.
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