Using Information Technology

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Using Information Technology

• Chapter 4
• System Software

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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?

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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

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4.2 The Operating System What It Does

• Booting - the process of loading an operating
  system into a computers main memory

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The Operating System What It Does

• User interface - user-controllable display screen
  that allows you to communicate, or interact, with
  your computer

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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

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The Operating System What It Does File
Management

• Move
• Rename
• Delete
• Copy
• Back up

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The Operating System What It DoesTask
Management
Processing of two or more programs
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The Operating System What It Does

• Formatting (initializing) a disk - the process of
  preparing that disk so that it can store data or
  programs

• Security management

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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

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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

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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 computers storage space so that less
  space (fewer bits) is required to store or
  transmit data

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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

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Utilities Service Programs

• Disk scanner and disk cleanup utilities
• Detect remove unnecessary files
• Detect correct disk problems

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4.4 Common Operating SystemsDesktop Laptop
Operating Systems

• 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

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Desktop Laptop Operating Systems

• Mac OS - operating system which runs only on
  Apple Macintosh computers

Mac OS X
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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

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Network Operating Systems

• Novells Netware - a long popular network
  operating system for coordinating
  microcomputer-based local area networks (LANs)
  throughout a company or campus

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Network Operating Systems

• Windows NT - Microsofts 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

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Network Operating Systems

• Windows XP - Microsofts newest OS, which
  combines elements of Windows 2000 and Windows Me

New GUI featured in Windows XP
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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)

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Network Operating Systems

• Linux - a free version of UNIX, with continual
  improvements resulting from the efforts of tens
  of thousands of volunteer programmers

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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
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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

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4.5 The OS of the Future The Network is the
Computer

• .Net - Microsofts 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

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The OS of the Future

• E-speak - H-Ps version of an Internet OS, or
  universal language, that allows different
  websites to communicate with one another

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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.

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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

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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