LESSON4: COMPUTER SOFTWARE

At the end of the chapter the learner shall be able to;

  Explain computer software and the classification of computer software
 Explain system software and the different software in that category
 and their application and importance in computing
 Explain application software and the different software in that
category such general purpose and special purpose software
 Explain Readymade software vs tailor made software
  Explain the functions of an operating system
 Explain the difference between command and graphical user interface
based operating systems

Software is a Program commercially prepared and tested in software by one or a

group of programmers and system analyst to perform a specified task. Software is
simply set of instructions that cause a computer to perform one or more tasks. The
set of instructions is often called a program or, if the set is particularly large and
complex, a system. Computers cannot do any useful work without instructions
from software; thus a combination of software and hardware (the computer) is
necessary to do any computerized work. A program must tell the computer each
of a set of tasks to perform, in a framework of logic, such that the computer knows
exactly what to do and when to do it. Data are raw facts and ideas that have not
been processed while Information is data that has been processed so as to be useful
to the user

4.1 Classification of software

Software

System software Application software

Operating Service General Special/tailor

system programs /ready made made
applications applications

Utilities Development Communication

programs programs
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 Classification of software
Software can be broadly classified into system software and application
software

4.2 System software

Consists of programs that control operations of the computer and enable user to
make efficient use of computers. They coordinate computer activities and optimize
use of computers. They are used to control the computer and develop and run
application programs examples of jobs done by the system software are
management of computer resources, defragmentation etc. They can be divided
into;
(i) Operating system – is a complex program and most important program that
runs on a computer and which controls the operation of a computer. It perform
basic tasks, such as recognizing input from the keyboard, sending output to the
display screen, keeping track of files and directories on the disk, and controlling
peripheral devices such as disk drives and printers. In general the operating
system supervises and directs all the software components and the hardware
components. Sophisticated operating system could handle multi-processors, many
users and tasks simultaneously. Examples of computers operating systems are
UNIX, Microsoft windows 95/98, Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP,
Windows Vista and Linux.
(ii)Service programs are programs designed for general support of the processes
of a computer; "a computer system provides utility programs to perform the tasks
needed by most users". The service programs can further be divided into;
o Utilities Performs a variety of tasks that maintain or enhance the
computer’s operating system Utility programs are generally fairly small.
Each type has a specific job to do. Below are some descriptions of utilities.

 Anti-virus applications protect your computerfrom the damage that
can be caused by viruses and similar programs

 Compression utilities make files smaller for storage
 (or sending over
the Internet) and then return them to normal size.

 Data recovery utilities attempt to
restore data and files that have been
damaged or accidentally deleted.

 Disk defragmenters reorganize
 the data stored on disks so that it is
more efficiently arranged.

Firewalls prevent outsiders from
 accessing your computer over a
network such as the Internet.

o Development programs are used in the creation of new software. They

comprise of sets of software tools to allow programs to be written and tested.
Knowledge of appropriate programming language is assumed. Tools used
here are

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  
Text editors that allows one to enter and modify programs statements

 Assembler- allows one to code in machine programs language .i.e.
processor specific

Compilers-makes it possible for programmer to convert source
code to object
 code which can be stored and saved on different
 computers.

 Interpreters-used to convert source programs statement by statement
as it executes the program without being compiled first.

Libraries- commonly used parts or portions of a program which can
be called or includedin the programmer’s code without having to
 recode that portion.

Diagnostic utilities-used to detect
 bugs in the logic of program
during program development
o Communication programs- refer to programs that make it possible to
transmit data.

4.3 Application software

Are programs for user to do their jobs e.g. typing, recording keeping, production
of financial statements, drawing, and statistics.
o General/ready made software is developed to perform a variety of tasks,
usually determined by use. Such software can be customized by user to
achieve specific goals e.g. ms office which is a suit of programs performing
a variety of tasks e.g. word processing for producing documents, database
for storing, retrieving and manipulating data and various calculations on
spreadsheets. General purpose programs are discussed below;


Word processing applications. Writing tasks previously done on
typewriters with considerable effort can now be easily completed
with word-processing software. Documents can be easily edited and
formatted. Revisions can be made by deleting (cutting), inserting,
moving (cutting and pasting), and copying data. Documents can be
stored (saved) and opened again for revisions and/or printing. Many
styles and sizes of fonts are available to  make the document
 attractive. Example: MS Word, Word Pad etc.

Spreadsheet applications. spreadsheet software permits
performance of an almost endless variety of quantitative tasks such
as budgeting, keeping track of inventory, preparing financial reports,
or manipulating numbers in any fashion, such as averaging each of
ten departmental monthly sales over a six-month period. A
spreadsheet contains cells, the intersection of rows and columns. 
Each cell contains a value keyed in by the user. Cells also contain

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 
Database software: A database contains a list of information items
that are similar in format and/or nature. An example is a phone book
that lists a name, address, and phone number for each entry. Once
stored in a database, information can be retrieved in several ways,
using reports and queries. For example, all the names listed for a
given area code could be printed out and used for a commercial
mailing to that area.
 Examples of database software is Ms Access,
 Dbase, Oracle etc.

Presentation software: for making slide shows. Allows users to
create visual presentation A speaker may use presentation software
to organize a slide show for an audience. Text, graphics, sound, and
movies can easily be included in the presentation. An added feature
is that the slide show may be enhanced by inclusion of handouts with
two to six slides printed on a page. The page may be organized to
provide space for notes to be written in by the audience as the
presentation ensues. An example of this is Power Point. Preparation
of the software is simplified by the use of 'wizards' that walk the user
 
through the creation of the presentation.

Desktop publishing software: This software permits the user to
prepare documents by using both word-processing devices and
graphics. Desktop publishing software uses word-processing
software, with all its ease of entering and revising data, and
supplements it with sophisticated visual features that stem from
graphics software. For example, one can enhance a printed message
with virtually any kind of illustration, such as drawings, paintings,
and photographs. . Examples of Desktoppublishing software is
 PageMaker, Corel Draw, and Ms Publisher

Multimedia applications for creating video and music. Allows users
 to create
 image, audio, video etc. Example: Real Player, Media Player
etc.
 
Activity management programs like calendars and address books

NB: Nowadays most of the general purpose software is being sold as a complete
software suites such as Microsoft office or Lotus SmartSuite. These suites offer

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 four or more software products packaged together at a much lower price than
buying the packages separately.

o Tailor made/special purpose software Tailor-made computer system refers

to computer application developed by in-house IT personnel or outside
software house according to specific user requirements in a firm. They are
developed for given purpose e.g. Payroll system, stock control system etc.

4.4 Operating systems concepts

Operating Systems

Operating systems(OS) acts as an interface between the computer hardware and

the computer user and manages the whole computer system. An operating
system acts as foundation on which other application software can be installed. It
controls and monitors the running of application programs.

Functions of an operating system

The basic functions of an operating system are;

 Memory management – the operating system allocates memory to each

application running in the computer.

 Resource allocation and scheduling – In computer systems which are
capable of running several programs at once, the OS allocates processing
time, memory and input-output resources to each.

 Secondary store management – the OS controls the transfer of data from
secondary storage (e.g. disk) to memory and back again. It also has to
maintain a directory of the disk so that files and free space can quickly
be located.

 Interrupt handling – the OS detects many different kinds of interrupt such as
for example a user pressing the enter key on the keyboard, a printer sending a
message that it is out of paper, the real-time clock interrupting to indicate that

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 Allowing a user to communicate with the computer – a user gives
instructions to the computer via the OS to do various things such as copying
a file.

Types of Operating System

Stand Alone Operating System

A stand a lone operating system controls a single computer that is not

connected to others on a network. Examples of this are Ms. Dos, and Windows.

Network Operating System

A network operating system is required when a number of computers are

connected together to form a network. The OS controls who logs on to the
network by means of user names and passwords, in order to protect the data
and programs stored on the network. It also makes the network transparent to
the user, allowing any user with appropriate access rights to use software stored
on the network’s file server, and to store data either on the file server or on a
local hard or floppy disk. Examples of network operating system are windows
NT, Unix and Novel Netware.

4.5 Computer User interface

There are two types of interface that can be provided by the operating
system. Command based Interface
In a command based interface the user enters commands through an
interactive terminal. The commands are entered on a prompt for example the
Ms Dos prompt looks like this

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Once the commands are entered on the prompt a command line interpreter(CLI)
identifies and executes the commands. A command based interface is quick to
operate and very flexible, but the user needs to learn all the commands and type
them in correctly. Examples operating systems that use command based interface
are Ms Dos and Unix.

Graphical user interface

A graphical user interface (GUI) allows the user to interact with the system using
Windows, Icons, Menus, and Pointers to control the operating system. Icons
represent programs, groups of programs, folders, devices and files. Instead of
typing a command or file name, selection is achieved by moving a pointer with a
mouse and clicking a mouse button. Windows is a Graphical user interface
based operating system. The first in the Windows series was Windows 3.11 and
the latest being Windows Vista.

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 The GUI has many advantages such as;

 GUIs are easier for the novice user because they are more intuitive
  The graphical symbols represent familiar objects such as a garbage bin
 Only valid options are available to avoid confusing the user
  No need to memorise commands
 Help is available online showing the only relevant options

Graphical user interface has some disadvantages such as

 GUI require more memory

  They require faster processors and better graphics display
 For experienced users they appear slow to operate because they require
more operations for simple tasks.

4.6 Chapter Review Questions

1. Which of the following is not General Purpose software?
(a) Stock Control (b) Word Processing (c) Internet software (d) Presentation
2. Which of the following is not part of the Ms. Office suite?
(a) Ms Word (b) Ms Access (c) Outlook (d) Ms QuickBooks
3. Which of the following is not an operating system
(a) Windows XP (b) Windows Explorer (c) Ms Dos (d) Linux

4. Which of the software below would assist a secretary in preparing a report

for an annual general meeting?
(a) Ms Word (b) Ms Access (c) Outlook (d) Ms QuickBooks

5. Which of the software below would assist a salesman in recording daily sales
for different items for which he needs totals among other analysis?
(a) Ms Word (b) Ms Access (c) Outlook (d) Ms Excel
6. Which is the most important software in a computer system?

7. Which software would be used to create documents such as wills, trusts, or

rental contracts?

8. Why would a user decide to use a command based interface as opposed to

Graphical user interface?

4.7 Suggested Readings

1. Fuller F., Larson B., Computers: Understanding Technology(Second

Edition) Pages 208-239