IG 11 – COMPUTER SCIENCE

CHAPTER 4 – Software
Software:
Software is a collection of instructions that can be ‘run’ on a computer.
These instructions tell the computer what to do. Software is not a
physical thing (but it can of course be stored on a physical medium such
as a CD-ROM), it is just a bunch of codes. there are two types of
software: system software and application software:

Features of system software:

• Set of programs to control and manage the operation of
computer hardware
• Provides a platform on which other software can run
• Required to allow hardware and software to run without
problems
• Provides a human computer interface (hci)
• Controls the allocation and usage of hardware resources.
Features of application software:
• Used to perform various applications (apps) on a
computer
 • Allows a user to perform specific tasks using the
computer’s resources
• May be a single program (for example, notepad) or a
suite of programs (for Example, Microsoft office)
• User can execute the software as and when they require.

Utility Software:
Utility software helps maintain the system. It keeps your computer safe.
Keeps it running efferently, provides useful tools to manage files and
application. Utility software is used for:
• Compression
• Defragmentation
• Disk contents analysis and Repair
• Backing up
• Virus Checker
• Security
Most basic utility software is part of the operating system, but
additional utilities can also be installed separately.
1. Compression:
It reduces the size of a file so that it takes up less space and
downloads faster over the internet. Smaller files are easier to
transmit across a network as they require fewer packets to be sent.
Their reduced size also means more files can be stored in any
given area of storage.
2. Defragmentation:
When a file is stored on a hard disk it is actually stored not as a
whole file, but as a series of segments. Sometimes the segments
run together in sequence and sometimes the segments are split
up over a disk. This is known as fragmentation. Defragmentation
reorganises files on hard disk, putting fragments of files and free
space back together.
3. Disk contents analysis and Repair:
A disk analyser is a piece of software that checks drives for space
and usage and explores files and folders visually, simplifying file
clean-up and optimization. It can check for and fix errors related
to the formatting and directory structure of a Mac storage device.
Disk Utility can fix certain disk problems for example, multiple
apps quit unexpectedly, a file is corrupted, an external device
doesn't work properly, or your computer won't start up.

4. Backing up:
Backups can be set up to the manual, automatic or scheduled. To
prevent data loss, regular copies of the data should be made. A
 copy of data is known as a backup. Backups can contain a copy
of all files on a computer, or just ones specified by a user.

5. Virus Checker:
Antivirus software are also known as anti-malware, is a computer
program used to prevent, detect, and remove malware. Antivirus
is a kind of software used to prevent, scan, detect and delete
viruses from a computer. Once installed, most antivirus software
runs automatically in the background to provide real time
protection against virus attacks.
6. Security:
• The operating system is responsible for the creation and
application of user accounts and passwords.
• links into other utility software, such as virus checkers and
spyware checkers
• protects network interfaces (for example, through the use of
firewalls)
• uses encryption and decryption to ensure any intercepted
data is meaningless without a decryption key
Screensavers
Screensavers are programs that supply moving and still images
on the monitor screen after a period of inactivity by the computer.

Device drivers
The device driver software sits between the hardware device and
the operating system. This allows generic instructions from
 software applications to be turned into specific instructions for
that particular hardware device.
Purpose of device drivers:
➢ Operate and control a device attached to the computer.
➢ Provide an interface between the OS/application and the
device.
➢ Tell the operating system how to communicate with the
hardware device.
➢ Translate requests between a device and the computer.
Operating system:
• An Operating System is a program that acts as an interface
between the user and the computer hardware and controls the
execution of all kinds of programs.
• The Operating System (OS) is essentially software running in the
background of a computer system.
• Creates a friendly interface between user and computer to
perform task easily.
• Most computers store the operating system on a hard disk drive
(HDD) or solid-state drive (SSD) since they tend to be very large
programs.

Operating systems have many functions:

➢ Provides an interface for computer interaction
➢ Interrupt and error handling
➢ Management of hardware and peripherals
➢ Management of user accounts
➢ File management (copy, save, sort, delete)
 ➢ Multitasking
➢ Memory management
➢ Security (access rights, user accounts, firewalls etc)
➢ Running of software
1. User interface
A user interface provides a way for the user to interact with the
computer. Without it, most computers would be too difficult for
the average person to use.
2. Management of hardware and peripherals
The operating system is responsible for controlling all the devices
connected to the computer. It tells them how to interact and
operate correctly. Device drivers are used to manage these
connections.
3. Running of software
The operating system runs programs, allowing them to function as
designed. Programs are designed to run on a particular operating
system. This enables them to benefit from the existing connections
and functions available.
4. Processor management
The operating system manages the CPU. When software is opened,
the OS finds it and loads it into memory (RAM). The CPU can then
be instructed to execute the program. The operating system will
manage the sharing of processor time.
5. Interrupt and error handling
An interrupt is a signal which is sent from a device or from
software to the operating system. The signal causes the operating
 system to temporarily stop what it is doing and ‘service’ the
interrupt. The interrupt handler is the part of the operating system
which is responsible for dealing with interrupt signals. The
interrupt handler prioritises interruptions as they are received,
placing them into a queue as necessary.

6. Memory management
The operating system is responsible for transferring programs to
and from memory. It keeps track of memory usage and decides
how much should be given to each program. The OS also decides
what happens if there is not enough memory.

7. File management
A file system is created to organise files and directories. This gives
programs a consistent way to store and retrieve data. The OS is
also responsible for the naming, sorting, deleting, moving and
copying of files (at the request of the user).
8. Security
The operating system is responsible for the creation and application
of user accounts and passwords. An OS also comes with many
utility programs, including firewalls.
9. Management of user accounts
Computers allow more than one user to log onto the system. It is
therefore important that users’ data is stored in separate parts of the
memory for security reasons. Each person logging onto the
 computer will be given a user account protected by a user name and
password.

10. Multitasking
. Multitasking is when multiple jobs are executed by the CPU
simultaneously by switching between them. Switches occur so
frequently that the users may interact with each program while it
is running.
Running of applications:
• When a computer is first powered up, the initiating programs are
loaded into memory from the ROM (read only memory) chip.
• These programs run a checking procedure to make sure the
hardware, processor, internal memory and BIOS (basic input–
output system) are all functioning correctly. If no errors are
detected, then the operating system is loaded into memory.
Interrupts and buffers
Interrupts
An interrupt is a signal sent from a device or from software to the
processor. This will cause the processor to temporarily stop what
it is doing and service the interrupt.
Software interrupts:
• Program file cannot be found to initiate execution.
• Prompt to alert a user who is closing a document without
saving.
Hardware interrupts:
• A paper jam has occurred in the printer.
 • A disk drive is ready to receive more data.
• The user holds CTRL+ALT+BREAK.
Buffers
Buffers are temporary memory areas in a computer to help
optimise the use of the processor, since hardware devices operate
at slower speeds than the computer processor.
How it works:
When devices request data from a computer, they receive it in a
buffer. While they empty the data into themselves at a
pathetically slow speed, the computer’s processor handles other
tasks. When it has finished emptying the buffer, and if more
information needs to be sent, the computer’s processor fills the
buffer with data again. This happens until all data is sent.
This way, the computer is not limited by the speed of the devices
it communicates with.
HIGH- AND LOW-LEVEL LANGUAGES

LANGUAGES AND PRORAMMING LANGUAGES

• People use many different languages to communicate with each
other.
• For two people to understand each other they need to speak the
same language or another person, an interpreter, is needed to
translate from one language to the other language.
• Programmers use many different programming languages to
communicate with computers.
 PROGRAM

• Programs are our way of telling a computer what to do, how to

do it and when to do it.
• A COMPUTER PROGRAM is a list of instructions that enable
a computer to perform a specific task.
• Computer programs can be written in high-level languages or
low-level languages, depending on the task to be performed and
the computer to be used.
TYPES OF PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES
1. LOW LEVEL LANGUAGES
2. HIGH LEVEL LANGUAGES

HIGH LEVEL LANGUAGES

• A High Level Language is a language similar to human language

that programmers can interact with easily and understand.
• Languages designed with operator/programmer in mind. Gives
programmers the ability to write code quickly, debug and
maintain. Such as Python, JavaScript, C++, etc.

LOW LEVEL LANGUAGES

• Low-level languages relate to the specific architecture and

hardware of a particular type of computer.
• Low-level languages can refer to machine code, the binary
• instructions that a computer understands, or an assembly
language that needs to be translated into machine code.
TYPES OF LOW LEVEL
1. MACHINE LANGUAGE:
• It contains instructions in form of 0s and 1s.
• Programmers do not usually write in machine code as it is
difficult to understand and it can be complicated to manage
data manipulation and storage.
2. ASSEMBLY LANGUAGE
• It contains instructions in form of symbols and commands.
• Those programmers who do, do so for the following reasons:
➢ To make use of special hardware
➢ To make use of special machine-dependent instructions
➢ To write code that doesn’t take up much space in
primary memory
➢ To write code that performs a task very quickly.

Example :
• LDA means load the value of the variable into the accumulator.
• ADD means add the value of another variable to the value
stored in the accumulator.
• STO means replace the value of the variable by the value stored
in the accumulator.
Translators
Translators are the software that translate one language to another.
Types of translators are :
1. Compiler
2. Interpreter
3. Assembler
Compilers
• A COMPILER is a computer program that translates a
program written in a high-level language (HLL) into machine
code so that it can be directly used by a computer to perform a
required task.
Interpreters
• An INTERPRETER is a computer program that reads a
statement from a program written in a high-level language,
performs the action specified and then does the same with the
next statement and so on.

ASSEMBLERS
• An ASSEMBLER is a computer program that translates a
program written in assembly language into machine code so
that it can be directly used by a computer to preform tasks.
Difference between Translators
Integrated development environments (IDE)

Integrated development environments (IDE) are applications that

facilitates the development of other applications. Designed to
encompass all programming tasks in one application, one of the
main benefits of an IDE is that they offer a central interface with all
the tools a developer needs, including:

Code editor: Designed for writing and editing source code, these
editors are distinguished from text editors because work
to either simplify or enhance the process of writing and
editing of code for developers.

Translator: IDEs will have a built-in compiler or interpreter that

allows source code written in a high-level language to
be translated into the machine code needed to run the
program on the computer.

Debugger: Debuggers are used during testing and can help

developers debug their application programs.

Auto documentation and prettyprinting: IDEs may

automatically create documentation about the code as it
is being written, including what variables, arrays and
subroutines are used for. Pretty Print is the use of
formatting rules (such as indent sizes and whitespace )
to make code easier to.
Runtime environments with a debugger: Runs your program by
converting your source code into machine code in order
for it to be executed by the CPU. A debugger is a
program that runs the program under development and
allows the programmer to step through the program a
line at a time.

Error diagnostics and auto-correction: error checking finds

possible errors as the program code is being typed,
alerts the programmer at the time and provides a
suggested correction. Many errors can therefore be
found and corrected during program writing and editing
before the program is run.
Auto completion– This provides available options as the programmer
enters code.

Summary
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