Application Software
Application software applies the power of a particular computing
platform to a particular purpose. Application software is all the
computer software that causes a computer to perform useful tasks
beyond the running of the computer itself.
The operating system itself can be considered application software
when performing simple calculating, measuring and word processing
tasks not used to control hardware via command-line interface or
graphical user interface.
Applications software (also called end-user programs) includes
database programs, word processors, and spreadsheets. Applications
software sits on top of systems software because it is unable to run
without the operating system and system utilities.
System Software
System software is a program that manages and supports the computer resources
and operations of a computer system while it executes various tasks such as
processing data and information, controlling hardware components, and allowing
users to use application software. That is, systems software functions as a bridge
between computer system hardware and the application software. System
software is made up of many control programs, including the operating system,
communications software and database manager.
Systems software includes compilers, loaders, linkers, and debuggers.
Three Kinds of Programs
Systems software consists of three kinds of programs which are as follows:
1.System Management Programs
2.System Support Programs
3.System Development Programs
System Management Programs
These are programs that manage the application software, computer hardware, and data resources of
the computer system. These programs include operating systems, operating environment programs,
database management programs, and telecommunications monitor programs. Among these, the most
important system management programs are operating systems. The operating systems are needed to
study more details. There are two reasons. First, users need to know their functions first. For the
second, there are many kinds of operating systems available today.
Telecommunications monitor programs are additions of the operating systems of microcomputers.
These programs provide the extra logic for the computer system to control a class of communications
devices.
System Support Programs
These are the programs that help the operations and management of a computer system. They provide
a variety of support services to let the computer hardware and other system programs run efficiently.
The major system support programs are system utility programs, system performance monitor
programs, and system security monitor programs (virus checking programs).
System Development Programs
These are programs that help users develop information system programs and prepare user programs
for computer processing. These programs may analyze and design systems and program itself. The
main system development programs are programming language translators, programming
environment programs, computer-aided software engineering packages.
Compiler
A Compiler is a program that translates program written in a high-
level language into machine language so that it can be executed.
In other words Compiler is a computer program that transforms
source code written in a programming language (the source
language) into another computer language (binary form known as
object code).
Every high-level programming language comes with a compiler. In
effect, the compiler is the language, because it defines which
instructions are acceptable. Because compilers translate source code
into object code, which is unique for each type of computer, many
compilers are available for the same language.
Interpreter
Interpreter is a program that translates an instruction into a
machine language and executes it before proceeding to the next
instruction.
Interpreter converts the high level language into machine readable
binary equivalents. Each time when an interpreter gets a high level
language code to be executed, it converts the code into an
intermediate code before converting it into the machine code. Each
part of the code is interpreted and then execute separately in a
sequence and an error is found in a part of the code it will stop the
interpretation of the code without translating the next set of the
codes.
Assembler
An assembler is a program that takes basic computer instructions
and converts them into a pattern of bits that the computer's
processor can use to perform its basic operations. These
instructions are called assembler language or assembly language.
An assembly language use mnemonics for writing assembly
language. The use of symbolic references is a key feature of
assemblers, saving tedious calculations and manual address
updates after program modifications.
Assemblers have been available since the 1950s and are far
simpler to write than compilers for high-level languages as each
mnemonic instruction / address mode combination translates
directly into a single machine language opcode.
