Computing Revision Notes

Index Software System Software Internet

Software Questions List and describe the two main categories of software? Application software: Designed to help the user complete tasks. The three types of this are general purpose, which can be used b anyone, such as word processors, special purpose, which serve specific functions, such as video games, and bespoke software, which is built and used by companies, such as game engines used by specific companies. System software: Software which is used by the computer to help run smoothly such as defragging programs.

Software Questions cont. Complete the empty boxes in the diagram on the right… Application System Bespoke Translator Library

System Software Questions Give the 4 system software types:  Operating system  Utility Software  Library software  Translator Programs What is system software for? System software is to help the computer run as efficiently as possible. Explain two functions of an operating system:  To provide a base user interface  To navigate to other programs Give a benefit of using library programs: It means you don’t have to write the same code over and over again. What is utility software for? Utility software is to help the computer run as efficiently as possible. Give two examples of utility programs.  Disk defraggers  Antivirus software What is the purpose of translator software, give three examples: Translator software translates machine code into something the user can understand.  Programming languages  Media players  File type converters

Online Shopping In 1914, WW1 started, so shopping started to be rationed. There weren’t any fridges then, so shopping had to be done little and often, and there was no option for online shopping, because the internet hadn’t been invented yet. Now, there is the internet, so online shopping is huge. Supermarkets have their own websites, so you can get food delivered to you. Amazon is a huge online retailer, and Ebay lets second hand shopping happen easily. Its important that computers and servers involved with online shopping are reliable to protect customer details, and to prevent bank accounts being hacked.

Broken Computers Article In a recent terrorist attack, all the computers in the world have stopped working, and so most forms of communication are down. This makes it very difficult to publish any kind of newspaper over a large area. This means that hardly anyone will read this article anyway. The internet going down will have a huge impact on the world, as communication, shopping, entertainment and education have all been affected. It could take a while to get the internet back up and running, so don’t expect any Facebook notifications any time soon.