1. Using Information Technology
Chapter 4
System Software
To the instructor:
This presentation attempts to cover every term in the text, sometimes via a slide, sometimes via the Notes page.
Additional material beyond what is in the text is presented via:
Occasional “FACTOID” notations on the Notes page, and;
Occasional hyperlinks in the slides themselves. ScreenTip text has been added to each hyperlink allowing you to see in advance of selecting the hyperlink where that link will take you.
In addition, the last ~20 slides are questions covering the material just presented. They can be used to increase interaction between the instructor and students at the end of each lecture, to ensure students understand the material just presented, etc.
Finally, some of the Notes pages include “Discussion questions” for use in encouraging student interaction during the lecture.

2. System Software The 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?
Key Questions (from the text):
4.1 What are three components of system software?
4.2 What are the principal functions of the operating system?
4.3 What are the characteristics of device drivers and utility programs?
4.4 What are some common desktop, network, and portable OSs?
4.5 What are some future directions operating systems might take?
4.6 What are some recent trends in online software?
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3. 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
Operating system (OS) - the master system of programs that manage the basic operations of the computer. Also called the software platform.
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4. 4.2 The Operating System: What It Does
Booting - the process of loading an operating system into a computer’s main memory
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5. 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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6. 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
The OS also manages memory via:
Partitioning - division of memory into separate areas called partitions, each of which can hold a program or data.
Foreground/background - division of memory into higher priority (foreground) and lower priority (background) areas.
Queues - temporary line-ups for programs waiting to be executed.
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7. The Operating System: What It Does File Management
Move
Rename
Delete
Copy
Back up
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8. The Operating System: What It Does Task Management
Number of Users
Number of Processors
Order of Processing
Multi-tasking
One
Concurrently
Multi-programming
Multiple
Time sharing
Round robin
Multi-processing
One or more
Two or more
Simultaneously
Time-slicing - the apportionment of tiny slices of time (fractions of a second) to various tasks, which allows time sharing to take place.
Two possible approaches to multiprocessing:
Coprocessing - the controlling CPU works together with specialized microprocessors called coprocessors, each of which handles a particular task.
Parallel processing - several full-fledged processors work together on the same tasks, sharing memory.
Processing of two or more programs
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9. 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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10. 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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11. 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
Utilities - programs which perform tasks related to the control and allocation of computer resources.
FACTOID: Now that recordable CDs (CD-Rs) and rewritable CDs (CD-RWs) are becoming more and more common, backup utilities are being created to back up files onto them. Backup NOW! by NTI is one such utility.
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12. 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 computer’s storage space so that less space (fewer bits) is required to store or transmit data
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13. 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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14. Utilities: Service Programs
Disk scanner and disk cleanup utilities:
Detect & remove unnecessary files
Detect & correct disk problems
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15. 4.4 Common Operating Systems Desktop & 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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16. Desktop & Laptop Operating Systems
Mac OS - operating system which runs only on Apple Macintosh computers
The Macintosh OS was first launched in 1984, and inspired rival Microsoft to upgrade DOS to the more user-friendly Windows operating systems.
It set the standard for icon-oriented, easy-to-use graphical user interfaces.
Mac OS X
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17. 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
FACTOID: Annoyances.org is a Website that claims to be “the most complete collection of information assembled for and by actual users of Microsoft Windows.”
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18. Network Operating Systems
Novell’s Netware - a long popular network operating system for coordinating microcomputer-based local area networks (LANs) throughout a company or campus
FACTOID: Netware was introduced by Novell in It was the first LAN software based on file-server technology. The current release of Netware is Netware 6.
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19. Network Operating Systems
Windows NT - Microsoft’s multitasking OS designed to run on network servers; it allows multiple users to share resources such as data and programs
Windows successor to Windows NT
NT stands for “New Technology.”
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20. Network Operating Systems
Windows XP - Microsoft’s newest OS, which combines elements of Windows 2000 and Windows Me
New GUI featured in Windows XP
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21. 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)
Solaris - super-reliable version of Unix that seems to be most popular for handling large e-commerce servers and large websites.
BSD - free software which began in the 1970s in the the computer science department of the University of California at Berkeley. There are now three variations:
The Free BSD Project, focused on standard PCs;
NetBSD - focused on a wide range of platforms; and
OpenBSD - focused on security.
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22. 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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23. Network Operating Systems
Open-source software - software which any programmer can download from the Internet for free and modify with suggested improvements
FACTOID: The Open Source Initiative is a non-profit corporation “dedicated to managing and promoting the Open Source Definition for the good of the community.”
Linus Torvalds, creator of Linux
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24. 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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25. 4.5 The OS of the Future: “The Network is the Computer”
.Net - Microsoft’s 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-P’s 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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28. 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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30. 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
Network computer - an inexpensive, stripped-down computer that connects people to networks and runs applications tied to servers.
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31. 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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32. 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
ERP software was predecessor to ASP. The high cost and huge risk borne by the buyer with ERP software makes ASP an attractive alternative.
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33. Copyright © 2003. Exclusive rights by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Concept Check
What is the latest version of Microsoft Windows? XP
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34. Copyright © 2003. Exclusive rights by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Concept Check
What is the term for software which can be downloaded from the Internet for free and modified with suggested improvements?
Open-source software
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35. Copyright © 2003. Exclusive rights by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Concept Check
Which Microsoft OS runs on handheld computers?
Windows CE/Pocket PC
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36. Copyright © 2003. Exclusive rights by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Concept Check
What is the term for a non-centralized network consisting of several computers and other devices that can communicate with one another?
Distributed system
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37. Copyright © 2003. Exclusive rights by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Concept Check
What is the term for a firm that leases software over the Internet to customers?
ASP (Application Service Provider)
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38. Copyright © 2003. Exclusive rights by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Concept Check
What is the name of the popular open-source version of UNIX?
Linux
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39. Copyright © 2003. Exclusive rights by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Concept Check
What was the first OS released by Microsoft?
DOS (Disk Operating System)
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40. Copyright © 2003. Exclusive rights by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Concept Check
What is the process of loading an operating system into a computer’s main memory called?
Booting
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41. Copyright © 2003. Exclusive rights by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Concept Check
What is the term for the execution of two or more programs by one user concurrently on the same computer with one central processor?
Multitasking
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42. Copyright © 2003. Exclusive rights by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Concept Check
What is the term for a single computer processing the tasks of several users of different stations in round-robin fashion?
Time-sharing
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43. Copyright © 2003. Exclusive rights by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Concept Check
What is the term for the scattering of portions of files about the disk in nonadjacent areas, thus greatly slowing access to the files?
Fragmentation
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44. Copyright © 2003. Exclusive rights by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Concept Check
What kind of utility program is used to restore data that has been physically damaged or corrupted?
A data-recovery program
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45. Copyright © 2003. Exclusive rights by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Concept Check
What kind of utility program is used to remove redundant elements, gaps, and unnecessary data from a computer’s storage space so that less space is required to store or transmit data?
A data compression program
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46. Copyright © 2003. Exclusive rights by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Concept Check
What is the term for the particular processor model and operating system on which a computer system is based?
Platform
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47. Copyright © 2003. Exclusive rights by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Concept Check
What is the term for a network computer in which users provide their own software, relying on the server primarily for only data?
Fat client
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48. Copyright © 2003. Exclusive rights by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Concept Check
Which OS, first introduced in 1984, set the standard for icon-oriented, easy-to-use graphical user interfaces?
Macintosh OS
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49. Copyright © 2003. Exclusive rights by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Concept Check
What is the process of preparing a floppy disk so that it can store data or programs called?
Formatting or initializing
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50. Copyright © 2003. Exclusive rights by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Concept Check
What is the name for the component of system software that allows input and output devices to communicate with the rest of the computer system?
Device drivers
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51. Copyright © 2003. Exclusive rights by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Concept Check
What kind of utility program eliminates disk fragmentation?
Defragmentation utility or “defragger”
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52. Copyright © 2003. Exclusive rights by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Concept Check
Which company developed Jini?
Sun Microsystems
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