1. Fundamentals of Computer Hardware & software

2. Software Distinguish between the two categories of software.
Define application software
Give examples of types of application software
Explain the terms
General-purpose
Integrated
Specialised
Customised
Custom-written

3. Software Categories Application Software System Software
These are programs developed to carry out specific tasks or solve particular problems.
System Software
Manages and supports the resources and operations of a computer system. It enables the running of application software and management of system resources.

4. Application Software Examples include: Entertainment software
Home & personal software
Productivity software
Specialist software

5. General-purpose software
Also called “off-the-shelf” Not written for any specific business or organization but can be used or adapted to suit their specific needs.
Usually well tested
Relatively cheap
Example Spreadsheet and word-processing packages.

6. Integrated software
A set of related programs combined in a unified package that allows data to be transferred easily between the programs.
Main advantage is the ease with which data can be transferred from one component to another using a cut/copy-paste operation.
Examples Microsoft Office, Microsoft Works, Sun OpenOffice, iWorks

7. Specialised software
Software written for a specific task rather than for a broad application area.
Example payroll, expert systems, accounting programs, theatre and airline booking systems

8. Customised software
General-purpose software which has been modified to meet the needs of an individual or organization better.
Customized through the use of special codes or macros (which are short programs written to automate several steps in software)
Usually written by experienced end users of the program.

9. Custom-written software (tailor-made)
Written by programmers within a company or contracted out to a software house to meet the specific needs of a company.
Every company is unique and may have unique needs, so a solution tailored to achieve the company’s goals, based on their specialized requirements offers advantages when compared to general-purpose packages.

10. System Software There are two major categories of system software:
Operating System
Utility programs
One textbook has a third…
Language translators

11. Operating System
A set of programs managing the operations of a computer, without which the computer cannot function.
the term ‘booting’ refers to the process of loading the operating system into a computer’s main memory from disk. It remains in the main memory until the computer is turned off.

12. Types of Operating System
Linux
Microsoft Windows
MSDOS
OSX
OS/2
Microsoft NT Server
Unix

13. Functions of the OS Managing computer resources
Managing files and memory
Maintaining security
Managing tasks
Multitasking (concurrent processes – running at the same time)
Multiprogramming
Multiprocessing
Time-sharing
Batch Processing
Real-time processing
Providing a user interface

14. User Interfaces Command-driven Menu-driven Graphical (GUI or WIMP)
User enters a command by typing in codes or words.
Menu-driven
Allows the use of either a mouse, cursor-keys or keyboard to make a selection from a menu.
Graphical (GUI or WIMP)
Windows
Icons
Menus
Pointers
Use graphic images, menus and keystrokes to choose commands, start programs, folders, files, tasks, procedures .