1. FatMax 2007. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 LicenseCreative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 License Systems Software (A VERY Brief Introduction)

2. FatMax 2007. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 LicenseCreative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 License Software? Hardware refers to the physical components that make up the computer Software refers to the computer programs that make the hardware do something useful

3. FatMax 2007. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 LicenseCreative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 License Software Types Software can divided into main two categories Systems Software Applications Software Systems software describes the programs which help the user control and make best use of the hardware Applications software describes programs that have been written to perform a specific task

4. FatMax 2007. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 LicenseCreative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 License Systems Software Two categories of systems software Operating Systems Other Systems Software Systems Software Operating Systems are covered in more detail in another presentationpresentation Other software which come under the category of Systems Software

5. FatMax 2007. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 LicenseCreative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 License Systems Software - Utilities Some common utilities Anti-Virus Compression Backup/Restore Registry Cleanup Scan disk/disk repair Hardware diagnostics Encryption/decryption Sometimes included with the Operating System Sometimes bundled/sold together in a separate package

6. FatMax 2007. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 LicenseCreative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 License Systems Software - Drivers Used to configure hardware e.g. scanners, printers etc. Printer driver formats output for a particular printer Translates software instructions into a format hardware can understand and vice versa

7. FatMax 2007. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 LicenseCreative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 License Systems Software – Drivers 2 Exam Revision!!! What is a device driver? A device driver is a specific type of computer software, developed to allow interaction with hardware devices. This usually constitutes an interface for communicating with the device, through the communications subsystem, providing commands to and/or receiving data from the device. It is a specialised hardware-dependent computer program, which is also operating system specific, that enables another program, typically an operating system or applications software, to interact transparently with the given device.

8. FatMax 2007. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 LicenseCreative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 License Compilers and Interpreters 1 When computer programs are written they need to be converted into machine code. This binary code is the language which the computer understands. Source File Compiler Software Executable File Executable File Output A compiler converts the program code into machine code and saves the machine code into a file which can be executed. This program can then be transferred to other PCs and used without the need for a compiler. Computer A Computer B

9. FatMax 2007. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 LicenseCreative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 License Compilers and Interpreters 2 An Interpreter works in a similar manner but code is executed straight away without being stored. Macros, mini programs which can record & playback keystrokes and mouse clicks in applications, are interpreted each time they are run and so need an Interpreter.

10. FatMax 2007. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 LicenseCreative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 License Research/Tasks Choose 3 utilities NOT listed on slide 5 and explain their function/purpose Give two reasons why a printer driver may fail to function or function as expected HINT: Look at slide seven