A computer’s software refers to a program (or a group of programs) which give a computer instructions on what to do and how to operate. Software programs can provide one main task, or multiple main tasks.
As an example, a program designed to edit digital photographs has one key task (i.e. to allow for editing of photos) – naturally it would have numerous sub-tasks though (i.e. red eye removal, color correction features, resizing and cropping/cutting of an image).
On the other hand, a computer’s operating system (a complex piece of software which basically handles and runs the entire computer) would carry out many main tasks – for example handling input and output (i.e. the user typing in with a keyword, or audio coming out of speakers), memory allocation, managing the computer’s hardware components (these are the electrical components which power a computer) and much more.
Software can be grouped into roughly two groups: application software and systems software. Essentially, software which facilitates just one main task (for example, photo editing software as in the above example) would be counted as application software. This is contrasted to systems software which refers to complex, multi-task programs which help to run the entire system – such as an operating system.
These two main groups of software are discussed in more detail below:
Application Software
This is software which is installed on an operating system (See “Systems Software” below for more information). As mentioned above, this type of software tends to perform just one main task. Another example of application software would be a website browser: this is the program which you are probably using right now to view this article. Examples of a browser include Internet Explorer, Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox. In short, their main task/function is to facilitate you in surfing the internet.
Other types of application software are as follows:
Word Processing – this type of software allows you to type up documents and letters. Examples include Microsoft Office Word and Open Office. Antivirus Software – this type of software helps protect your computer system against malicious threats such as viruses and malware. Examples include Norton Antivirus, Kaspersky Antivirus and AVG Anti-virus. Photo Editing – this type of software can be used to edit and manipulate photos and other digital images in various ways. Examples include Paint.net, Corel PaintShop Pro and Adobe Photoshop.
Systems Software
This type of software is quite accurately described as being at the very core of any computer system. Without systems software, a computer could not really function. In short, it manages every aspect of a computer system – from how the hardware interacts with the software (‘drivers’) to giving the user an interface and platform to interact with the system (‘operating system’). The operating system – or ‘OS’ – is the software that loads up after your computer is switched on. It’s where all application software is installed on. Examples of an OS include Microsoft Windows (XP, Vista, 7 etc), Linux (Ubuntu, CentOS) and Apple Mac OS X.
Other types of systems software include device drives (these make the hardware components function correctly with the software and computer system) and utilities (these are also called ‘utility tools’ and they help monitor, maintain, check and analyze different parts of a computer; such as ‘Task Manager’ and ‘Disk Defragment on Windows OSes).
What Is Computer Software, Application Software And Systems Software?
Posted by adminJan 31
What Is Computer Software?
Posted by adminJan 31
Software is a term that describes what a program is, and will tell the computer what the program is designed to do. There are a few different types of computer software, but the most common types are application, system and programming.
All the operations that the computer performs are run on one some application of computer software. These applications allow the computer to perform the required operation. Even playing a computer game, is considered a function by the computer. Which ever application you do use, you are using a piece of software to run it and perform a certain operation, this can include everything from business related software, to educational, to scientific programs, and even medical.
A company can use software to help with their everyday operations of running a business. These tasks can include: customer service, spreadsheets, payroll, accounts receivable, data base, and inventory management. These can all be done with certain pieces of software. There are several companies that will use and even buy computer software to help teach some of their employees in learning a second language to increase their knowledge, and improve their work skills especially if they work with people from different nationalities.
Software can also be used in hospitals, to run monitoring equipment. Researches may use modeling programs in an experiment to test out a theory. The industry of computer software will continue to grow over the next couple of years. There are many software companies, in all parts of the world, and there are just as many different programmers working to make the industry even larger. Many job seekers have realized how extensive the growth and the importance of software is, and the rate in which it is expanding. It is no wonder, that there are many people who are trying to get into this field in one form or another, as they know they will get a lot from it in return.
Laptop Computer Maintenance – Eight Things to Avoid Doing With Your Laptop Or Netbook
Posted by adminJan 4
If you are a proud owner of a laptop or netbook computer and wish your computer would serve you for years to come, then you have to go through this article very carefully. You will find the tips that, when you follow them consistently, will prolong the lifespan of your laptop and will provide a much more pleasant experience using your laptop in the future.
Laptops and netbooks today are designed with rough, mobile activities of their owners in mind. They are designed, unlike their counterparts desktop computers and servers, to operate while in movement, to be exposed to bigger temperature swings, and overall, to more abuse. However, the laptop computers are definitely vulnerable to extraordinary treatments. Let us look into a few of them now. Here is the list of eight things you definitely want to avoid doing with your laptop:
Do not allow laptop to fall or slide down to the floor. Even though today’s laptops are designed for heavy shock treatment, this may just be too much. Even if your laptop is a ToughNote or a Lenovo series with active fall detection mechanism, challenging your laptop this way is just not worth it. Do not open any cover of your laptop unless you are exchanging the memory banks. The inner workings of the laptop are extremely densely packed and it will be difficult for you to do anything. You will probably void the warranty and in addition, you probably will not be able to find anything there worth fixing anyways. If you are adding or replacing memory banks, be sure to ground yourself very well before opening the laptop. The inner workings of a laptop are very sensitive to static electricity. Do not sit a heavy object on top of the laptops case. I once had a guitar “slide” down onto the top of the case. When I opened the laptop up, the screen was broken. Not a pretty picture to behold. The LCD screen is just a fraction of an inch away from the top of the case and there is not much protection for the screen by the top of the case. Do not use your laptop in dirty or dusty environments. I have recently been in an area with many fires around for a week. The air was filled with smoke, not enough to prevent me from walking on the streets but enough to enter into the houses and affect my laptop. I had severe problems with the laptop starting up and I suspect it was because of the smoke and dust settling on the inner workings of the laptop. In case of smoke, cover your laptop with a plastic bag at lest when not in use. Do not let your laptop get wet. Today’s laptops are mostly designed to withstand a spill of coffee, soda, or tea. However, I would not take a chance. The keyboards are usually difficult and expensive to replace on a laptop and could still be sensitive to the effects of a spilled hot coffee. And even a single stuck key could necessitate replacing the entire keyboard. Do not allow your laptop close to strong magnetic fields. Such fields are present in the old-style CRT television tubes, around larger stereo speakers. A strong magnetic field can interfere with the hard disk activities that work by modifying magnetic fields. Your hard drive may become unusable. Do not turn your laptop off when it is writing data on the disk. Modern operating systems such as Vista or Windows 7 write date on the disk practically all the time, to optimize performance. So whenever possible, do not turn your computer off without the proper shutdown or restart procedure. Especially dangerous is turning the computer off during the check disk procedure and during the disk defragmentation procedure. Do not expose your laptop to extremes in temperature. Both high and low temperatures can damage your LCD screen, causing it to crack. The extremely high temperatures are liable to warping the case of the laptop. LCD screens do not particularly like being twisted and can become irreversibly damaged or broken.
So here you have it. Now that you know the eight things to avoid doing with your laptop, you can memorize them and just stop doing them. Just a few thoughtful acts and precautions can extend the life of your laptop and its parts by several years.