System software types of system software

1. Introduction to Computer
Lecture # 11
Course Instructor : Sehrish Rafiq
Govt. Girls Degree College Maneri Swabi
Higher Education Department KP

2. Lecture Overview
• Software
• Types of Software
 System Software
Operating System
Device Drivers
Firmware
Translators
Utility Software
 Application Software
Commercial Software
Customized Software
Freeware

3. Software
• Software is a general term used to refer to various kinds of
programs used to operate computers and related devices.
• It is a set of instructions which tell the computer to perform some
particular task.
• A computer cannot think about what to do with data and how to
process it.
• It must be told exactly what to do i.e. from where to take the data,
how to process it and where to put the result.
• All these steps must be written in to a particular computer language.
• These set of steps are known as software/ programs.

4. Continued…
• In other words we can say that the set of instructions which take data
from input devices, process that data and send the output to output
devices are known as software.
• There are two types of software.
 System software
 Application software

5. System Software
• System software are programs consisting of instructions related with
working of hardware and software.
• It behaves like an incharge and performs the activity of overall
supervision of input, processing and output of data.
• The purpose of system software is to increase the capability of the
system and to make the computer more effective.
• System software is a base for application software and is
responsible for managing hardware .
• In other words we can say that system software acts as an
intermediator between user and hardware.

6. Types of System Software
• Operating system
• Device drivers
• Firmware
• Language Translators
• Utility Software

7. Operating System
• The operating system is a type of system software which acts like an interface
between computer hardware and end user.
• It is installed first on a computer to allow devices and applications to be
identified by the computer.
•
• Operating system is the first layer of software to be loaded into memory every
time a computer is powered up.
• It is the most important type of software in a system.
• It is a set of programs which coordinate and control different activities of the
computer.
• Operating system is a resource manager which controls different hardware and
software resources of a computer system.
• A resource may be an input/output or storage device or it can be a program/
data file.

8. Operating System Examples
• Windows Operating system Series
 Windows 1-3
 Windows 95
 Windows 98
 Windows XP 2000-2006
 Windows 7-8
 Windows 10
• Linux Operating system series
 Ubunto
 Arch Linux
 Fedora
 Red Hat
 BackBox
 Lunar Linux
• Unix Operating system series
 Ultrix
 Sun OS
 Solaris

9. Device Drivers
• Device Driver software brings computer devices and peripherals to
life.
• Drivers make it possible for all connected components and external
add-ons perform their intended tasks and as directed by the OS.
• Without drivers, the OS would not assign any duties.
• Usually, the operating system ships with drivers for most devices
already in the market.
• By default, input devices such as the mouse and keyboard will have
their drivers installed.
• They may never require third-party installations.

10. Continued…
• If a device is newer than the operating system, the user may have to
download drivers from manufacturer websites or alternative
sources.
• Examples of devices which require drivers:
 Mouse
 Keyboard
 Soundcard
 Display card
 Network card
 Printer

11. Firmware
• Firmware is the operational software embedded within ROM, or
EPROM memory chip by the computer manufacturer.
• Traditionally, firmware used to mean fixed software as denoted by
the word firm.
• It is installed on non-volatile chips usually ROM and could be
upgraded only by swapping them with new, preprogrammed chips.
• Types of firmware embedded on chips include:
 Bootstrap routine
 BIOS
 Assembler

12. Translators
• A translator is a program which translates source program in to object
program.
• A source program is a program written in a high level language(non-
machine language) e.g. assembly language, C, C++, C#, Java etc.
• An object program is a program in machine language obtained after
translation process.
• A computer understands machine language only therefore programs
written in high level language or assembly language must be translated
in to machine language before execution.
• Types of translators
 Assembler
 Compiler
 Interpreter

13. Assembler
• A computer cannot understand assembly language code therefore it
has to be converted in to machine language.
• Assembler is a translator software used to convert assembly
language code in to machine language code.
• Assembly language is machine dependent, therefore assemblers are
supplied on ROM chips by the computer manufacturer.

14. Compiler
• A compiler is a translator software which converts programs written
in a high level language in to machine code.
• The process of translation is known as compilation.
• Before translation the compiler first checks the syntax of the source
program and report the errors to the programmer if found.
• If the program is correct according to source language then the
compiler translates it in to machine language.
• A compiler compiles the whole program at once and save the object
code for future use.
• The object code can then be executed by the CPU.

15. Continued…
• Every high level language has its own compiler /interpreter.
• If a program has too many errors then the compiler works fast than
interpreter.
• Once a program is compiled, it always run fast than an interpreted
program.

16. Interpreter
• Interpreter is a translator software and like compiler it is also used
for translating source program in to object program.
• An interpreter translates the program line by line.
• After translating a line in to machine code, the interpreter sends
that line to CPU for execution and then translates another line.
• It does not store any object code for future use.
• If a program has too many errors, the interpreter stuck at each line
which contains any error.
• If a program is free of errors then the interpreter works fast than
compiler.

17. Utility Software
• Utility programs are a type of system software.
• These are programs intended for diagnostic and maintenance tasks for
the computer.
• They ensure that the computer functions optimally.
• Their tasks vary from crucial data security to disk drive defragmentation.
• Most are third-party tools but they may come bundled with the operating
system.
• Examples and features of utility software include:
 Antivirus software
 Disk defragmentation tools
 File Compression tools
 Data backup tools
 Data recovery tools
 Firewall

18. Application software
• Application software, or simply applications, are also called
productivity programs , end-user programs or packages.
• Application software is designed for performing specific tasks.
• They are designed by experts for the non-experts.
• They enable the user to complete tasks, such as creating documents,
spreadsheets, databases and publications, doing online research,
sending email, designing graphics, running businesses, and even
playing games.
• Examples of application software
 Microsoft office suite(word, excel, access, power point)
 Vlc Media Player, Real Player, Adobe Flash Player
 Street Fighter, Need for speed, Zuma Delux

19. Types of Application Software
• Commercial software
 Commercial software are software which are designed for public use and
sold in market.
 Examples:- Microsoft Office, Adobe Photoshop, Dreamweaver etc.
• Customized software
• Customized software is that application software which are designed on
order by the customer and according to specific customer needs.
• Examples:- Management Information Systems, Online Admission system,
Attendance Management system.
• Freeware software
• Freeware are those application software which can be downloaded for free
from the internet.
• Examples:- VlC media Player, Real Player, Skype, Adobe Reader, PDF X-
change Viewer etc.