Maryam
Maryam
Maryam
TITLE:
COMPUTER SOFTWARE
BY:
MARYAM MUHAMMAD
DATE:
5TH OCTOBER, 2023.
1
DEDICATION
I dedicate this project to Allah Almighty who grant me the necessary wisdom and
knowledge to accomplish this task and to my ever loving parents Mr/Mrs. Bukar
Mala for their relentless support and encouragements during the course of this
project.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Firstly, I thank Allah Almighty for making all things possible.
I want to specially acknowledge my computer teacher Mr. Halifax for his numerous
contributions, encouragements and positive impact, and who ensure that I am well
equipped and trained in character and learning. I also record my appreciation to the
entire staff of Boldsteps International School Nyanya, FCT, Abuja.
I would like to express my deepest gratitude and appreciation to my beloved Parents
Mr./Mrs. Bukar Mala and my siblings for their encouragements and overwhelming
support to complete this project.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title page………………………………………….………………………..……………………………..….1
Dedication…………………………………………………………………….……….…………….……..…2
Acknowledgement…………………………………………………………….………..…………….……....3
Table of contents……………………………………………………………….……..……..………………..4
CHAPTER ONE
Introduction………………………………………………………….……………………..…………………5
What is computer software ?............................................................................................................................5
Types of software…………………………………………………….……...……………….…..……..…….5
System software……………………………………………………...……………….………………………5
Functions of system software……………………………………………………….………………………..5
Categories of system software……………………………………...…………………….…………………..5
CHAPTER TWO
Operating system software…………………………………………………….……….……………………..6
Types of Operating System………………….……………………………………………..………………..6
Examples of Operating System Software……………………………….…….…………….………………6
Function Of Operating System (OS)………………………………….…………………………………….6
Command-Line User Interface:…………………..…...……………………………………….……………..7
Advantages of Command User Interface:………………………..............................................…………….7
Disadvantages of Command User Interface ………………………………………………………………..7
Graphical User Interface (GUI)…………………………………………...……………….………………..7
Advantages of Graphical User Interface (GUI)…………………………….……………………………….7
Disadvantages of Graphical User Interface (GUI ………………………….…………………..…………..7
CHAPTER THREE
Utility Software…………………………………………………………………………………..…………..8
Functions of the Utility Programs………………………………………………………………………..….8
Common Utilities Used………………………………………………………………………………….…..8
Device Drivers…………………………………………….………………………………………………….9
Programming Language………………………………………………………………………………………9
Functions Of Software Programmer……………………………………………………………………..….9
Types Of Programming Languages………………………………………………………………………….9
Language Processors/Translators…………………………………………………………………………..11
Common Terms Used In Programming………………………………………………………………….....12
CHAPTER FOUR
Application Software…………………………………………………………………………………..……13
Types Of Application Software…………………………………………………………………………….13
Shelf Packages…………………………………………………………………............................................13
Advantages of off-shelf packages………………………………………………………………………...…16
Disadvantages of off-shelf packages………………………………………………………………………..16
Customized programs/ Bespoke/ Tailor-made programs…………………...............................................…16
Merits of customized programs…………………………………………………………………………......16
Disadvantages of customized software…………………………………………………………………..….17
Software Suite………………………………………………………………………………………........…18
Examples of software suites………………………………………………………………………………...18
Advantages of using software suites……………………………………………………………………..….18
CHAPTER FIVE
Common Terminologies Used In Software………………………………………………………………....19
Characteristics Of Good Computer Software………………………………………………………………20
Factors To Consider Before Obtaining A Software Program…………………………………………….....20
Characteristics Of Good Software…………………………………………………………………………...20
Summary………………………………………………………………………………………………….....22
Conclusion ……………………………………………………………………………………………….…22
Reference ………………………………………………………………………………………………...…22
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CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
What Is Computer Software
Computer software refers to the electronic instructions and procedures that command and control
the operation of a computer. Software tells the computerwhat to do.
TYPES OF SOFTWARE
There are mainly two types of software.
System Software
Application software
SYSTEM SOFTWARE
System software refers to a category of software that enables the computer to work and as well
control devices connected to it.
Or it refers the software that performs tasks related to the operation and performance of the
computer system.
System software is a set of programs designed to manage operations of the computer and avail
computer resources to the user.
FUNCTIONS OF SYSTEM SOFTWARE
Booting the computer
Making sure that all hardware elements are working properly
Performing operations such as retrieving, loading, executing and storing application
programs
Storing and retrieving files
Performing a variety of system utility functions.
CATEGORIES OF SYSTEM SOFTWARE
There are three categories of system software.
Operating system
Utility programs
Programming
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CHAPTER TWO
OPERATING SYSTEM SOFTWARE
Operating system is a type of system software that performs daily activities of a computer.
These are programs that manage the computer resources.
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COMMAND-LINE USER INTERFACE:
With a command line interface, a user types keyboard or press special keys on the keyboard
to enter data and instructions. The set of commands a user uses to interact with the computer
is called command language. Examples are DOS, UNIX, Linux.
You are provided with a virtually empty screen with a blinking cursor where commands are keyed
and the computer executes them by pressing the enter key.
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CHAPTER THREE
UTILITY SOFTWARE
This is parts of system software which are designed to configure, analyze, optimize and
maintain a computer in its operation.
Antivirus utility: used to search, find and remove viruses from the computer
System archives: These output a stream or a single file when provided with a directory/set of
files.
Disk checkers: these scan an operating hard drive for logical (file system) andphysical errors
Backup utility: makes a copy of all information stored on the hard disk onto another storage
medium e.g external hard disk, DVDs, etc.
Data compression utilities: output a smaller file when provided with a file.
Disk compressors: these compress/reduce the size of the file thus increasingthe capacity of
the disk.
Disk defragmenters: These detect computer files whose content is scattered in several
locations on the hard disk and move fragments to one location to increase efficiency.
Screen savers: these prevent phosphor burn-in on CRT and plasma monitors by filling it
with moving images, patterns when the computer is not in use.
Disk partition editors: these divide a drive into multiple logical drives, each with its own
file system which can be mounted by the operating system to be treated as an individual
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drive.
File synchronization utilities: these maintain consistency between two sources. They enable
redundancy or making copies of data.
System profilers: provide detailed information about the software installed and hardware
attached to the computer.
Network utilities: these analyze a computer’s network connectivity, configure network settings,
check data transfer or log events.
DEVICE DRIVERS
This is a small program that tells the operating system how to communicatewith the device.
Each device on a computer (e.g. a mouse) has its own specialized set of commands and
thus requires its own specific driver. The operating system loads each device’s driver when
the computer boots up.
To communicate with the hardware devices, the operating system relies ondevice drivers.
• A device driver is a program that accepts instructions and then converts them into
commands that the device understands.
• Each device on a computer, such as the keyboard, mouse, monitor, printer, card
reader/writer, and scanner, has its own device driver.
PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES
These refer to the languages used to write a computer instruction, programsoftware. A person
who writes a program is called a programmer.
This is a computer program written in machine code language, the language understood by a
computer. It is also referred to as binary language because it consists of only two digits. The
digits of 0s and 1s
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Types of low-level languages
This is a language which consist of mnemonic symbols (English like words)used to represent
the binary digits of zeros and ones of machine language.
Assembler languages are used to develop system software.
However computers can only understand machine language, thus assembler languages must be
translated into machine language for execution.
This is a computer program written in official language (known to man) but should be
converted to machine code for a computer to understand.
High level languages consist of statements or sequences text including words, numbers and
punctuation, much like written natural languages.
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They require to be translated to machine code
They are not executed faster.
Examples of high level languages
COBOL
PASCAL Ruby
C++
Python C#(C-sharp)
Java Script PERL
FORTRAN
Java
PHP
C
LANGUAGE PROCESSORS/TRANSLATORS
Language processors: These have to translate high level languages to machine code languages
which the processor can understand. They are software designed to translate from high level
language to low-level language.
Notepad
Trouble c
Borland
Sublime Text
Dev C, C++
CodeBlocks
Notepad ++
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COMMON TERMS USED IN PROGRAMMING
Source code is a program instruction written as text file by the programmer that must be
translated by a compiler or interpreter or assembler into an object code before execution.
Source code cannot be understood by the computer until it has been translated into machine
code.
Execution is the process by which a computer system performs the instructionsof a computer
program.
Object code is a program code in machine language that is ready for execution by the
computer.
Bug is a logical problem in the program source code that stops the program to give wrong
results/ from running
Debugging is the process of detecting, checking and identifying problems and errors in the
source code.
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CHAPTER FOUR
APPLICATION SOFTWARE
This is a software program that performs a specific and user function. Application software is
installed on operating system.
Application software consists of programs designed to perform specific tasks for end-
users. For example typing a letter.
• Off-shelf packages
• These are programs already written and ready to be run upon their purchase.
Word processors
These are programs that enable you to perform word processing functions, theyare document
production applications.
An application software with which a user creates, edits save, format And print letters reports
and other documents. E.g. word processing software, EZ word, word perfect etc
Spreadsheet software
An application with which a user can organize data in rows and columns create graphs and can
perform calculations e.g. Ms excel, Lotus 123, VisiCalc
Presentation software
An application with which a user can organize content on a slide for viewing by the audience.
Ms power point, Harvard graphics, Corel presentation
Database software
An application with which one can store lots of data for future manipulation
Application software with which one can design publications like news papers, wedding cards
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certificates etc
Imaging software application software with which done can edit, retouch aphotograph.
Web browsing software used for displaying and viewing webpages from the internet or html
documents on computers.
Examples Include:
Mozilla Firefox,
Internet Explorer
Safari
Opera
Netscape Navigator
Chrome
WEB AUTHORING SOFTWARE
Web authoring software – These are used by webmasters for building websites. Examples
include:
Microsoft FrontPage,
Adobe Dreamweaver,
Microsoft Expression Web,
Antenna Web Design Studio
Sublime text 3
MEDIA PLAYERS FOR AUDIO AND VIDEO
Media Players for Audio and Video playback on computers. Examples include:
Windows Media Player,
Nero Showtime,
Jet-Audio,
Power DVD,
VLC Media Player
Virtual DJ, e.t.c.
GRAPHICS SOFTWARE
Graphics software – Used by graphic designers to create and design artistic graphics and to
manipulate visual images on a computer such as logos, cartoons etc.
Examples include
Paint,
Adobe Photo shop,
Corel Draw,
Adobe Illustrator etc.
ACCOUNTING SOFTWARE
Accounting software helps companies to record and report their financial transactions. With
accounting soft-ware, you perform accounting activities related to the general ledger,
accounts receivable, accounts payable, purchasing, invoicing, job costing, payroll functions,
etc. Examples include Quick Books
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AUDIO AND VIDEO EDITING SOFTWARE
Audio editing software lets users produce studio quality soundtracks. With video editing
software, you can modify video clips: you can reduce the length ofa video clip, reorder a series
of clips, or add special effects such as words that move horizontally across the screen etc.
This refers to computer applications primarily used for previewing digital photographs on the
computer screen.
Many have basic features such as viewing thumbnails, slideshows, printing and simple editing
such as cropping and resizing.
Examples of Image viewers include: Microsoft Office Picture Manager, Windows Photo
viewer, Picasa photo viewer, etc.
REFERENCE SOFTWARE
Reference software provides valuable and thorough information for all individuals. Popular
reference software includes encyclopedias, dictionaries, health/medical guides, and travel
directories.
Examples include:
Encyclopaedia Britannica 2011 Ultimate Reference DVDMicrosoft Student with Encarta
Premium, e.t.c.
NOTE TAKING SOFTWARE
Note taking software enables users to enter typed text, handwritten comments, drawings, or
sketches anywhere on a page and then save the page as part of a notebook .The software
can convert handwritten comments to typed text or store the notes in handwritten form.
Examples include Microsoft Office OneNote
Text Editors
Text editors are simple word processors that are generally used to type without any special
formatting. Text editors are mainly used to create small notes, memos and programs.
Examples of common text editors are: Notepad,
Notepad++, Sublime Text, Gedit etc.
GAMING SOFTWARE
These are programs developed as electronic game that involve human interaction with a user
interface to generate visual feedback on a computer.
Common computer games include solitaire, chess titans, Racing, StarCraft, Need for Speed,
GTA Vice City, and Alien Shooter.
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EMAIL SOFTWARE / EMAIL CLIENT
Email software (Commonly known as email client) is a computer program usedto access and
manage a user's email account. Web applications that provide message management,
composition, and reception functions are sometimes alsocommonly referred to as webmail.
Popular locally installed email clients include Microsoft Outlook, Pegasus Mail, Mozilla's
Thunderbird, KMail, Evolution and Apple Mail. Popular web-based email clients include:
GMail, Yahoo! Mail, mail.com, Lycos mail, and Hotmail.
CUSTOMIZED/TAILOR-MADE/BESPOKE PROGRAMS
These are tailor made programs constructed to meet specific user requirements. They are
specifically designed to meet user requirements.
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Disadvantages of customized software
Time taken to develop the package may be long yet requirements couldbe urgent.
The cost of paying programmers makes them expensive. The organisation has to incur
development and consultancy costs in this case.
They are not flexible i.e. not meant to do various tasks.
They are expensive to maintain. When they breakdown programmers who are expensive
have to be called in
In-case of breakdown, the company may be brought to a standstill
There is a greater probability of bugs in bespoke programs.
They are not compatible with all computer types i.e. they are designed for specific
computer types.
The program may not run which means that the programmer has to designanother one.
This could even lead to more costs on the side of the user as well as causing delays
Shareware
Shareware is copyrighted software that is distributed at no cost for a trial period. To use a
shareware program beyond that period, you send payment to the program developer. In some
cases, a scaled-down version of the software is distributed free, and payment entitles the user
to the fully functional product.
Copyrighted software
Freeware
Open-source
Open source software is software provided for use, modification, and redistribution. This
software has no restrictions from the copyright holder. Open source software usually can be
downloaded from the Web at no cost.
Public-domain software
Public-domain software has been donated for public use and has no copyright restrictions.
Anyone can copy or distribute public domain software to others atno cost.
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Web-based software
Web-based software refers to programs hosted by a Web site. Users access and interact with
Web-based software from any computer or device that is connected to the Internet. Many
Web sites allow free access to their programs; some charge a fee. Examples of Web-based
software include e-mail,
Website builders, online games, travel and mapping software ,e.t.c.
Special Purpose (Specialized) Software
This refers to computer programs developed and dedicated to accomplish particular jobs only.
Programs that run on special purpose computers like ATMsare special purpose software.
Other Examples of specialized software include:
Business – Transaction and Sales Management software.
Science and Engineering software etc..
General purpose
This refers to a Wide a variety of application programs that perform manycommon tasks.
• Varieties of General purpose application programs include Word processing programs,
Spreadsheet programs, web browsers, Graphics programs, etc.
SOFTWARE SUITE
A software suite is a collection of several applications that are bundled together and sold or
distributed as a single package. The software programs may have correlative features and
functionality or they may be completely different fromone another but share a similar theme.
When you install the suite, you install the entire collection of applications at once instead of
installing each application individually. At a minimum, suites typically include the following
software applications: word processing, spreadsheet, database, and presentation graphics,
Examples of software suites
Microsoft Office
Libre Office Productivity Suite.
Open Office.Org
Word Perfect Office X5
Zoho
Quickoffice & OfficeSuite
ProOffice Free 3.0
KOffice
Lotus Smart Suite
Adobe Master Suite
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CHAPTER FIVE
COMMON TERMINOLOGIES USED IN SOFTWARE
Software needs to be accessed before it can be used. There are many terms used for the process
of accessing software including running, executing, starting up, opening, and others. A program
can also be referred to as an application and the two words are used interchangeably.
Software license
This is a document that provides legally binding guidelines for the use and distribution of
software.
Software agreement
This refers to the legal contact between licensor and /or author and the purchaser of a piece
of software which establishes the purchaser’s’ rights.
Software bug refers to an error in the programming code that does not permit it to function
well.
Software release is the process of issuing/letting the software or application for publication, use
and distribution.
Software version refers to variation of an earlier or original type with minor changes to the
existing version or type. Eg. ITunes 12.0, ITunes 12.2.3
Hot fix: This is a software program that is designed to fix a bug or security hole in software
program.
Spy ware: This is a software application that is designed to gather informationabout a person or
organization without their knowledge that may send such information to another entity.
Software Patch: This is a software program that is designed to modify, correct, and fix
problems in software.
Software update: This is a software application that provides fixes for features that are not
working as intended or adds minor software enhancements and compatibility.
Software upgrade: This is a process of replacing a product with a newer version of the same
product.
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CHARACTERISTICS OF GOOD COMPUTER SOFTWARE
...functions efficiently.
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Security. This relates to unauthorized access to the software functions.
Fault tolerance. The ability of software to withstand (and recover) fromcomponent,
or environmental, failure.
Understandability. Determines the ease of which the systems functions can be
understood, relates to user mental models in Human Computer Interaction methods.
Learnability. Learning effort for different users, i.e. novice, expert,casual etc.
Maintainability. Characterizes the amount of effort to change a system.
Stability. Characterizes the sensitivity to change of a given system that is the negative
impact that may be caused by system changes.
Replace ability. Characterizes the plug and play aspect of software
components, that is how easy is it to exchange a given software component
within a specified environment.
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SUMMARY
Computer software refers to the electronic instructions and procedures that command and control
the operation of a computer. Software tells the computerwhat to do.
There are mainly two types of software.
System Software e.g. operating system, utility software and translators
Application software e.g. Microsoft word, Microsoft excel, Microsoft access, etc.
Characteristics of Good Software
Suitability.
Accurateness.
Interoperability.
Compliance.
Security.
Fault Tolerance.
Understandability.
Learnability.
Maintainability.
Stability.
Replace Ability.
CONCLUSION
Through this project I have gained some comprehensive knowledge of computer
software. I encourage everyone who comes across this material to study and digest
its contents for better understanding of computer software.
REFERENCE
www, dzplacide.overblog.com
compnote.blogspot.com
inspire.education.gov.ng
Computer Studies of Senior Secondary Education by Hiit Plc
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