IT in Business

Instructor: M. Haroon General

 A set of computer programs, procedures, and associated
documentation concerned with the operation of a data
processing system; e.g. , compilers, library routines, manuals,
and circuit diagrams. OR

 Information (generally copyrightable) that may provide

instructions for computers; data for documentation; and voice,
video, and music for entertainment or education. OR
 Software is a general term for the various kinds of programs
used to operate computers and related devices. OR

 Instructions that tell a computer what to do. Software comprises

the entire set of programs, procedures and routines associated
with the operation of a computer system. A set of instructions
that directs a computer's hardware to perform a task…

Instructor: M. Haroon General IT in Business 2

 Computer software is usually regarded as anything but
hardware, meaning the "soft" part is the intangible
objects inside the computer. Software encompasses an
extremely wide array of products and technologies
developed using different techniques like programming
languages, scripting languages etc.
 Practical computer systems divide software systems into
three major classes:
 System software,
 Application software
 Programming software
 Although the distinction is arbitrary, and often blurred.
 The term middleware is sometimes used to describe
programming that mediates between application and
system software or between two different kinds of
application software
Instructor: M. Haroon General IT in Business 3
 System software helps run the computer hardware and
computer system. It includes operating systems, device
drivers, diagnostic tools, servers, windowing systems,
utilities and more.

 Application software allows end users to accomplish one or

more specific (non-computer related) tasks. Typical
applications include industrial automation, business
software, educational software, medical software, databases,
and computer games.

 Programming software usually provides tools to assist a

programmer in writing computer programs, and software
using different programming languages in a more convenient
way.
Instructor: M. Haroon General IT in Business 4
 Software can be purchased or acquired as:
 Shareware (usually intended for sale after a trial
period),
 Liteware (shareware with some capabilities disabled),

 Freeware (free software but with copyright

restrictions),
 Public domain software (free with no restrictions), and

 Open source (software where the source code is

furnished and users agree not to limit the distribution of
improvements).
Instructor: M. Haroon General IT in Business 5
  Programs used to control the computer and develop and
run application programs. It includes operating systems,
communication & messaging protocols, network operating
systems and database managers.
 Systems software was developed in order to automate the
following routine tasks:  
 Allocation of various programs to main memory
 Loading of programs that perform routines to control
peripheral devices.
 Execution of programs.

Instructor: M. Haroon General IT in Business 6

 These programs accomplish the specialized tasks of the user, while
operating system software allows the computer to work. A computer-aided
dispatch system is application software, as is each word processing
program. OR
 A software program running on top of the operating system (Windows,
UNIX, Mac) that has been created to perform a specific task for a user.
Examples include word processing software like Word/Word Perfect,
spreadsheets like Excel or Lotus 123, home finance packages like Quicken,
etc. OR
 Application software (sometimes shortened to application) is any program
designed to perform a specific function directly for the user or, in some
cases, for another application program. Typical types of application software
include: Word processing, Electronic spreadsheet, Database, Email reader,
Web browser, Desktop publishing, Graphics software and so on.

Instructor: M. Haroon General IT in Business 7

 Some general kinds of application software include:
 Productivity software, which includes word processors,
spreadsheets, and tools for use by most computer users
 Presentation software
 Graphics software for graphic designers
 CAD/CAM software
 Specialized scientific applications
 Market or Industry-specific software (for example, for
banking, insurance, retail, and manufacturing
environments)

Instructor: M. Haroon General IT in Business 8

  An additional and difficult-to-classify
category of software is the utility, which
is a small useful program with limited
capability. Some utilities come with
operating systems. Like applications,
utilities tend to be separately installable
and capable of being used independently
from the rest of the operating system.

Instructor: M. Haroon General IT in Business 9

Instructor: M. Haroon General IT in Business 10
 An operating system, or OS is a software component of a
computer system that is responsible for the
management of various activities of the computer and
the sharing of computer resources.
 It hosts/offers number of several applications/services
that run on a computer to application programs and users
and handles the operations of computer hardware.
 Users and application programs access the services
offered by the operating systems, by means of system
calls and application programming interfaces (APIs).
 Users interact with operating systems through Command
Line Interfaces (CLIs) or Graphical User Interfaces
(GUIs).

Instructor: M. Haroon General IT in Business 11

  Personal Computer's (PCs) employ an
operating system that performs the tasks
of:
 Initializing the system
 Providing routines for handling input/output
requests
 Memory allocation
 File handling system

Instructor: M. Haroon General IT in Business 12

Few of the operating system Types are listed below:
 Batch Processing Operating System: System Data or
programs are collected grouped and processed at a later
date.
 Multi-tasking and Single-tasking Operating Systems:
When a single program is allowed to run at a time, the
system is grouped under a single-tasking system, while in
case the operating system allows the execution of multiple
tasks at one time, it is classified as a multi-tasking operating
system.
 Real-time Operating System: It is a multitasking operating
system that aims at executing real-time applications. The
main object of real-time operating systems is their quick and
predictable response to events. They either have an event-
driven or a time-sharing design.
Instructor: M. Haroon General IT in Business 13
 Multi-user and Single-user Operating Systems: The
operating systems of this type allow a multiple users to
access a computer system concurrently.
 Distributed Operating System: An operating system
that manages a group of independent computers and
makes them appear to be a single computer is known as
a distributed operating system.
 Embedded System: The operating systems designed for
being used in embedded computer systems are known as
embedded operating systems. They are designed to
operate on small machines like PDAs with less autonomy.
They are able to operate with a limited number of
resources. They are very compact and extremely efficient
by design.
Instructor: M. Haroon General IT in Business 14
  Examples of few operating systems are
 DOS
▪ MS-DOS, ProDOS, IBM DOS/360, Atari DOS
 Microsoft (Ms) Windows
▪ Vista, XP, NT, ME, 98,95, 2000, Server, 3.1
 Apple Mac OS
▪ OS X v10.0, OS 9, iPhone OS, Newton OS
 Unix
 Linux
 Sun Solaris
 Novell NetWare
 And Many More….
Instructor: M. Haroon General IT in Business 15
Instructor: M. Haroon General IT in Business 16