Computer System

Hardware and Software

A computer system consists of hardware ,the electronic devices that are capable of computing and manipulating information and software(set of instructions)that carries out predefined tasks to complete a given job. As we know a, computer cannot perform on its own .It performs operations like addition, subtraction, multiplication and division only when the user instructs it to do so. Theuser issues instruction which controls the sequence of operation are know as programs , and collectively programs are called software. It is an intangible commodity ,that is ,the part of a computer system that users cannot touch.

Relationship Between software and Hardware.

Software refers to the computer programs that are loaded into the computer system ,and hardware refers to all the visible devices, which are assembled together to build a computer system. Both software and hardware go hand in hand ;you cannot have one without the other .Even though hardware is the physical part of the computer . It is nothing unless it has software to control it .In a way, hard ware is like a car without a driver ;one needs both to make something happen .software is a set of instruction that tells the hardware what to do and how to perform the requested actions. Thus ,hardware and software share a special relationship. If hardware is the “heart “of the computer system, software is its “soul”. Both are complimentary to each other.

Software Definition:

Software is the generic term for organized collection of computer data and instruction .It is responsible for controlling ,integrating and managing the hardware components of a computer and to accomplish specific tasks. In other words software tells the computer what to do and how to do it. for example software instructs the hardware what to display on the users screen, what kind of input to take from the user ,and what kind of output to generate. Thus, software communicates with the hard ware by organizing the control sequences, and the hardware carries out the instructions defined by the software.

A computer needs to be instructed to perform any task .These instructions are given in the form of computer program, which are written in computer programming language. program controls the activity of the processor. The movement the hardware (processor, memory etc.) acts as per the instructions of a program, the is said to be in running or executing state.

Categories Of software

Software can be categorized as system software and application software. System software is a generic term for referring to any computer program whose purpose is to help the user to run the computer system , whereas application software employs the capabilities of a computer directly to a task that the user wishes to perform.

E.g. Take an electric bulb to an application and the electric power generation plant with system . the power plant merely generates electricity .

System Software

System software consists of several programs , Which are directly responsible for controlling ,integrating ,and managing the individual hardware components of a computer system. You must have noticed that a new computer system is always accompanied by some software ,either stored in a floppy or CD, which is supplied by the manufacturer. This software manages and supports the computer system and its information processing activity.

System software is more transparent and less noticed by the user s, they usually interact with the hardware or the application. This software provides a programming environment in which programmers can create application to accommodate their needs .Hence ,system software acts as an interface between the hardware of the computer and the software application.

In simple terms, system software makes the computer functional. They provide basic functionality like file management , visual display , and keyboard input, and are used by application software to accomplish these functions .some examples of system software are operating system , device drivers, language translators and system utilities.

Operating system :

It is the first layer of software loaded into computer memory when it starts up. As the first software layer, all other software that’s gets loaded after it depends on it for various common core services. These common core services include disk access, memory management, task scheduling, and user interfacing. In adding the operating system ensures that different programs executing at the same time do not interfere with each other. In simple words, the operating system organizes and controls the hardware. Examples of operating systems are windows XP,UNIX, and linux .The basic function of an operating system are :

1. Process Management: It handles the creation, deletion, suspension, resumption, and synchronization of processes.

2. Memory Management: It handles allocation and de-allocation of memory space as required by various programs.

3. File Management: It is responsible for creation and deletion of files and directories. It also organizes, stores, retrieves, names, and protects all the files.

4. Device Management: It manages all the devices of the computer system such as printers and modems. If any device fails, it detects the device failure and notifies the same to the user.

5. Security Management: Protects system resources and information against destruction and unauthorized use.

6. User Interface: Provides the interface between the user and the hardware.

Application Software

The most often seen software by the user is the application software. It is used accomplished specific tasks rather than just managing a computer system .For a user ,the computer system has no specific use without application software. Application software may consists of a single program , such as Microsoft Notepad (for writing and editing simple text0. It may also consists of a collection of programs, often called a software package, which work together to accomplish a task , such as database management software. Application software may also include a larger collection of related but independent programs and packages(a software suite) , which have a common. User interface or shared data format such as Microsoft office suite.

Application software are dependent on system soft ware’s. A system software (like operating system )acts as an interface between the user and the computer hardware. While application software performs specific tasks . Application are pieces of software that perform tasks for the users besides helping the computer operate. Which is the task of the system software. Application software are controlled by system software , which manages hardware devices and performs background task for them. Without system software, the computer will not run , and without application software , the computer , no matter how powerful , will not be helpful in meeting users requirements . Think of it this way------application apply the computer thinking power to business tasks such as tracking the general ledger or billing your customers.

Application software ranges from games , calculators and word processors (document creating programs), To programs that “paint “ images on screen (image color). Application represents real world tasks .