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How Computer Software Works How Computer Software Works From the TEL Library: Computer Systems 2 | Computer Systems Inquire Soft w are: What is it and Where Does it Com e From ? Overview Scan the QR code below to access the lesson online. Figure 1.1: Hardware and software are the two components of an information system There are two major components of an information system: hardware and software. Software - a computer program, computer application, or just an app - is the set of instructions that tell the hardware what to do. Software is created through the process of programming. Without software, the hardware will not function. Software can be broadly divided into two categories: operating systems and application software. Operating systems manage the hardware and create the interface between the hardware and the user. Application software is the category of programs that do something useful for the user. This lesson will focus on these different types of software, and how software is created. Big Quest ion What is the importance of computer software? How Computer Software Works | 3 Wat ch Com put er Soft w are and Applicat ions Scan the QR code below to watch the video online. The following text is an edited transcript from the video. When most of us talk about our computers, we talk about the hardware: ?I have a MacBook air,? ?I have a Microsoft Surface,? or ?This is my new Inspiron.? When you see ads for computers, they mostly list information about the hard drive, RAM, or screen size. Yes, that hardware is important, but what really makes your computer work is the software. Software applications or programs manage the hardware. They give you the ability to write papers, send email, and connect to the Internet ? the software is what you really interact with every day. The first computer program was an algorit hm written by mathematician Ada Lovelace in 1843. She wrote it specifically to calculate a series of numbers for a physical computational machine developed by Charles Babbage. Modern computer programs are now stored on the computer hard drive. They are written in a specific programming language. This is called the source program. The source program is compiled or translated into a machine-language that the computer hardware, specifically the CPU, can execute. Commercial software companies generally distribute only the object program along with a license to use it on a single computer. The source program is a trade secret. Though it is a very complex process, conceptually computer programming is fairly straightforward. Whomever is doing the programming will define a desired activity or outcome to achieve; for example, formatting a document. The programmer analyzes the need, then writes a specific set of instructions that will interact with other software on the computer and with the computer hardware to achieve that outcome. Much of computer programming is based on understanding formal logic structures and algorithms. As you think about the basics of how computer software works, what are some of the ways you use software every day? What software programs do you interact with most often? 4 | Computer Systems Read Different Types of Soft w are Figure 1.2: A diagram of a computer's operating system Software can be broadly divided into two categories: operating systems and application software. Operating systems manage the hardware and create the interface between the hardware and the user. Application software is the category of programs that do something useful for the user. Operat ing Syst em s (OS) The operating system provides several essential functions, including: - managing the hardware resources of the computer - providing the user-interface components - providing a platform for software developers to write applications All computing devices run an operating system. For personal computers, the most popular operating systems are Microsoft?s Windows, Apple?s OS X, and different versions of Linux. Smartphones and tablets run operating systems as well, such as Apple?s iOS or Google?s Android. Early personal-computer operating systems were simple by today?s standards; they did not provide multitasking and required the user to type commands to initiate an action. The amount of memory that early operating systems could handle was limited as well, making large programs impractical to run. The most popular of the early operating systems was IBM?s Disk Operating System, or DOS, which was developed for them by Microsoft. In 1984, Apple introduced the Macintosh computer, featuring an operating system with a graphical user int erface. Though not the first graphical operating system, it was the first one to find commercial success. In 1985, Microsoft released the first version of Windows. This version of Windows was not an operating system, but instead, was an application that ran on top of the DOS operating system, providing a graphical environment. It was quite limited and had little commercial success. It was not until the 1990 release of Windows 3.0 that Microsoft found success with a graphical user interface. Since 1990, both Apple and Microsoft have released many new versions of their operating systems, with each release adding the ability to process more data at once and access more memory. Features such as multitasking, virtual How Computer Software Works | 5 memory, and voice input have become standard features of both operating systems. A third personal-computer operating system family that is gaining in popularity is Linux, which is a version of the Unix operating system that runs on the personal computer. Unix is an operating system used primarily by scientists and engineers on larger minicomputers and servers. Figure 1.3: The 1984 Macintosh computer These are very expensive computers, and software developer Linus Torvalds wanted to find a way to make Unix run on less expensive personal computers. Linux was the result. Linux has many variations and now powers a large percentage of web servers in the world. It is also an example of open-source soft w are. Applicat ion Soft w are The second major category of software is application software. Application software is, essentially, software that allows the user to accomplish some goal or purpose. For example, if you need to write a paper, you might use the application-software program Microsoft Word. If you want to listen to music, you might use iTunes. To surf the web, you might use Chrome or Firefox. Even a computer game is application software. Application software is written for a specific OS, so your OS can limit the applications that you can use on a specific computer. The use of personal computers was minimal at first; mostly hobbyists worked together to write applications and make computers run. Most of those familiar with computers were familiar with that had a huge footprint. It filled a whole room and it seemed unlikely it would ever be used by individuals. It took a "killer" application ? an application that becomes so essential that large numbers of people will buy a device just to run that application ? to launch computers into the desktop computer market. Figure 1.4: Application software allows the user to achieve a purpose For the personal computer, the first killer application was the spreadsheet. In 1979, VisiCalc, the first personal-computer spreadsheet package, was introduced. It was an immediate hit and drove sales of the Apple II. It also solidified the value of the personal computer beyond the relatively small circle of technology geeks. When the IBM PC was released, another spreadsheet program, Lotus 1-2-3, became the killer app for business users. 6 | Computer Systems Ut ilit y Soft w are and Program m ing Soft w are Utility software and programming software are two important subcategories of application software. Utility software includes software that allows you to modify your computer in some way: antivirus software, screensavers, backup software. These types of software packages supplement the functionality of an OS or make interacting with the OS simpler. As developers release updates to operating systems, many utility program functions become integrated directly into the OS. Programming software, or software development tools, allow the programmer to make more software; this category includes com pilers, assemblers, and debugging software. Most of these programs provide programmers with an environment in which they can write the code, test it, and convert it into a format that can then be run on a computer. Reflect What is More Im port ant : Hardw are or Soft w are? Poll When you are purchasing a new computer, what do you usually consider the most important? - The hardware; I want to know how big the hard drive is and how much RAM. - The software; it is more important to me to use a specific operating system and to be able to use my existing software applications. - Neither - Both Expand Where Does Soft w are Com e From ? When a programmer creates computer code, s/he is translating an idea, or detailed specification of what someone needs the computer to do into a form that a computer can understand, thus, coding a program for the computer to run that meets the needs of the users. Modern software applications are written using a programming language. A program m ing language is an artificial language that provides a way for a programmer to create structured code to Figure 1.5: A computer code is a detailed specification of what a computer needs to do How Computer Software Works | 7 communicate logic in a format that can be executed by the computer hardware. Programming languages consist of sets of commands and syntax that can be organized logically to execute specific functions. This language generally consists of readable words combined with symbols.
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