A presentation on system software

A PRESENTATION ON SYSTEM SOFTWAREBy : Vineet Kohli , 929, M.H.M. 2nd Semester

Submitted To : Dr. Goldi Puri, Asst. Professor, I.H.T.M. , M.D.U. Rohtak

SYSTEM SOFTWARE

• System software is computer software designed to operate and control the computer hardware and to provide a platform for running application software. System software can be separated into two different categories, operating systems and utility software.

• The operating system (prominent examples being z/OS, Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X and Linux), allows the parts of a computer to work together by performing tasks like transferring data between memory and disks or rendering output onto a display device. It also provides a platform to run high-level system software and application software.

• A kernel is the core part of the operating system that defines an API for applications programs (including some system software) and an interface to device drivers.

• Device drivers such as computer BIOS and device firmware provide basic functionality to operate and control the hardware connected to or built into the computer.

• A user interface "allows users to interact with a computer." Since the 1980s the graphical user interface (GUI) has been perhaps the most common user interface technology. The command-line interface is still a commonly used alternative.

• Utility software helps to analyze, configure, optimize and maintain the computer, such as virus protection.

• In some publications, the term system software also includes software development tools (like a compiler, linker or debugger).

• In contrast to system software, software that allows users to do things like create text documents, play games, listen to music, or web browsers to surf the web are called application software.

• The line where the distinction should be drawn isn't always clear. Most operating systems bundle such software. Such software is not considered system software when it can be uninstalled without affecting the functioning of other software.

• Exceptions could be e.g. web browsers such as Internet Explorer where Microsoft argued in court that it was system software that could not be uninstalled.

• Later examples are Chrome OS and Firefox OS where the browser functions as the only user interface and the only way to run programs (and other web browser can not be installed in their place), then they can well be argued to be(part of) the operating system and then system software.

TYPES OF SYSTEM SOFTWARE

• We should know by now that system software is software that helps a computer to run. We will now look at the different types of system software out there and why each is needed:

• Operating System Software

• Utility Programs

• Library Programs

• Translator Programs

OPERATING SYSTEM SOFTWARE• An operating system (OS) is a set of programs that manage computer

hardware resources and provide common services for application software. The operating system is the most important type of system software in a computer system. Without an operating system, a user cannot run an application program on their computer (unless the application program is self booting).

• Time-sharing operating systems schedule tasks for efficient use of the system and may also include accounting for cost allocation of processor time, mass storage, printing, and other resources.

• For hardware functions such as input/output and main memory management, the operating system acts as a middleman between application programs and the computer hardware, although the application code is usually executed directly by the hardware it will frequently call the OS or be interrupted by it. Operating systems can be found on almost any device that contains a computer, from mobile phones and video game consoles to supercomputers and web servers.

• Examples of popular modern operating systems include Android, iOS, Linux, Mac OS X and Microsoft Windows,

OPEN VS CLOSED SOURCE OPERATING SYSTEMS

• You might hear the words Open Source when you read about operating systems. Linux is the most well known Open Source OS and Windows is the most well known Closed Source OS. So what does this mean?

• Open Source programs are programs where you can see the code (the source), you can edit it, copy it and use as you wish within the confines of an open source license. You can even sell it, but the person would be welcome to acquire the code for free if they wanted. As a result of this Linux is not developed by one person or one company but uses code developed by thousands of people, working for different organisations all over the world. And as a result there are many different versions (known as distributions) of Linux out there including Ubuntu, Slackware and Fedora. Android is built using Linux code.

• Closed Source software doesn't allow people to look at the code or adapt it. Companies normally sell closed source products and you'll have to pay for a copy of Windows. Currently about 83% of desktops run the Windows OS.

UTILITY SYSTEM SOFTWARE

• Utility software is a type of system software designed to help analyze, configure, optimize and maintain the computer. A single piece of utility software is usually called a utility or tool.

• Utility software should not be confused with application software, which allows users to do things like creating text documents, playing games, listening to music or surfing the web. Rather than providing these kinds of user-oriented or output-oriented functionality, utility software usually focuses on how the computer infrastructure (including the computer hardware, operating system, application software and data storage) operates. Due to this focus, utilities are often rather technical and targeted at people with an advanced level of computer knowledge.

EXAMPLES OF UTILITY SOFTWARE:

• Virus scanner - to protect your system from trojans and viruses

• Disk defragmenter - to speed up your hard disk

• System monitor - to look at your current system resources

• File managers - to add, delete, rename and move files and folders

LIBRARY PROGRAMS • Library programs are collections of resources used to develop software. These

include pre-written code and subroutines.

• Library programs contain code and data that provide services to other programs such as interface (look and feel), printing, network code and even the graphic engines of computer games.

• If you have ever wondered why all Microsoft Office programs have the same look and feel, that is because they are using the same graphical user interface libraries.

• For computer games a developer might not have the time and budget to write a new graphics engine so they often buy graphical libraries to speed up development, this will allow them to quickly develop a good looking game that runs on the desired hardware.

• For example Battlefield 3 and Need for Speed both use the same Frostbite engine.

• Most programming languages have a standard set of libraries that can be used, offering code to handle input/output, graphics and specialist maths functions. You can also create your own custom libraries and when you start to write lots of programs with similar functionality you'll find them very useful.

TRANSLATOR SOFTWARE

• The final type of system software that you need to know is translator software. This is software that allows new programs to be written and run on computers, by converting source code into machine code. There are three types that we'll cover in a lot more detail shortly:

• Assembler - converts assembly code into machine code

• Interpreter - converts 3rd generation languages such as javascript into machine code one line at a time

• Compiler - converts 3rd generation languages such as C++ into machine code all at once

THANK YOU !!