BLOCK DIAGRAM OF

COMPUTER
 FEATURES OF COMPUTER
The characteristics or features of the computer system are as follows −
1.Speed:
A computer works with much higher speed and accuracy compared to
humans while performing mathematical calculations. Computers can
process millions (1,000,000) of instructions per second. The time taken
by computers for their operations is microseconds and nanoseconds.
2.Accuracy:
Computers perform calculations with 100% accuracy. Errors may occur
due to data inconsistency or inaccuracy.
3.Diligence:
A computer can perform millions of tasks or calculations with the same
consistency and accuracy. It doesn’t feel any fatigue or lack of
concentration. Its memory also makes it superior to that of human beings.
4.Versatility:
Versatility refers to the capability of a computer to perform different
kinds of works with same accuracy and efficiency.
5.Reliability:
A computer is reliable as it gives consistent result for similar set of data
i.e., if we give same set of input any number of times, we will get the
same result.
6.Automation:
Computer performs all the tasks automatically i.e. it performs tasks
without manual intervention.
7.Memory:
A computer has built-in memory called primary memory where it stores
data. Secondary storage are removable devices such as CDs, pen drives,
etc., which are also used to store data.
 SOFTWARE AND IT'S TYPES

In a computer system, the software is basically a set of instructions or

commands that tells a computer what to do. Or in other words, the
software is a computer program that provides a set of instructions to
execute a user’s commands and tell the computer what to do. For example
like MS-Word, MS-Excel, PowerPoint, etc. The chart below describes the
types of software:
1.System Software:
System software is software that directly operates the computer hardware
and provides the basic functionality to the users as well as to the other
software to operate smoothly. Or in other words, system software
basically controls a computer’s internal functioning and also controls
hardware devices such as monitors, printers, and storage devices, etc. It is
like an interface between hardware and user applications, it helps them to
communicate with each other because hardware understands machine
language(i.e. 1 or 0) whereas user applications are work in human-
readable languages like English, Hindi, German, etc. so system software
converts the human-readable language into machine language and vice
versa.

Features of system software:

Let us discuss some of the features of System Software:
1. System Software is closer to the computer system.
2. System Software is written in a low-level language in general.
3. System software is difficult to design and understand.
4. System software is fast in speed(working speed).
5. System software is less interactive for the users in comparison to
application software.
Types of system software:
It has two subtypes which are:
1. Operating System: It is the main program of a computer system.
When the computer system ON it is the first software that loads into
the computer’s memory. Basically, it manages all the resources such
as memory, CPU, printer, hard disk, etc., and provides an interface to
the user, which helps the user to interact with the computer system. It
also provides various services to other computer software. Examples
of operating systems are Linux, Apple macOS, Microsoft Windows,
etc.
2. Language Processor: As we know that system software converts the
human-readable language into a machine language and vice versa.
So, the conversion is done by the language processor. It converts
programs written in high-level programming languages like Java, C,
C++, Python, etc(known as source code), into sets of instructions that
are easily readable by machines(known as object code or machine
code).
3. Device Driver: A device driver is a program or software that controls
a device and helps that device to perform its functions. Every device
like a printer, mouse, modem, etc. needs a driver to connect with the
computer system eternally. So, when you connect a new device with
your computer system, first you need to install the driver of that
device so that your operating system knows how to control or
manage that device.
2.Application Software:
Software that performs special functions or provides functions that are
much more than the basic operation of the computer is known as
application software. Or in other words, application software is
designed to perform a specific task for end-users. It is a product or a
program that is designed only to fulfill end-users’ requirements. It
includes word processors, spreadsheets, database management,
inventory, payroll programs, etc.

Features of application software:

Let us discuss some of the features of Application Software:
1. An important feature of application software is it performs more
specialized tasks like word processing, spreadsheets, email, etc.
2. Mostly, the size of the software is big, so it requires more storage
space.
3. Application software is more interactive for the users, so it is easy
to use and design.
4. The application software is easy to design and understand.
5. Application software is written in a high-level language in general.
Types of application software:
There are different types of application software and those are:
1. General Purpose Software: This type of application software is
used for a variety of tasks and it is not limited to performing a
specific task only. For example, MS-Word, MS-Excel, PowerPoint,
etc.
2. Customized Software: This type of application software is used or
designed to perform specific tasks or functions or designed for
specific organizations. For example, railway reservation system,
airline reservation system, invoice management system, etc.
3. Utility Software: This type of application software is used to
support the computer infrastructure. It is designed to analyze,
configure, optimize and maintains the system, and take care of its
requirements as well. For example, antivirus, disk fragmenter,
memory tester, disk repair, disk cleaners, registry cleaners, disk
space analyzer, etc.
Utility software is system software that is used to analyze, optimize,
configure, maintain the proper and smooth functionality of the computer
system. It supports the infrastructure of the computer. It performs various
tasks like virus detection, data backup, installation, deletion of unwanted
files, etc. Based on the functions utility software are categorized into
various types namely antivirus, file management system, compression tools,
disk management tools, disk cleanup tool, disk defragmenter, and backup
utility.
Types of Utility Software
Here, in this section, we are going to discuss various types of utility
software.
Antivirus:
Antivirus is a type of utility software that helps to keep the computer virus-
free. Virus is a malware that enters into the computer or system with a host
program and multiplies with time and slows down and corrupts the system.
Antivirus prevents the system from this malware. Whenever any malicious
activity or file is detected, it sends a notification. It also scans the new
devices attached to the system and if any virus is there. it removes it.
Antivirus scans the system from time to time for any malware or threats and
remove them. McAfee antivirus, windows defender, and Quick heal
antivirus are some of the examples of the antivirus system.
File management system:
File management system is another utility software used for managing the
computer file system. It plays an important role in storing the data and helps
to browse, arrange, and find the information within the file of the system.
Windows explorer is the default file system in the system. There are some
other file management systems present such as google desktop, directory
Opus, double commander, etc. File management system improves the
functionality of the business workflow and organized all the data
efficiently. The advanced file management system provides additional
functions DMS (Document Management System). DMS is used to organize
important documents.
Difference between system software
and application software.
 OPERATING SYSTEM

An Operating System (OS) is a software that acts as an interface between

computer hardware components and the user. Every computer system
must have at least one operating system to run other programs.
Applications like Browsers, MS Office, Notepad Games, etc., need some
environment to run and perform its tasks.
The OS helps you to communicate with the computer without knowing
how to speak the computer’s language. It is not possible for the user to
use any computer or mobile device without having an operating system.
Types of OS and its market share:
1.
Microsoft Windows, also called Windows and Windows OS, computer
operating system (OS) developed by Microsoft Corporation to run
personal computers (PCs). Featuring the first graphical user interface
(GUI) for IBM-compatible PCs, the Windows OS soon dominated the
PC market. Approximately 90 percent of PCs run some version of
Windows.
The first version of Windows, released in 1985, was simply a GUI
offered as an extension of Microsoft’s existing disk operating system, or
MS-DOS. Based in part on licensed concepts that Apple Inc. had used
for its Macintosh System Software, Windows for the first time allowed
DOS users to visually navigate a virtual desktop, opening graphical
“windows” displaying the contents of electronic folders and files with
the click of a mouse button, rather than typing commands and directory
paths at a text prompt.
Subsequent versions introduced greater functionality, including native
Windows File Manager, Program Manager, and Print Manager
programs, and a more dynamic interface. Microsoft also developed
specialized Windows packages, including the networkable Windows for
Workgroups and the high-powered Windows NT, aimed at businesses.
The 1995 consumer release Windows 95 fully integrated Windows and
DOS and offered built-in Internet support, including the World Wide
Web browser Internet Explorer.
With the 2001 release of Windows XP, Microsoft united its various
Windows packages under a single banner, offering multiple editions
for consumers, businesses, multimedia developers, and others.
Windows XP abandoned the long-used Windows 95 kernel (core
software code) for a more powerful code base and offered a more
practical interface and improved application and memory management.
The highly successful XP standard was succeeded in late 2006 by
Windows Vista, which experienced a troubled rollout and met with
considerable marketplace resistance, quickly acquiring a reputation for
being a large, slow, and resource-consuming system. Responding to
Vista’s disappointing adoption rate, Microsoft in 2009 released
Windows 7, an OS whose interface was similar to that of Vista but was
met with enthusiasm for its noticeable speed improvement and its
modest system requirements.
Windows 8 in 2012 offered a start screen with applications appearing
as tiles on a grid and the ability to synchronize settings so users could
log on to another Windows 8 machine and use their preferred settings.
In 2015 Microsoft released Windows 10, which came with Cortana, a
digital personal assistant like Apple’s Siri, and the Web browser
Microsoft Edge, which replaced Internet Explorer. Microsoft also
announced that Windows 10 would be the last version of Windows,
meaning that users would receive regular updates to the OS but that no
more large-scale revisions would be done.
 2.
Android is an open source and Linux-based Operating System for
mobile devices such as smartphones and tablet computers. Android
was developed by the Open Handset Alliance, led by Google, and
other companies.
Android offers a unified approach to application development for
mobile devices which means developers need only develop for
Android, and their applications should be able to run on different
devices powered by Android.
The first beta version of the Android Software Development Kit
(SDK) was released by Google in 2007 where as the first commercial
version, Android 1.0, was released in September 2008.
On June 27, 2012, at the Google I/O conference, Google announced
the next Android version, 4.1 Jelly Bean. Jelly Bean is an incremental
update, with the primary aim of improving the user interface, both in
terms of functionality and performance.
The source code for Android is available under free and open source
software licenses. Google publishes most of the code under the
Apache License version 2.0 and the rest, Linux kernel changes, under
the GNU General Public License version 2.
Key Features of the Android Operating System
User Interface: The user interface of the Android operating system
is straight forward, and these features make it very user friendly.
Multiple Language Support: Android supports multiple languages in
its operating system and one can change the language very easily
based on one’s requirement, the International languages supported
are English, Germany, Chinese, Dutch, French, German, Japanese,
Korean, Russian, and many more also some native language of
India is also Supported Like Hindi, Marathi, Gujrati, Punjabi and
many more.
Multi-tasking: Android provides support to run apps and services in
the background with ease which allows the users to use multiple
apps at the same time.
Connectivity: Android has extensive support to the connectivity and
it supports connectivity such as WiFi, Bluetooth, Hotspot, CDMA,
GSM, NFC, VOLTE, UBB, VPN, 3G network band, and 4G
Network Band.
Extensive Application Support: Android have Play store which is
used as the major tool to download and update applications on the
operating system, however, one can download the installer(often
called as APK file) and install it manually, but it is not much
recommended as third party applications could be prone to some
security breach in the smartphones
 3.
Just like Windows, iOS, and Mac OS, Linux is an operating system. In
fact, one of the most popular platforms on the planet, Android, is
powered by the Linux operating system. An operating system is
software that manages all of the hardware resources associated with
your desktop or laptop. To put it simply, the operating system
manages the communication between your software and your
hardware. Without the operating system (OS), the software wouldn’t
function.
The Linux operating system comprises several different pieces:
1. Bootloader – The software that manages the boot process of your
computer. For most users, this will simply be a splash screen that
pops up and eventually goes away to boot into the operating
system.
2. Kernel – This is the one piece of the whole that is actually called
‘Linux’. The kernel is the core of the system and manages the
CPU, memory, and peripheral devices. The kernel is the lowest
level of the OS.
3. Init system – This is a sub-system that bootstraps the user space
and is charged with controlling daemons. One of the most widely
used init systems is systemd, which also happens to be one of the
most controversial. It is the init system that manages the boot
process, once the initial booting is handed over from the
bootloader (i.e., GRUB or GRand Unified Bootloader).
4. Daemons – These are background services (printing, sound,
scheduling, etc.) that either start up during boot or after you log
into the desktop.
Other uses of it:

1. Graphical server – This is the sub-system that displays the graphics

on your monitor. It is commonly referred to as the X server or just X.
2. Desktop environment – This is the piece that the users actually
interact with. There are many desktop environments to choose from
(GNOME, Cinnamon, Mate, Pantheon, Enlightenment, KDE, Xfce,
etc.). Each desktop environment includes built-in applications (such
as file managers, configuration tools, web browsers, and games).
3. Applications – Desktop environments do not offer the full array of
apps. Just like Windows and macOS, Linux offers thousands upon
thousands of high-quality software titles that can be easily found and
installed. Most modern Linux distributions (more on this below)
include App Store-like tools that centralize and simplify application
installation. For example, Ubuntu Linux has the Ubuntu Software
Center (a rebrand of GNOME Software) which allows you to quickly
search among the thousands of apps and install them from one
centralized location.
 4.
IOS stands for iPhone operating system. It is a proprietary mobile
operating system of Apple for its handheld. It supports Objective-C, C,
C++, Swift programming language. It is based on the Macintosh OS X.
After Android, it is the world’s second most popular mobile operating
system. Many of Apple’s mobile devices, including the iPhone, iPad, and
iPod, run on this operating system. To control the device, iOS employs a
multi-touch interface, such as sliding your finger across the screen to
advance to the next page or pinching your fingers to zoom in or out of the
screen.
Features of IOS Platform
iOS has become popular because of its prominent features. The following
are the popular features of iOS. Let’s get into details.
1. Multitasking: iPhone offers multitasking features. It started with
iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS. By using the multitasking feature on an iOS
device or using a multi-finger gesture on an iPad, you can swiftly go
from one app to another at any moment.
2. Social Media: Sharing content and displaying an activity stream are
just a few of the ways iOS makes it simple to integrate social network
interactions into the app.


Other features of iOS:

1. iCloud: Apple’s iCloud is a service that offers Internet-based data

storage. It works on all Apple devices and has some Windows
compatibility, and handles most operations in the background. It is
highly encrypted. It offers the backup option to help the user not
lose any of their data.
2. In-App purchase: In-app purchases, which are available on all
Apple platforms, provide users with additional material and
services, such as digital items(iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS),
subscriptions, and premium content, right within the app. You may
even use the App Store to promote and sell in-app purchases.