CHAPTER SIX: COMPUTER SOFTWARE

Software is a Program commercially prepared and tested in software by one or a group

of programmers and system analyst to perform a specified task. Software is simply set
of instructions that cause a computer to perform one or more tasks. The set of instructions
is often called a program or, if the set is particularly large and complex, a system.
Computers cannot do any useful work without instructions from software; thus a
combination of software and hardware (the computer) is necessary to do any
computerized work. A program must tell the computer each of a set of tasks to perform,
in a framework of logic, such that the computer knows exactly what to do and when to do
it. Data are raw facts and ideas that have not been processed while Information is data
that has been processed so as to be useful to the user
Classification of software

Classification of software
Software can be broadly classified into system software and application
software
System software
Consists of programs that control operations of the computer and enable user to make
efficient use of computers. They coordinate computer activities and optimize use of
computers. They are used to control the computer and develop and run application
programs examples of jobs done by the system software are management of computer
resources, defragmentation etc. They can be divided into;
(i) Operating system – is a complex program and most important program that
runs on a computer and which controls the operation of a computer. It perform basic
tasks, such as recognizing input from the keyboard, sending output to the display screen,
keeping track of files and directories on the disk, and controlling peripheral devices such
as disk drives and printers. In general the operating system supervises and directs all the
software components and the hardware components. Sophisticated operating system
could handle multi-processors, many users and tasks simultaneously. Examples of
computers operating systems are UNIX, Microsoft windows 95/98, Windows NT,
Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista and Linux.
(ii)Service programs are programs designed for general support of the processes of a
computer; "a computer system provides utility programs to perform the tasks needed
by most users". The service programs can further be divided into;
 Utilities Performs a variety of tasks that maintain or enhance the
computer’s operating system Utility programs are generally fairly small. Each
type has a specific job to do. Below are some descriptions of utilities.
 Anti-virus applications protect your computer from the damage
that can be caused by viruses and similar programs
 Compression utilities make files smaller for storage (or sending
over the Internet) and then return them to normal size.
 Data recovery utilities attempt to restore data and files that have
been damaged or accidentally deleted.
 Disk defragmenters reorganize the data stored on disks so that it is
more efficiently arranged.
 Firewalls prevent outsiders from accessing your computer over a
network such as the Internet.
 Development programs are used in the creation of new software. They
comprise of sets of software tools to allow programs to be written and tested.
Knowledge of appropriate programming language is assumed. Tools used here
are
  Text editors that allows one to enter and modify programs
statements
 Assembler- allows one to code in machine programs language .i.e.
 processor specific
 Compilers-makes it possible for programmer to convert source code
to object code which can be stored and saved on different computers.
 Interpreters-used to convert source programs statement by
statement as it executes the program without being compiled first.
 Libraries- commonly used parts or portions of a program which can
be called or included in the programmer’s code without having to recode
that portion.
 Diagnostic utilities-used to detect bugs in the logic of program
during program development
 Communication programs- refer to programs that make it possible to transmit
data.
Application software
Are programs for user to do their jobs e.g. typing, recording keeping, production of financial
statements, drawing, and statistics.
 General/ready made software is developed to perform a variety of tasks, usually
determined by use. Such software can be customized by user to achieve specific
goals e.g. ms office which is a suit of programs performing a variety of tasks
e.g. word processing for producing documents, database for storing, retrieving and
manipulating data and various calculations on spreadsheets. General purpose
programs are discussed below;
o Word processing applications. Writing tasks previously done on
typewriters with considerable effort can now be easily completed with
word-processing software. Documents can be easily edited and
formatted. Revisions can be made by deleting (cutting), inserting,
moving (cutting and pasting), and copying data.
Documents can be stored (saved) and opened again for revisions and/or
printing. Many styles and sizes of fonts are available to make the document
 attractive. Example: MS Word, Word Pad etc.
o Spreadsheet applications. spreadsheet software permits
performance of an almost endless variety of quantitative tasks such as
budgeting, keeping track of inventory, preparing financial reports, or
manipulating numbers in any fashion, such as averaging each of ten
departmental monthly sales over a six-month period. A spreadsheet contains
cells, the intersection of rows and columns. Each cell contains a value
keyed in by the user. Cells also contain formulae.
o Database software: A database contains a list of information items that
are similar in format and/or nature. An example is a phone book that lists a
name, address, and phone number for each entry. Once stored in a database,
information can be retrieved in several ways, using reports and queries. For
example, all the names listed for a given area code could be printed out and
used for a commercial mailing to that area. Examples of database software
is Ms Access, Dbase, Oracle etc.
o Presentation software: for making slide shows. Allows users to
create visual presentation A speaker may use presentation software to
organize a slide show for an audience. Text, graphics, sound, and movies
can easily be included in the presentation. An added feature is that the
slide show may be enhanced by inclusion of handouts with two to six slides
printed on a page. The page may be organized to provide space for notes
to be written in by the audience as the presentation ensues. An example
of this is Power Point. Preparation of the software is simplified by
the use of 'wizards' that walk the user through the creation of
the presentation.
o Desktop publishing software: This software permits the user to prepare
documents by using both word-processing devices and graphics.
Desktop publishing software uses word-processing software, with
all its ease of entering and revising data, and supplements it with
sophisticated visual features that stem from graphics software. For example,
one can enhance a printed message with virtually any kind of illustration,
 such as drawings, paintings, and photographs. . Examples of Desktop
publishing software is PageMaker, Corel Draw, and Ms Publisher
o Multimedia applications for creating video and music. Allows users
to create image, audio, video etc. Example: Real Player, Media Player
etc.
o Activity management programs like calendars and address books

NB: Nowadays most of the general purpose software is being sold as a complete
software suites such as Microsoft office or Lotus SmartSuite. These suites offer
four or more software products packaged together at a much lower price than buying the
packages separately.
Tailor made/special purpose software Tailor-made computer system refers to computer
application developed by in-house IT personnel or outside software house according to specific
user requirements in a firm. They are developed for given purpose e.g. Payroll system, stock
control system etc.
Operating systems concepts
Operating systems(OS) acts as an interface between the computer hardware and the computer
user and manages the whole computer system. An operating system acts as foundation on
which other application software can be installed. It controls and monitors the running of
application programs.
Functions of an operating system
The basic functions of an operating system are;
 Memory management – the operating system allocates memory to each
application running in the computer.
 Resource allocation and scheduling – In computer systems which are capable of
running several programs at once, the OS allocates processing time, memory and
input-output resources to each.
 Secondary store management – the OS controls the transfer of data from
secondary storage (e.g. disk) to memory and back again. It also has to maintain a
directory of the disk so that files and free space can quickly be located.
 Interrupt handling – the OS detects many different kinds of interrupt such as for
 example a user pressing the enter key on the keyboard, a printer sending a message that
it is out of paper, the real-time clock interrupting to indicate that
 Allowing a user to communicate with the computer – a user gives instructions to the
computer via the OS to do various things such as copying a file.
Types of Operating System
1. Stand Alone Operating System
A stand a lone operating system controls a single computer that is not connected to others on a
network. Examples of this are Ms. Dos, and Windows.
2. Network Operating System
A network operating system is required when a number of computers are connected together to
form a network. The OS controls who logs on to the network by means of user names and
passwords, in order to protect the data and programs stored on the network. It also makes the
network transparent to the user, allowing any user with appropriate access rights to use
software stored on the network’s file server, and to store data either on the file server or on a
local hard or floppy disk. Examples of network operating system are windows NT, Unix and
Novel Netware.

Computer User interface

There are two types of interface that can be provided by the operating system.
1. Command based Interface
In a command based interface the user enters commands through an interactive terminal. The
commands are entered on a prompt for example the Ms Dos prompt looks like this

Once the commands are entered on the prompt a command line interpreter(CLI) identifies and
executes the commands. A command based interface is quick to operate and very flexible, but
the user needs to learn all the commands and type them in correctly. Examples operating
systems that use command based interface are Ms Dos and Unix.
2. Graphical user interface
A graphical user interface (GUI) allows the user to interact with the system using Windows,
Icons, Menus, and Pointers to control the operating system. Icons represent programs, groups
of programs, folders, devices and files. Instead of typing a command or file name, selection is
achieved by moving a pointer with a mouse and clicking a mouse button. Windows is a
Graphical user interface based operating system. The first in the Windows series was Windows
3.11 and the latest being Windows Vista.

The GUI has many advantages such as;

 GUIs are easier for the novice user because they are more intuitive
 The graphical symbols represent familiar objects such as a garbage bin
 Only valid options are available to avoid confusing the user
 No need to memorise commands
 Help is available online showing the only relevant options
Graphical user interface has some disadvantages such as
 GUI require more memory
 They require faster processors and better graphics display
 For experienced users they appear slow to operate because they require more
operations for simple tasks.
Chapter Review Questions
1. Which of the following is not General Purpose software?
(a) Stock Control (b) Word Processing (c) Internet software (d) Presentation
2. Which of the following is not part of the Ms. Office suite?
 (a) Ms Word (b) Ms Access (c) Outlook (d) Ms QuickBooks
3. Which of the following is not an operating system
(a) Windows XP (b) Windows Explorer (c) Ms Dos (d) Linux

4. Which of the software below would assist a secretary in preparing a report for an
annual general meeting?
(a) Ms Word (b) Ms Access (c) Outlook (d) Ms QuickBooks

5. Which of the software below would assist a salesman in recording daily sales for different
items for which he needs totals among other analysis?
(a) Ms Word (b) Ms Access (c) Outlook (d) Ms Excel
6. Which is the most important software in a computer system?

7. Which software would be used to create documents such as wills, trusts, or rental
contracts?
8. Why would a user decide to use a command based interface as opposed to
Graphical user interface?