System Software & Application Software
- Systems software provides the services that the computer requires, including operating system and utility software
- E.g. allowing instructions to be processed by the CPU to allow word processing software to process. Without systems software the system would be useless
- Systems Software is made up of two core elements: the operating system and utility software
Operating System
- This is a program designed to run other programs on a computer. It is considered the backbone of a computer, managing both software and hardware resources
- Operating systems are responsible for everything from the control and allocation of memory to recognising input from external devices and transmitting output to computer displays. They also manage files on computer hard drives and control peripherals, like printers and scanners.
- Examples of Operating System: Windows, MAC, Linux
Utility Software
- Utility programs perform specific tasks related to computer functions, resources, files and security. They help to configure the system, analyse how it is working and optimise it to improve its efficiency. Some of these utilities include:
- Security utilities:
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- Anti-Virus - Scans the computer system and ensures that files are quarantined so that they can be removed by the user
- Encryption - uses an algorithm to scramble (encrypt) a file according to the key which is used to make the file unreadable; the key is needed to decrypt the file back to its original form so it can be read
- Firewall - monitors network traffic and blocks unauthorised access. Criteria is set and if the data meets the criteria it is accepted otherwise it is rejected
- Disk organisation utilities:
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- System Clean-Up Tools – to search for and remove files no longer needed, to reduce space and speed up access to the system
- Disk Defragmentation Tools - it is used to rearrange the parts of files on the disk drive: when a file is saved to the disk, parts of the file might be saved in different areas of the disk, these tools try to move all the parts to the same area for quicker access
- Data compression utilities
- File Compression Software – to make files smaller so that they take up less storage space and can be transmitted to other users more easily
- File backup utilities
- Full Backup - stores all files and software on the system
- Incremental Backup - only backs up the files and software that have been added since the last backup
Application Software
- This is designed to carry out a specific task the user would need for completing a variety of tasks. These are the applications that the operating system would process and allow end users to complete their vital day to day tasks. Examples are:
- Word Processing Software
- This allows users to create written documents
- e.g. letters, reports etc
- Spreadsheet Software
- This allows users to perform numerical calculations and function to create automation for all mathematical elements
- e.g. budgeting, accounting, stock counts etc
- Presentation Software
- This allows users to create interactive and multimedia presentations to show to an audience
- e.g. sales pitches, launching of products etc
- Multimedia Software
- This is used to create multimedia and interactive content for a number of purposes, it explores text, audio, images, video, sound and animations
- e.g. image manipulation, editing a video etc
- Web Browsers
- This allows the user to access the internet and use the world wide web
Exam Tip
- Make sure you use the names given above and not brand names e.g. Microsoft as this will cost you marks
