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Understanding Software: Systems, Apps, OS, and Programming Languages, Study notes of Information Systems

Norwalk Community CollegeInformation Systems

This chapter provides an overview of software, focusing on systems and application software, operating systems, and programming languages. Systems software includes operating systems, utility programs, and middleware, while application software enables users to solve problems and perform specific tasks. Operating systems manage computer resources, provide a user interface, and offer services to application software through apis. Programming languages provide instructions to computers and have evolved from machine language to high-level languages like java and c++. Organizations can choose between developing proprietary software, purchasing off-the-shelf software, or using a combination of both. Popular software applications include word processing, spreadsheet analysis, database, graphics, and online services.

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CHAPTER 4: Software: Systems and Application Software
•Principle Systems and application software are critical in helping individuals
and organizations achieve their goals.
Software consists of programs that control the workings of the computer hardware. The two
main categories of software are systems software and application software. Systems software is a
collection of programs that interacts between hardware and application software, and includes
operating systems, utility programs, and middleware. Application software can be proprietary or
off the shelf, and enables people to solve problems and perform specific tasks.
An operating system (OS) is a set of computer programs that controls the computer hardware to
support users’ computing needs. An OS converts an instruction from an application into a set of
instructions needed by the hardware. This intermediary role allows hardware independence. An
OS also manages memory, which involves controlling storage access and use by converting logical
requests into physical locations and by placing data in the best storage space, including virtual
memory.
An OS manages tasks to allocate computer resources through multitasking and time-sharing.
With multitasking, users can run more than one application at a time. Timesharing allows more
than one person to use a computer system at the same time. The ability of a computer to handle
an increasing number of concurrent users smoothly is called scalability, a feature critical for
systems expected to handle a large number of users. An OS also provides a user interface, which
allows users to access and command the computer. A command-based user interface requires text
commands to send instructions; a graphical user interface (GUI), such as Windows, uses icons
and menus. Software applications use the OS by requesting services through a defined
application program interface (API).
Programmers can use APIs to create application software without having to understand the inner
workings of the OS. APIs also provide a degree of hardware independence so that the underlying
hardware can change without necessarily requiring a rewrite of the software applications. Over
the years, several popular OSs have been developed. These include several proprietary OSs used
primarily on mainframes. MS-DOS is an early OS for IBM-compatibles. Older Windows OSs are
GUIs used with DOS. Newer versions, such as Windows Vista and XP, are fully functional OSs
that do not need DOS. Apple computers use proprietary OSs such as the Mac OS and Mac OS X.
UNIX is a powerful OS that can be used on many computer system types and platforms, from
personal computers to mainframe systems. UNIX makes it easy to move programs and data
among computers or to connect mainframes and personal computers to share resources. Linux is
the kernel of an OS whose source code is freely available to everyone. Several variations of Linux
are available, with sets of capabilities and applications to form a complete OS, for example, Red
Hat Linux. z/OS and HP-UX are OSs for mainframe computers. Some OSs, such as Palm OS,
Windows Mobile, Windows Embedded, Pocket PC, and variations of Linux, have been developed
to support mobile communications and consumer appliances. Utility programs can perform
many useful tasks and often come installed on computers along with the OS.
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Download Understanding Software: Systems, Apps, OS, and Programming Languages and more Study notes Information Systems in PDF only on Docsity!

CHAPTER 4: Software: Systems and Application Software

• Principle Systems and application software are critical in helping individuals

and organizations achieve their goals.

Software consists of programs that control the workings of the computer hardware. The two main categories of software are systems software and application software. Systems software is a collection of programs that interacts between hardware and application software, and includes operating systems, utility programs, and middleware. Application software can be proprietary or off the shelf, and enables people to solve problems and perform specific tasks. An operating system (OS) is a set of computer programs that controls the computer hardware to support users’ computing needs. An OS converts an instruction from an application into a set of instructions needed by the hardware. This intermediary role allows hardware independence. An OS also manages memory, which involves controlling storage access and use by converting logical requests into physical locations and by placing data in the best storage space, including virtual memory. An OS manages tasks to allocate computer resources through multitasking and time-sharing. With multitasking, users can run more than one application at a time. Timesharing allows more than one person to use a computer system at the same time. The ability of a computer to handle an increasing number of concurrent users smoothly is called scalability, a feature critical for systems expected to handle a large number of users. An OS also provides a user interface, which allows users to access and command the computer. A command-based user interface requires text commands to send instructions; a graphical user interface (GUI), such as Windows, uses icons and menus. Software applications use the OS by requesting services through a defined application program interface (API). Programmers can use APIs to create application software without having to understand the inner workings of the OS. APIs also provide a degree of hardware independence so that the underlying hardware can change without necessarily requiring a rewrite of the software applications. Over the years, several popular OSs have been developed. These include several proprietary OSs used primarily on mainframes. MS-DOS is an early OS for IBM-compatibles. Older Windows OSs are GUIs used with DOS. Newer versions, such as Windows Vista and XP, are fully functional OSs that do not need DOS. Apple computers use proprietary OSs such as the Mac OS and Mac OS X. UNIX is a powerful OS that can be used on many computer system types and platforms, from personal computers to mainframe systems. UNIX makes it easy to move programs and data among computers or to connect mainframes and personal computers to share resources. Linux is the kernel of an OS whose source code is freely available to everyone. Several variations of Linux are available, with sets of capabilities and applications to form a complete OS, for example, Red Hat Linux. z/OS and HP-UX are OSs for mainframe computers. Some OSs, such as Palm OS, Windows Mobile, Windows Embedded, Pocket PC, and variations of Linux, have been developed to support mobile communications and consumer appliances. Utility programs can perform many useful tasks and often come installed on computers along with the OS.

This software is used to merge and sort sets of data, keep track of computer jobs being run, compress files of data, protect against harmful computer viruses, and monitor hardware and network performance. Middleware is software that allows different systems to communicate and transfer data back and forth. A service-oriented architecture (SOA) uses modular application services to allow users to interact with systems, and systems to interact with each other.

  • Organizations should not develop proprietary application software unless

doing so will meet a compelling business need that can provide a competitive

advantage.

Application software applies the power of the computer to solve problems and perform specific tasks. One useful way of classifying the many potential uses of information systems is to identify the scope of problems and opportunities addressed by a particular organization or its sphere of influence. For most companies, the spheres of influence are personal, workgroup, and enterprise. User software, or personal productivity software, includes general-purpose programs that enable users to improve their personal effectiveness, increasing the quality and amount of work that can be done. Software that helps groups work together is often called workgroup application software, and includes group scheduling software, electronic mail, and other software that enables people to share ideas. Enterprise software that benefits the entire organization can also be developed or purchased. Many organizations are turning to enterprise resource planning software, a set of integrated programs that manage a company’s vital business operations for an entire multisite, global organization. Three approaches to developing application software are to build proprietary application software, buy existing programs off the shelf, or use a combination of customized and off-the-shelf application software. Building proprietary software (in-house or on contract) has the following advantages: The organization will get software that more closely matches its needs; by being involved with the development, the organization has further control over the results; and the organization has more flexibility in making changes. The disadvantages include the following: It is likely to take longer and cost more to develop, the in-house staff will be hard pressed to provide ongoing support and maintenance, and there is a greater risk that the software features will not work as expected or that other performance problems will occur. Purchasing off-the-shelf software has many advantages. The initial cost is lower, there is a lower risk that the software will fail to work as expected, and the software is likely to be of higher quality than proprietary software. Some disadvantages are that the organization might pay for features it does not need, the software might lack important features requiring expensive customization, and the system might require process reengineering. Some organizations have taken a third approach— customizing software packages. This approach usually involves a mixture of the preceding advantages and disadvantages and must be carefully managed. An application service provider (ASP) is a company that can provide the software, support, and computer hardware on which to run the software from the user’s facilities over a network. ASPs customize off-the-shelf software on contract and speed deployment of new

Also, their source code usually cannot be modified. Multiorganizational software development is the process of extending software development beyond a single organization by finding others who share the same business problem and involving them in a common development effort. Software upgrades are an important source of increased revenue for software manufacturers and can provide useful new functionality and improved quality for software users. Global software support is an important consideration for large, global companies putting together standardized, company-wide systems. A common solution is outsourcing global support to one or more third- party software distributors.