Which of the following is are the function of system software in a computer system?

Unit 7. Evolution of computers

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Computer Hardware Basics

– any physical device or equipment used in or with a computer system (anything you can see and touch).

External hardware

• – any hardware device that is located outside the computer.
• – a piece of hardware device which is used to enter information to a computer for processing.
• Examples: keyboard, mouse, trackpad (or touchpad), touchscreen, joystick, microphone, light pen, webcam, speech input, etc.
  
  
• – a piece of hardware device that receives information from a computer.
• Examples: monitor, printer, scanner, speaker, display screen (tablet, smartphone …), projector, head phone, etc.

Internal hardware

• – any piece of hardware device that is located inside the computer.
• Examples: CPU, hard disk drive, ROM, RAM, etc.

Computer Software Basics

Computer software

• – a set of instructions or programs that tells a computer what to do or how to perform a specific task (computer software runs on hardware).
• Main types of software – systems software and application software.

Application software

• – a computer program that provides users with tools to accomplish a specific task.
• Examples of application software: word processing, spreadsheets, presentation, database management, Internet browsers, email programs, media players, accounting, pronunciation, translation, desktop publishing, enterprise, etc.

System Software

– it is designed to run a computer’s hardware and application software, and make the computer system available for use. It serves as the interface between hardware, application software, and the user.

• Main functions of system software – allocating system resources, managing storage space, storing and retrieval of files, providing security, etc.
• Main types of systems software – operating system, device driver, utility software, programming software, etc.

– a software that controls and coordinates the computer hardware devices and runs other software and applications on a computer. It is the main part of system software and a computer will not function without it.

• Main functions of an operating system – booting the computer, managing system resources (CPU, memory, storage devices, printer, etc.), managing files, handling input and output, executing and providing services for application software, etc.
• Examples of operating system: Microsoft Windows, Apple iOS, Android OS, macOS, Linux, etc.

– a software program that is designed to control a particular hardware device that is attached to a computer.

• The main purpose of device driver – it acts as a translator between the hardware device and operating systems or applications that use it.
• It instructs computer on how to communicate with the device by translating the operating system’s instructions into a language that a device can understand in order to perform the necessary task.
• Examples of device driver: printer driver, display driver, USB driver, sound card driver, motherboard driver, ROM driver, etc.

– a type of system software that helps set up, analyze, configure, strengthen, maintain a computer and performs a very specific task (e.g. antivirus software, backup software, memory tester, screen saver, etc.).

System software is software designed to provide a platform for other software. Examples of system software include operating systems (OS) like macOS, Linux, Android and Microsoft Windows, computational science software, game engines, search engines, industrial automation, and software as a service applications.[1]

Application software is software that allows users to do user-oriented tasks such as create text documents, play or develop games, create presentations, listen to music, draw pictures or browse the web.[2]

In the late 1940s, the early days of computing, most application software was custom-written by computer users to fit their specific hardware and requirements. System software was usually supplied by the manufacturer of the computer hardware and was intended to be used by most or all users of that system.

Many operating systems come pre-packaged with basic application software. Such software is not considered system software when it can be uninstalled without affecting the functioning of other software. Examples of such software are games and simple editing tools supplied with Microsoft Windows, or software development toolchains supplied with many Linux distributions.

Some of the grayer areas between system and application software are web browsers integrated deeply into the operating system such as Internet Explorer in some versions of Microsoft Windows, or ChromeOS and Firefox OS where the browser functions as the only user interface and the only way to run programs (and other web browsers can not be installed in their place).

Cloud-based software is another example of systems software, providing services to a software client (usually a web browser or a JavaScript application running in the web browser), not to the user directly. It is developed using system programming methodologies and systems programming languages.

Operating systems or system control program[edit]

The operating system (prominent examples being Microsoft Windows, macOS, Linux, and z/OS), 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 provides a platform (hardware abstraction layer) 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 and devices firmware, including computer BIOS, 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."[3] Either a command-line interface (CLI) or, since the 1980s a graphical user interface (GUI). This is the part of the operating system the user directly interacts with, it is considered an application and not system software.

Utility software or system support programs[edit]

Some organizations use the term systems programmer to describe a job function which is more accurately termed systems administrator. Software tools these employees use are then called system software. This utility software helps to analyze, configure, optimize and maintain the computer, such as virus protection. The term system software can also include software development tools (like a compiler, linker or debugger).[4]

See also[edit]

• System programming
• System programming language
• IBM mainframe utility programs

System software of video game consoles

• From Microsoft:

• From Nintendo:

• From Sony:

References[edit]

1. ^ "Panel: Systems Programming in 2014 and Beyond". Microsoft. Archived from the original on 2014-06-07. Retrieved 4 December 2015.
2. ^ Millner, W. W.; Montgomery-Smith, Ann (2022). Information and Communication technology for Intermediate Gnvq. p. 126.
3. ^ Daeryong, Kim. "Microcomputer Information Technology". Retrieved 2013-09-22.
4. ^ "What is systems software?". Webopedia.com. May 24, 2021 [September 1, 1996]. Retrieved 2022-06-24.

External links[edit]

• Sammet, Jean (October 1971). "Brief Survey of Languages Used for Systems Implementation". ACM SIGPLAN Notices. 6 (9): 1–19. doi:10.1145/942596.807055.

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