Chapter 4 System Software

CHAPTER 4 - System Software System software: works with end users, application software, and computer hardware to handle the majority of technical details. System software is not a single program,it is a collection or a system of programs that handle hundreds of technical details with little or no user intervention. System software consists of four types of programs: • Ope ati g s ste s • Utilities • De i e d i e s • La guage t a slato s Operating Systems Is a collection of programs that handle many of the technical details related to using a computer.  An operating system is the most important type of computer program. Without a functioning operating system, your computer would be useless. Functions: • Ma agi g esou es: coordinate all the o pute ’s esou es ,also monitor system performance, schedule tasks, provide security, and start up the computer. • P o idi g use i te fa e: allo use s to i te a t ith appli atio p og a s a d o pute hardware through a user interface. A new feature available with many operating systems is voice recognition. • Ru i g appli atio s: load a d u appli atio s su h as o d p o esso s a d sp eadsheets. -Most operating systems support multitasking. With multitasking, you could have Word and Excel running at the same time and switch easily between the two applications. The program that you are currently working on is described as running in the foreground. The other program or programs are running in the background. Starting or restarting a computer is called booting the system.There are two ways to boot a computer: 1. A warm boot occurs when the computer is already on and you restart it without turning off the power. 2. A cold boot Starting a computer that has been turned off. Features: important features common to most operating systems and application programs include: 21 • I o s—graphic representations for a program, type of file, or function. • Poi te —controlled by a mouse, trackpad, or touch screen. • Wi do s—rectangular areas for displaying information and running programs. • Me us—provide a list of options or commands that can be selected. • Ta s—divide menus into major activity areas such as format and page layout. • Dialog o es—typically provide information or request input. • Help—provides online assistance for operating system functions and procedures. • Gestu e o t ol—ability to control operations with finger movements, such as swiping, sliding, and pinching. Files are used to store data and programs. Related files are stored within a folder, and, for organizational purposes, a folder can contain other folders, or subfolders. Categories While there are hundreds of different operating systems, there are only three basic categories: embedded, stand-alone, and network. • Embedded operating systems, also known as real-time operating systems (RTOS), They control smartwatches, smartphones, video game systems, and thousands of other small electronic devices. • Stand-alone operating systems, also called desktop operating systems, control a single desktop or laptop o pute . These ope ati g s ste s a e lo ated o the o pute ’s ha d disk. Ofte desktop computers and laptops are part of a network. • Network operating systems (NOS) are used to control and coordinate computers that are networked or linked together. Net o k ope ati g s ste s a e t pi all lo ated o o e of the o e ted o pute s’ ha d disks. Called the network server, this computer coordinates all communication between the other computers. Popular network operating systems include Linux, Windows Server, and UNIX. The operating system is often referred to as the software environment or software platform. Mobile Operating Systems, also known as mobile OS, are a type of embedded operating system. These mobile operating systems are less complicated and more specialized for wireless communication. 22 While there are numerous mobile operating systems, some of the best known are: • Android was introduced in 2007. It was originally developed by Android Inc. and later purchased by Google. • iOS, formerly known as iPhone OS, was originally developed in 2007 by Apple. It is based on Mac OS a d is used as the platfo fo Apple’s iPad a d iPho e. • Windows Phone 8 was introduced in 2012 by Microsoft to support a variety of mobile devices. In 2015 Microsoft introduced a new mobile operating system, Windows 10 Mobile as a replacement for Windows Phone. It has the ability to run many powerful programs designed for desktop and laptop computers. Desktop Operating Systems Every personal computer has an operating system controlling its operations. The most widely used desktop operating systems are Windows, Mac OS, UNIX, and Linux.  Mi rosoft’s Windows is the most widely used personal computer operating system. Because its market share is so large, more application programs have been developed to run under Windows than any other operating system. The two recent versions are Windows 8 and Windows 10.  Windows 8 was released in 2012. Windows RT is a version of Windows 8 designed to run with tablets using a particular microprocessor from ARM.  Windows 10 as a ou ed i . It e ges Wi do s’ desktop a d o ile operating systems. Windows 10 runs on all Windows devices, including desktops, tablets, and smartphones. Cortana: a digital assistant that can accept commands through text or speech, and Windows apps.  Mac OS Apple has been the leader in the development of powerful and easy-to-use personal computer operating systems since its introduction of the Macintosh personal computer in 1984. Mac OS X is the most widely used Mac desktop operating system. Its two most recent versions are : • OS X Mavericks,announced in 2013. introduced several improvements, including 1- better power management for longer laptop battery life,2- enhanced workflow options for multiple monitor setups, better integration with cloud computing. • OS X Yosemite, eleased i .Othe i o atio s i lude g eate use of Apple’s loud storage service, iCloud, and greater compatibility with Apple mobile devices.  The UNIX designed 1960s to run on minicomputers in network environments. - Now, it is widely used by servers on the web, mainframe computers, and very powerful personal computers. 23  Linux is an one of the UNIX versions. Developed in 1991.Linux has been the basis of several othe ope ati g s ste s. Fo e a ple, Google’s Ch o e OS is ased o Li u . Ch o e OS integrates with web servers to run applications and to perform other traditional operating system functions. - One limitation of these computers is that their efficiency is dependent upon the speed of their Internet connection. virtualization Application programs are designed to run with particular operating systems. When a single physical computer runs a special program known as virtualization software, it operates as though it were two or more separate and independent computers, known as virtual machines. Each virtual machine appears to the user as a separate independent computer with its own operating system.  The host operating system : is the operating system of the physical machine .  The guest operating system the operating system for each virtual machine  Users can readily switch between virtual computers and programs running on them.  Example for Programs that create and run virtual machines: Parallels, allows a user on a Mac to run Windows programs in OS X Utilities: There are hundreds of different utility programs. The most essential are: • T ou leshooti g or diagnostic programs that recognize and correct problems, ideally before they become serious. • A ti i us p og a s that gua d ou o pute s ste agai st i uses o othe da agi g p og a s that can invade your computer system. Popular antivirus programs include Norton AntiVirus and Webroot SecureAnywhere AntiVirus. • Ba kup p og a s that ake opies of files to e used i ase the o igi als a e lost o da aged. ---------Windows 10 comes with a free backup program, the File History tool, and Mac OS X has a backup feature named Time Machine. • File o p essio p og a s that edu e the size of files so the be sent more efficiently over the Internet. e ui e less sto age spa e a d a 24 Two types of utilties : a) Windows Utilities The Windows operating systems are accompanied by several utility programs, including File History, Disk Cleanup, and Disk Defragmenter. I. II. III. File History is a utility program included with Windows 10 that makes a copy of all files that are in the libraries, contacts, and favorites and on the desktop. It helps protect you from the effects of a disk failure. Disk Cleanup is a troubleshooting utility that identifies and eliminates nonessential files. This frees up valuable disk space and improves system performance. Optimize Drives(defragmenter) is a utility program that locates and eliminates unnecessary fragments and rearranges files and unused disk space to optimize operations. b) Utility Suites Like application software suites, utility suites combine several programs into one package. -Buying the package is less expensive than buying the programs separately. -Some of the best-known utility suites are BitDefender, Kaspersky, and Norton. These suites provide a variety of utilities. 25