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Software Concepts
Hardware and Software
A computer consists of both hardware and software and
both are equally important for the working of the computer system. The
electronic components of a computer system that we can see and touch are called
hardware. Software is a general term used for computer programs that
control the operations of the computer. A program is a sequence of
instructions that perform a particular task. A set of programs form
software. It is the software which gives hardware its capability. Hardware is
of no use without software and software cannot be used without hardware.
Types of Software
Software can be broadly are categorized as:
System Software
Application Software
Utility Software
System Software
System Software is the software that is directly related
to coordinating computer operations and performs tasks associated with
controlling and utilizing computer hardware. These programs assist in running
application programs and are designed to control the operation of a computer
system. System software directs the computer what to do, when to do and how to
do. System software can be further categorized into
Operating System
Language Translators
Operating System
An Operating system is the most important system
software. It is a set of programs that control and supervise the
hardware of a computer and also provide services to
application software, programmers and users. It
manages all hardware and software, input, output
and processing activities within the
computer system, the flow of information to and from the
processor, sets priorities for handling different tasks, and so on. Without
operating system a computer cannot do anything useful. When a computer is
switched on, the operating system is the first program that is loaded onto its
memory. A user cannot communicate directly with the computer hardware, so the
operating system acts as an interface between the user and the computer
hardware. Some of the popular operating systems used in personal computers are
DOS, Windows, UNIX, Linux, Solaris, etc. An operating system
can be a Single User or a Multi user operating system. A single user operating
system allows only one user to work
at any time but a multi user operating
system allows two or more users to use a powerful
computer at the same time. For example
Windows 7 is a single user operating
system while Linux is a multiuser operating system.
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