Computer SoftwareComputer Software

1414

• Describe several important trends occurring in computer software.

• Give examples of several major types of application and system software.

• Explain the purpose of several popular software packages for end user productivity and collaborative computing.

1414 Learning ObjectivesLearning Objectives

• Outline the functions of an operating system.

• Describe the main uses of software programming languages and tools.

1414 Learning Objectives (continued)Learning Objectives (continued)

• Application Software: End User Applications

1414 Section ISection I

• Types of software– Application software– System software

• Application software for end users– Application-specific– General-purpose

• Perform common information processing jobs• Sometimes known as productivity packages

1414 SoftwareSoftware

• Suites are a number of productivity packages bundled together– Microsoft Office– Lotus SmartSuite– Corel WordPerfect Office– Sun StarOffice

1414 Software Suites and Integrated PackagesSoftware Suites and Integrated Packages

• Advantages of suites– Cost– Similar graphical user interface– Share common tools– Programs are designed to work together

• Disadvantages of suites– Large size– Many features never used by many end

users

1414Software Suites and Integrated Packages Software Suites and Integrated Packages (continued)(continued)

• Integrated Packages– Combine SOME of the features of

several programs– Cannot do as much as individual

packages or suites

1414Software Suites and Integrated Packages Software Suites and Integrated Packages (continued)(continued)

• Key software interface to the hyperlinked resources of the World Wide Web and the rest of the Internet– Internet Explorer– Netscape Communicator

1414 Web BrowsersWeb Browsers

• E-Mail– Has changed the way people work and

communicate

• Instant Messaging– An e-mail/computer conferencing hybrid

technology– Allows real time

communication/collaboration

1414 Electronic Mail and Instant MessagingElectronic Mail and Instant Messaging

• Word Processing– Has computerized the creation, editing,

revision, and printing of documents.– Advanced features

• Desktop Publishing– Design and print newsletters, brochures,

manuals, and books– Page design process

• Page makeup or page composition• WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get)

1414 Word Processing and Desktop PublishingWord Processing and Desktop Publishing

• Used for business analysis, planning, and modeling

• Involves designing its format and developing the relationships (formulas)

1414 Electronic SpreadsheetsElectronic Spreadsheets

• Allows end users to perform:– What-if– Goal-seeking– Sensitivity analysis

• Strength– Computation and calculation

1414 Electronic Spreadsheets (continued)Electronic Spreadsheets (continued)

• Performs four primary tasks– Database development

• Define/organize content, relationships, and structure of the data

– Database Interrogation• Selectively retrieve and display information • Produce forms, reports, & other documents

1414 Database ManagementDatabase Management

• Four primary tasks (continued)– Database maintenance

• Add, delete, update, and correct the data

– Application development• Develop prototypes of web pages, queries,

forms, reports, and labels

1414 Database Management (continued)Database Management (continued)

• Strength– Storage of large amounts of data

• Weakness– Computation and calculation

1414 Database Management (continued)Database Management (continued)

• Helps convert numeric data into graphic displays

• Helps prepare multimedia presentations

• Easy to use

1414 Presentation GraphicsPresentation Graphics

• For end user productivity and collaboration– Store, organize, and retrieve information

• Information about customers• Appointments• Contact lists• Task lists• Schedules

1414 Personal Information ManagersPersonal Information Managers

• Collaboration software• Helps workgroups and teams work

together to accomplish group assignments

• Combines a variety of software features and functions– E-mail– Discussion groups and databases– Scheduling– Task management– Audio and videoconferencing– Data sharing

1414 GroupwareGroupware

1414 Other Business SoftwareOther Business Software

• System Software: Computer System Management

1414 Section IISection II

• Programs that manage and support a computer system and its information processing activities

• Serves as the software interface between computer networks and hardware and the application programs of end users

1414 System Software OverviewSystem Software Overview

• Two major categories– System management programs

• Operating systems• Network management programs• Database management systems• System utilities

– System development programs• Programming language translators &

editors• CASE (computer-aided software

engineering)

1414 System Software Overview (continued)System Software Overview (continued)

• Integrated system of programs that– Manages the operations of the CPU– Controls the input/output and storage

resources and activities of the computer system

– Provides various support services as the computer executes application programs

1414 Operating SystemsOperating Systems

• Performs five basic functions– Provides a user interface

• Allows humans to communicate with the computer

– Command-driven– Menu-driven– Graphical user interface

1414 Operating Systems (continued)Operating Systems (continued)

• Five basic functions (continued)– Resource management

• Manages the hardware and networking resources of the system

• Virtual memory capability

1414 Operating Systems (continued)Operating Systems (continued)

• Five basic functions (continued)

– File management• Controls the creation, deletion, and access

of files of data and programs• Keeps track of the physical location of files

1414 Operating Systems (continued)Operating Systems (continued)

• Five basic functions (continued)

– Task management• Manages the accomplishment of the

computing tasks of end users• Multitasking

– Multiprogramming– Timesharing

1414 Operating Systems (continued)Operating Systems (continued)

• Popular Operating Systems– Windows

• 95, 98, ME• NT• 2000• XP

• Popular operating systems (continued)– UNIX– Linux– Mac OS X

1414 Operating Systems (continued)Operating Systems (continued)

• Perform functions such as– Automatically checking client PCs and video

terminals for input/output activity– Assigning priorities to data communication

requests from clients and terminals– Detecting and correcting transmission errors

and other network problems– Sometimes functions as middleware that

allows diverse networks to communicate with each other

1414 Network Management ProgramsNetwork Management Programs

• Controls the development, use, and maintenance of databases.

• Helps organizations use their integrated collections of data records and files

• Allows different user application programs to easily access the same database

• Simplifies the process of retrieving information from databases

1414 Database Management SystemsDatabase Management Systems

• Utility Programs– Perform miscellaneous housekeeping

and file conversion functions• Data backup• Data recovery• Virus protection• Data compression• Data defragmentation

– Performance monitors and security monitors

1414 Other System Management ProgramsOther System Management Programs

• Allows a programmer to develop the sets of instructions that constitute a computer program

• Machine Language– First generation language– Written using binary codes unique to

each computer

1414 Programming LanguagesProgramming Languages

– Assembler Language• Second generation• Requires language translator programs

called assemblers• Allows a computer to convert the

instructions into machine instructions• Frequently called symbolic language

1414 Programming Languages (continued)Programming Languages (continued)

– High-level Languages• Third generation• Uses instructions, called statements, that

use brief statements or arithmetic expressions

• Uses translator programs called compilers or interpreters

• Syntax and semantics

1414 Programming Languages (continued)Programming Languages (continued)

• Fourth-generation Languages (4GLs)– More nonprocedural and conversational

than prior languages– Natural languages– Ease of use gained at the expense of

some loss in flexibility

1414 Programming Languages (continued)Programming Languages (continued)

• Object-Oriented Languages (OOP)– Ties data elements to the procedures

or actions that will be performed on them into “objects”

– Easier to use and more efficient for programming GUIs

1414 Programming Languages (continued)Programming Languages (continued)

• HTML, XML, and Java– Important for building multimedia Web

pages, websites, and Web-based applications

– HTML (Hypertext Markup Language)• A page description language that creates

hypertext or hypermedia documents

1414 Programming Languages (continued)Programming Languages (continued)

– XML (extensible Markup Language)• Describes the contents of web pages by

applying identifying tags or contextual labels to the data

• Makes the web site more searchable, sort able, and easier to analyze

– Java• Designed for real-time, interactive, Web-

based network applications• Applets

1414 Programming Languages (continued)Programming Languages (continued)

• Helps programmers develop computer programs

• Two basic categories– Programming language translators– Programming tools

1414 Programming SoftwareProgramming Software

• Language Translator Programs– Assembler

• Translates symbolic instruction codes into machine language instructions

– Compiler• Translates high-level language statements

– Interpreter• Translates and executes each statement in

a program one at a time

1414 Programming Software (continued)Programming Software (continued)

• Programming Tools– Programming editors and debuggers– Provides a computer-aided programming

environment or workbench– Diagramming packages– Code generators– Libraries of reusable objects & code– Prototyping tools– CASE

1414 Programming Software (continued)Programming Software (continued)

• What major trends are occurring in software? What capabilities do you expect to see in future software packages?

• How do the different roles of system software and application software affect you as a business end user? How do you see this changing in the future?

1414 Discussion QuestionsDiscussion Questions

• Why is an operating system necessary? Why can’t an end user just load an application program in a computer and start computing?

• Should a Web browser be integrated into an operating system?

1414 Discussion Questions (continued)Discussion Questions (continued)

• Are software suites, Web browsers, and groupware merging together? What are the implications for a business and its end users?

• How are HTML, XML, and Java affecting business applications on the Web?

1414 Discussion Questions (continued)Discussion Questions (continued)

• Do you think Windows 2000 and Linux will surpass Unix and Netware as operating systems for network and Web servers?

• Which application software packages are the most important for a business end user to know how to use?

1414 Discussion Questions (continued)Discussion Questions (continued)

ReferencesReferences

• James A. O'Brien; George M. Marakas. Management Information Systems: Managing Information Technology in the Business Enterprise 6th Ed., Boston: McGraw-Hill/ Irwin,2004

1414