Chapter 3: SOFTWARE

SOFTWARE

Department of Information and Communications Technology
Centre for Foundation Studies , IIUM

Learning Outcome

At the end of this chapter, you should be able to:

• Explain the different ownership of software

• Identify the categories of system software and their functions

• Identify the main functions and categories of operating system

• Identify the types of application software and their functions

• Define mobile app and app store

• Define software suite

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Software definition

• Also known as programs.
• The instructions that are used by computers or other devices to

perform various operations and functions.

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source code
the command statements that direct/instruct
the execution of the program

Software ownership

• Under the copyright law, the creator of software is the owner of the

copyright and is granted the exclusive rights for its use and
distribution.

• Software can be:

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Proprietary/
Closed source

Open source

source code can be viewed
only by the owner

source code can be viewed
by anyone

Proprietary Software

• Software owned by individual or organization.
• It is sometimes referred as closed source software which means users

may use the software but cannot make any changes on the
software.

• The owner of the software has the rights to modify or add features to

the program’s source code, and can sell it.

• Commercial

software,

freeware

and

shareware

falls

under

proprietary software.

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Proprietary Software

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Commercial Software

Freeware

Shareware

Not free. Users need to
purchase or pay for the
licenses

Free

Free on a trial basis

Owned by individual or organization

Cannot be copied or
distributed

Subject to conditions defined by the owner

Source code is kept secret

Full features

Some may not have full features

Proprietary Software – the examples

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Commercial Software

Freeware

Shareware

Operating system –
Windows, macOS

Utilities – Norton Utilities,
System Cleaner 7

Application – Microsoft
Office

Utilities –WinRAR

Application – Google
Chrome, GOM Player

Utilities - GoodSync (file
backup and file
synchronization software),
FileScavenger (undelete
and recovery program)

Application – Corel
WordPerfect Office

Open source software

• Open source software is normally developed by a community of

developers.

• Available for free or for a small fee.
• Users may use, modify, copy and distribute the software.
• Examples are

✔ Operating system – Linux, Ubuntu, KaiOS (for smartphones)
✔ Utilities – Immunet (antivirus software), UltraDefrag 10 (disk defragmenter)

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Open Source Software

Proprietary Software

Is developed and tested through open
collaboration.

Is developed & solely owned by the
individual or the enterprise

Anyone with the academic knowledge
can

access,

inspect

modify

and

redistribute the source code.

Only the owner or publisher who holds
the legal property rights of the source
code can access it.

Is

managed

by

an

open

source

community

of

developers

and

programmers.

Is managed by a closed group of
individuals or team who developed it.

Provides better flexibility which means
more

freedom

which

encourages

innovation.

There

is

a

very

limited

scope

of

innovation with the restrictions and all.

Examples:

Android,

Firefox,

LibreOffice, Ubuntu, FreeBSD, Drupal,
GNOME etc.

Examples: Windows, macOS, iTunes,
Google Earth, Adobe Flash Player, etc.

Software types

• There are 2 types : Application software and system software.
• Application software are used by most users to complete their daily

tasks.

• System software is the set of programs installed in a computer to

control and work with the computer hardware.

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Software types

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System Software

Definition of system software

• System software is a collection of programs that handle the

operations of computer hardware.

• Most of the computer tasks are performed by the system software.
• From the time the user turns on the computer, the system software

will start interacting and handling the technical details.

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Four types of system software

• Operating systems (OS)
• Utilities
• Device drivers
• Language Translators

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Operating systems

• Most important component of system software.
• Control and coordinate all activities among the computer hardware

devices, provide the interface for the computer users, and run all
application software.

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Six Basic Functions of OS

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Booting and shutting down

• The process of starting or restarting the computer is known as

booting.

• A cold boot is when you turn on a computer that has been turned off

completely.

• A warm boot is the process of using the operating system to restart

the computer.

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Provide user interface

• A user interacts with computer through the user interface.
• Two main types are:

• command line interface
• graphical user interface (GUI)

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Command line interface

• Requires user to type the command statements in order to interact

with the operating system.

• An example of command is DIR (for “directory”).

This command

instructs the computer to display a directory list of all folder and file
names.

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Graphical user interface

• User interacts with the operating system using graphical objects such

as icons, buttons, dialog boxes, windows, menus, ribbons, etc.

• Microsoft released Windows 1.0, its first GUI based operating system

in 1985.

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Run application programs

• OS coordinates the CPU to get the program instructions or computer

codes from the application program, for example word processors, to
process the data.

• Most OS support multitasking. This means users could open two or

more application programs at the same time.

• The CPU does not actually run two or more programs at the same

time; rather, it switches the execution between the different
programs stored in main memory.

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Manage hardware

• OS handles basic tasks which includes controlling various peripheral

devices such as printer, keyboard and mouse.

• Most operating systems are equipped with Plug and Play capability

which means a device such as a printer will automatically be detected
and configured without any user manipulations of the system.

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Manage system resources

• OS handles system resources such as the computer's memory and

sharing of the central processing unit (CPU) time by various
applications or peripheral devices.

• While OS coordinates the activities of the CPU, it uses RAM as the

temporary storage area to store the instructions and data that will be
used by the CPU to process.

• OS will ensure that the space in the RAM is enough to store the next

instructions and data.

• OS will clear these items from the RAM when the CPU no longer

needs them.

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Provide file management

• OS also handles the management and tracking of files and directories

(folders) saved or retrieved from a computer disk.

• The file management system allows the user to perform such tasks as

creating files and directories, renaming files, copying and moving
files, and deleting files.

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Three Categories of OS

• Embedded Operating System

• Desktop Operating System

• Network Operating System

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Embedded Operating System

• This category of OS is stored or embedded within a device like

smartphones, tablets, TV tuner boxes, game systems and other
small gadgets.

• Mobile operating system falls under this category.

• Examples of mobile OS are Android and iOS.

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Desktop Operating System

• The OS for this category is installed on the computer’s hard disk.

• Examples of desktop operating system are Windows, Mac OS, UNIX

and Linux.

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Network Operating System

• This category of OS is used to control and coordinate computers

and other devices on a computer network.

• Network Operating System are typically located on the network

server which coordinates all communications among the client
computers on a computer network.

• Examples of Network OS are Linux Server, Windows Server and

UNIX.

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Examples of Open Source Operating System

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Utility Program

• Utilities are programs to manage and maintain the general

housekeeping tasks for the computer.

• Examples of utilities are to perform backup and to recover damaged

files.

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Types of utility programs

• Antivirus programs
• File compression programs
• System maintenance programs

• Backup programs
• Troubleshooting programs

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Antivirus programs

• This program helps to protect your computer system against viruses

or any threat that might invade your computer system.

• Examples of antivirus are Bitdefender, Kaspersky Anti-virus, and

McAfee Antivirus.

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File compression programs

• This programs helps to reduce the file size to save the storage space

and to make sending the files over the Internet more efficient.

• Examples are WinZip and WinRAR.

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System maintenance programs

• These programs help to manage system resources.
• Examples are

• Backup programs - make copies of files in case the originals are lost or

damaged. Example of backup programs are Windows File History, Paragon
Backup and CrashPlan.

• Troubleshooting programs - identify and correct any problem in your

computer before they become serious. Example of troubleshooting programs
are Windows Disk Cleanup, Windows Task Manager, Windows Optimize
Drives and Free PC Audit.

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Example of Troubleshooting program

Windows Disk Cleanup

To remove non-essential files

Windows Optimize Drives

Performs disk defragmentation

Device drivers

• Device drivers are programs to allow the computer to communicate

with the devices that are connected to it.

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Language Translators

• Language translators are programs that translate the instructions

written in a programming language into machine language.

• JAVA interpreter and compiler are examples of language translators.

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Application Software

Application software category

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GENERAL
PURPOSE

APPLICATIONS

SPECIALIZED
APPLICATIONS

MOBILE

APPLICATIONS

General-Purpose Applications

• End-users’ work-related & personal

tasks

• For anyone and in any field
• Include

word

processors,

spreadsheets, presentation graphics
and database management systems
or DBMS

SOFTWARE TYPE

FUNCTION

Word processor

To create a text based
document

Spreadsheet

To organize, analyze and
graph numerical data

Presentation
graphics

To create a visually
interesting presentation

DBMS

To organize large amounts of
data in a database

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General-Purpose Applications

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Word processor

• Used to create text based documents such as letters, reports, memos and any

kind of written materials.

• Examples are Microsoft Word, Apple Pages, Corel Word Perfect, LibreOffice

Writer, Calligra Words, WPS Writer, Google Docs and Zoho Writer.

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Microsoft

Word

Apple
Pages

Lotus

Symphony
Documents

LibreOffice

Writer

Calligra
Words

Open-source

s/w

Google
Docs

Zoho
Writer

Online s/w

Spreadsheet

• Used to create workbook so that user can organize numbers, analyse

them as well as create graph to visualize the numerical data.

• Examples are Microsoft Excel, Apple Numbers, LibreOffice Calc,

Calligra Sheets, Google Sheets and Zoho Sheet.

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Pie chart

Presentation Graphics

• Used to create presentation that may include text and images,

sound, video, music files, as well as link to other files or websites.

• Examples

are

Microsoft

PowerPoint,

Apple

Keynote,

Corel

Presentations, LibreOffice Impress, Showcase, Google Slides and
Prezi.

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Microsoft
PowerPoint

Apple
Keynote

Lotus

Symphony

Presentations

LibreOffice

Impress

Zoho
Show

Google
Slides

Present

Database Management System (DBMS)

• Used to set up an electronic database.
• Databases are used to store information such as staff information

and students information.

• Examples are Microsoft Access, Oracle, IBM DB2, Cubrid, FireBird and

MySQL.

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Table

Form

Report
Query

Microsoft

Access

Specialized Applications

• Specialized applications are more specific and focused on a certain

job or profession.

• For example, there are software specifically used in graphic related

jobs; some software are for creating and editing multimedia files,
while some other software are meant for creating web documents.

• Examples: desktop publishing, image editor, illustration/drawing

program, project management, web authoring program.

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Graphics Program

TYPE OF

SOFTWARE
FUNCTION

EXAMPLE

Desktop
publishing
(DTP) or page
layout

∙Mix text and graphics to create publications of
professional quality, such as brochures, newsletters, and
textbooks

∙Focus on page design and layout

∙More flexible that a word processor

Microsoft Publisher,
Adobe InDesign,
QuarkXPress

• Professionals in graphics arts field use software such as desktop

publishing, image editing and drawing programs to complete their jobs.

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Graphics Program

TYPE OF

SOFTWARE
FUNCTION

EXAMPLE

Image or
photo editor

∙Create or edit bitmap (or raster) images

∙Bitmap images are made up of individual pixels

∙Bitmap images become jagged when expanded

∙Some raster (image) file formats: PNG, BMP, GIF,
JPEG, JPG

Adobe
Photoshop, Corel
PaintShop Pro,
GIMP (GNU Image
Manipulation
Program), Canva

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Graphics Program

TYPE OF

SOFTWARE
FUNCTION

EXAMPLE

Drawing or
Illustration
program

∙Create and edit vector images which use
geometric shapes defined by mathematical
expressions

∙No distortion when expanded

∙Used for graphic design, page layout, and to
create sharp artistic images

Adobe Illustrator,
CorelDRAW,
Inkscape

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Web Authoring Program

• A web page can be created using program such as Adobe

Dreamweaver and Komodo Edit can be used to create web pages or
web documents.

• These programs are referred WYSIWYG because users do not have to

know about the HTML codes.

✓ WYSIWYG – What you see is what you get
✓ HTML – Hypertext markup language

• Animation is an example of multimedia element.
• Specialized program such as Adobe Animate is used to create

animation that can be part of the website.

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Project Management Software

• Used

for

project

planning,

scheduling, resource allocation,
monitoring

and

reporting

progress of a project.

• Allows

collaboration

and

communication between project
stakeholders.

• Examples are Microsoft Project,

Basecamp

and

Teamwork

Projects,

Bitrix24,

Freedcamp

and Asana.

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Mobile Apps

Definition

• Mobile app is a computer program designed to run on mobile devices

such as smartphones and tablet computers.

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Commonly used mobile apps

• Social networking: Facebook, Instagram
• Messaging: Whatsapp, Telegram
• Shopping: Zalora, Lazada, Shopee
• Music: Pandora, Spotify, SoundCloud, GarageBand
• Videos: YouTube, Netflix, iflix
• QR codes: QR Reader, QR Droid

• consists of black modules or square dots arranged in a square grid on a white

background, which can be scanned using the QR reader app and the camera
of a mobile device.

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App Stores

• Allow users to download mobile apps either for free or with some
charges

WEBSITE

APPS STORE

OS

www.appstore.com

Apple App Store

iOS

play.google.com

Google Play

Android

www.androidcentral.com

Android Central

Android

www.amazon.com/gp/mas
/get/amazonapp

Amazon Appstore

Android

www.microsoft.com/en-
my/store/apps/windows

Windows Store

Windows

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Software Suite

• a collection of individual software, grouped and sold together as a

bundle

TYPE OF SUITE

EXAMPLE

Productivity (or
office) suite

Microsoft Office, Apple iWork, Apache OpenOffice,
LibreOffice, WPS Office

Cloud (or
online) suite

Google Workspace, Microsoft Office 365, Zoho
Workplace, Adobe Creative Cloud

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