Systems Software

Systems Software

1. Operating System

   • An operating system, sometimes called a platform, is a collection of programs that control the hardware in a computer or device.
   • e.g.
     • windows
     • Mac OS
     • UNIX
   • How it works
     • Kernel
       • The kernel is a computer program that is the core of a computer's operating system, with complete control over everything in the system. On most systems, it is one of the first programs loaded on start-up.
     • Interface
       • The user interface is how the user interacts with the system. This can be provided as part of the operating system or can be a separate program running on top of the operating system.
       • e.g.
         • graphic user interface
           • advantages:
           • disadvantages:
         • command line user interface
           • advantages:
           • disadvantages:

2. Utility Software

   • Software designed to maintain a computer and interact with the computers hardware. Utility programs can be stand alone but are also inbuilt in to the Operating System. They are designed to do just one or two tasks.
   • e.g.
     • file compression
     • anti-virus
     • file repair