SoftwareICT GCSE
What is software? Programs we run on
our computers Allows the hardware
to do something useful, without it the hardware wouldn’t do anything
It is made up of a series of instructions or computer code
Categories System software:
Operating Systems, Utility Programs and Drivers
Application software: the everyday programs, such as MS Office and web browsers
Operating Systems Part of the system
software All computers have
an OS It is a program that
allows the applications to communicate with the hardware
Examples: Windows Vista Windows XP Redhat Linux Mac OS X Leopard
Utility Programs Part of the system
software Designed to specific
tasks May be supplied with
the OS or purchased separately
Common tasks: File compression File sorting File renaming File conversion File repair
Operating Systems An OS performs many
tasks, these include: Working out where to
store data Dealing with security
(Usernames and Passwords)
File management Managing data
transfer Saving, deleting,
opening and closing files
Drivers Allows the OS to
communicate with the hardware
A specially written program which translates the commands from the OS into commands that the hardware will understand