Information System for Managers

CONTENT

Why Learn about S/W Introduction System Software

Operating System Utility Programs Middleware and Others

Application Software Programming Languages Open Source Software

Why Learn About Software?

Systems & application S/W are critical in helping individuals & organizations achieve their goals Decide Build or Buy Choose appropriate software platform considering the skills and experience Need to be aware of recent trends and issues to be effective in business and personal life

Introduction
Systems software: coordinates the activities and functions of hardware and programs Computer system platform: combination of a hardware configuration and systems software Application software: helps users solve particular problems

Computer programs: sequences of instructions for the computer

Documentation: describes program functions

Systems Software
Operating systems Utility programs Middleware and Others

Operating Systems (continued)

Combinations of OSs, computers, and users

Single computer with a single user, e.g. PC Single computer with multiple users, e.g. Main Frame computer where hundreds of users are working Multiple computers, e.g. network of computers Special-purpose computers, e.g. home appliances

Operating Systems (continued)

OS is set of programs Activities performed by the operating system

Perform common computer hardware functions Provide a user interface and input/output management Provide a degree of hardware independence Manage system memory Manage processing tasks Provide networking capability Control access to system resources Manage files

Operating Systems (continued)

Figure 4.4: The Role of Systems Software

Operating Systems (continued)

Common hardware functions

Get input from keyboard or some other input device Retrieve data from disks Store data on disks Display information on a monitor or printer

Operating Systems (continued)

User interface and input/output management

User interface: allows individuals to access and command the computer system Command-based user interface: requires that text commands be given to the computer to perform basic activities Graphical user interface (GUI): uses icons and menus displayed on screen to send commands to the computer system

Operating Systems (continued)

Hardware independence

Application program interface (API): allows applications to make use of the operating system If hardware changes, application software need not change Control how memory is allocated, accessed and maximize available memory and storage Physical Memory vs. Virtual Memory

Memory management

Operating Systems (continued)

Figure 4.6: Application Program Interface Links Application Software to the Operating System

Operating Systems (continued)

Processing tasks

Multitasking: more than one program can run at the same time Time-sharing: allows more than one person to use a computer system at the same time Scalability: ability of the computer to handle an increasing number of concurrent users smoothly

Networking capability

Features and capabilities of the OS that aid users in connecting to a computer network

Operating Systems (continued)

Access to system resources and security

Protection against unauthorized access Logins and passwords Ensures that files in secondary storage are available when needed and that they are protected from access by unauthorized users

File management

Current OS

Table 4.2: Popular Operating Systems Cross All Three Spheres of Influence

Current OS (cont)
Microsoft PC operating systems

PC-DOS and MS-DOS: early, command-driven OSs Windows XP: greatly improved stability and security over previous versions of Windows Windows XP Professional X64: for computers with newer 64-bit capabilities Vista: latest version of Windows Which is the new OS already announced?

Current OS (cont)
Apple operating systems

Often provide cutting edge tools in graphics and music not available from Microsoft Mac OS X Jaguar (OS X.2) Panther (OS X.3) Tiger (OS X.4): support for 64-bit computing, Dashboard, Spotlight, etc.

Current OS (cont)
Linux

Developed by Linus Torvalds in 1991 Open-source product Only the kernel of an OS Several distributions available with capabilities/applications that form a complete OS Examples: Red Hat Linux, Caldera OpenLinux

Workgroup Operating Systems

Windows Server UNIX NetWare Red Hat Linux Mac OS X Server

Enterprise Operating Systems

z/OS MPE/iX HP-UX Linux

Operating Systems for Small Computers, Embedded Computers, and Special-Purpose Devices
Palm OS Windows Embedded Windows Mobile

Utility Programs
Hardware utilities: i.e. check status of Hard Disk Virus-detection and recovery utilities File-compression utilities Spam and pop-up blocker utilities Network and Internet utilities Server and mainframe utilities

Monitor network Virtual Machine Multiple OS on same machine

Other utilities, e.g. Searches for files and documents

Middleware and Others

Middleware: Software that allows different applications to communicate & exchange data. WEB Server (e.g. Apache) Application Server (WEBSphere) Transaction Server (Tuxedo) RDBMS (SQL Server 2005) Compilers Interpreters

Application Software
Primary function is to apply the power of the computer to give individuals, workgroups, and the entire enterprise the ability to solve problems and perform specific tasks, e.g.

Railway Reservation ATM Pay Roll

Application programs interact with systems software; systems software then directs computer hardware to perform the necessary tasks

Overview of Application Software

Proprietary software: one-of-a-kind program for a specific application, usually developed and owned by a single company, e.g. Pay Roll for Krune Computer Consultancy Off-the-shelf software: existing software program that is purchased, e.g. Tally

Overview of Application Software (continued)

Table 4.4: A Comparison of Proprietary and Off-the-Shelf Software

Overview of Application Software (continued)

Table 4.4: A Comparison of Proprietary and Off-the-Shelf Software (continued)

Personal Application Software

Serves the needs of an individual user Includes personal productivity software

Enables users to improve their personal effectiveness

Personal Application Software (continued)

Table 4.5: Examples of Personal Productivity Software

Personal Application Software (continued)

Table 4.5: Examples of Personal Productivity Software (continued)

Personal Application Software (continued)

Software suite: collection of single application programs packaged in a bundle

Microsoft Office: most popular general-purpose software suite Other general-purpose software suites: Corels WordPerfect Office, Lotus SmartSuite, Sun Microsystemss StarOffice

Integrated application packages: offer a range of capabilities for less money than software suites

Example: Microsoft Works

Personal Application Software (continued)

Table 4.6: Major Components of Leading Software Suites

Workgroup Application Software

Workgroup application software:
support teamwork, whether people are in the same location or dispersed around the world Helps groups of people work together more efficiently and effectively Examples Schedule Team Meetings reflects on individual calendar Collaborative software for working on same document, e.g. Track Change Threaded group discussion

Enterprise Application Software

Software that benefits an entire organization

Enterprise Application Software

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) software: set of integrated programs that manage a companys vital business operations for an entire multisite, global organization Specialized Application Software

Forecasting sale for next month Predicting which customer is more likely to buy Which items in supermarket sell together Visualize and analyze the human genome

Programming Languages
Sets of keywords, symbols, and a system of rules for constructing statements by which humans can communicate instructions to be executed by a computer Different languages have different characteristics Syntax: a set of rules associated with a programming language

The Evolution of Programming Languages

3G Example C, COBOL, FORTRAN Table 4.9: The Evolution of Programming Languages

3GL Vs 4GL
3GL

Tells how to do More Efficient More flexible Tells what to do (How part left on system) Higher productivity

4GL

Embedding 4GL in 3GL Best of both worlds 3GL Object oriented programming languages are based on objects, e.g. C++, Java

The Evolution of Programming Languages (continued)

Figure 4.21: Reusable Code in Object-Oriented Programming

Complier and Interpreter

Compiler: a special software program that converts programmers source code into machine-language program Interpreter: a special software program that converts programmers instruction (One at a time) into machine-language instructions and executes them

The Evolution of Programming Languages (continued)

Figure 4.23: How a Compiler Works

Software Issues and Trends

Because software is such an important part of todays computer systems, software issues have received increased attention Major software issues and trends discussed in the text

Software bugs, copyright, software licensing, opensource software, shareware and public domain software, multiorganizational software development, software upgrades, and global software support

Software Issues and Trends (Cont)

Software bug: defect in a computer program that keeps it from performing as it is designed to perform Most software products are protected by law using copyright or licensing provisions

In some cases, you are given unlimited use of software on one or two computers In other cases, you pay for your usageif you use the software more, you pay more

Some software now requires that you register or activate it before it can be fully used

Open-Source Software
Open-source software:

software freely available to anyone in a form that can be easily modified (System Software, Utility or Application Software)

Some widely used open-source software:

Linux OS, Free BSD, Apache, Sendmail, Perl

systems can contain hidden costs, particularly for user support or solving problems with the software However community or paid third party support made available

Open-source software disadvantages

Open-Source Software (continued)

Table 4.10: Examples of Open-Source Software

Shareware, Freeware, and Public Domain Software

Shareware and freeware:

Software that is very inexpensive or free Source code cannot be modified Source code may not be available (Acrobat Reader)

Public domain software:

Shareware and freeware that is in the public domain Not protected by copyright law Can be freely copied and used May not be open source
Source is available

Open Source

Software Upgrades
Software companies revise their programs and sell new versions periodically Revised software may or may not offer any major additional capabilities Revised software may have patches for bugs Revised software can contain bugs or errors

Users should not be first to work at the latest version Who should be first?

Software upgrades usually cost much less than the original purchase price

Global Software Support

Vendors face the challenge of providing adequate support for their software customers in all locations of the world Trend of outsourcing global support to one or more third-party distributors