Chapter

Computer Software

Learning Objectives
Describe several important trends occurring in

computer software.
Give examples of several major types of application

and system software.

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Learning Objectives (continued)

Explain the purpose of several popular software

packages for end user productivity and collaborative

computing.
Outline the functions of an operating system.

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Learning Objectives (continued)

Describe the main uses of software programming

languages and tools.

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Section I

Application Software:
End User Applications

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Software

Types of software

Application software
System software

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Software (continued)

Application software for end users

Application-specific

General-purpose

Perform common information processing jobs

Sometimes known as productivity packages

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Software Suites and Integrated Packages

Suites are a number of productivity packages

bundled together

Microsoft Office
Lotus SmartSuite
Corel WordPerfect Office
Sun StarOffice

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Software Suites and Integrated Packages (continued)

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

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Software Suites and Integrated Packages (continued)

Integrated Packages

Combine SOME of the features of several programs

Cannot do as much as individual packages or suites

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Web Browsers
Key software interface to the hyperlinked resources

of the World Wide Web and the rest of the Internet

Internet Explorer
Netscape Communicator
Google chrome
Mozilla Firefox

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Electronic Mail and Instant Messaging

E-Mail

Has changed the way people work and communicate

Instant Messaging

An e-mail/computer conferencing hybrid (mix) technology

Allows real time communication/collaboration

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Word Processing and Desktop Publishing

Word Processing(Microsoft Word)
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)

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Electronic Spreadsheets
Used for business analysis, planning, and modeling
Involves designing its format and developing the

relationships (formulas)
Example Microsoft Excel

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Electronic Spreadsheets (continued)

Allows end users to perform:

What-if (condition)
Goal-seeking (decision)
Sensitivity analysis
(Google it)

Strength

Computation and calculation

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Database Management
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

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Database Management (continued)

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 (Microsoft Access)

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Database Management (continued)

Strength

Storage of large amounts of data

Weakness

Computation and calculation Only

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Presentation Graphics
Helps convert numeric data into graphic

displays(Power Point,graphs)
Helps prepare multimedia presentations
Easy to use

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Personal Information Managers

For end user productivity and collaboration

Store, organize, and retrieve information

Information about customers

Appointments
Contact lists
Task lists
Schedules

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Groupware
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
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Other Business Software

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Section II

System Software:
Computer System Management

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System Software Overview

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
Interface between hardware & end users

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System Software Overview (continued)

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)

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Operating Systems
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

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Operating Systems (continued)

Performs five basic functions

Provides a user interface

Allows humans to communicate with the computer

Command-driven (DOS)
Menu-driven (WINDOWS)
Graphical user interface (GUIs)

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Operating Systems (continued)

Five basic functions (continued)

Resource management

Manages the hardware and networking resources of the system

Virtual memory capability

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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
Example Windows Again

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Operating Systems (continued)

Five basic functions (continued)

Task management

Manages the accomplishment of the computing tasks of end users

Multitasking
Multiprogramming
Timesharing

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Operating Systems (continued)

Popular Operating Systems

Windows

95, 98, ME
NT
2000
XP

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Operating Systems (continued)

Popular operating systems (continued)

UNIX
Linux
Mac OS X (Appple)

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Network Management Programs

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

Example Internet communications

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Database Management Systems

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

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Other System Management Programs

Utility Programs

Perform miscellaneous housekeeping and file conversion

functions

Data backup
Data recovery
Virus protection (McAfee)
Data compression (WinZip)
Data defragmentation
Performance monitors and security monitors

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36

Programming Languages
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

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Programming Languages (continued)

Assembler Language

Second generation
Requires language translator programs called assemblers
Allows a computer to convert the instructions into machine
instructions
Frequently called symbolic language

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Programming Languages (continued)

High-level Languages ( Cobol, FORTRAN)

Third generation
Uses instructions, called statements, that use brief statements or
arithmetic expressions
Uses translator programs called compilers or interpreters
Syntax and semantics

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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

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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

GOOGLE IT

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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

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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, sortable, and easier to
analyze

Java

Designed for real-time, interactive, Web-based network

applications (CHECK FACEBOOKS)
Applets

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Programming Software(System Development Programs)

Helps programmers develop computer programs
Two basic categories

Programming language translators

Programming tools

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Programming Software (continued)

Language Translator Programs

Assembler

Compiler

Translates symbolic instruction codes into machine language

instructions
Translates high-level language statements

Interpreter

Translates and executes each statement in a program one at a time

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Programming Software (continued)

Programming Tools
Programming editors and debuggers
Provides a computer-aided programming environment
Diagramming packages
Code generators
Libraries of reusable objects & code
CASE (Computer Aided Software Engineering)

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Discussion Questions
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?

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Discussion Questions (continued)

Why is an operating system necessary? Why cant an

end user just load an application program in a

computer and start computing?
Should a Web browser be integrated into an

operating system?

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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?

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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?

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Real World Case 1 Intuit Inc.

Why has Intuits success improved under Bennetts

leadership?
What are several things Intuit could do to

successfully compete with Microsoft and others in

the future?

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Real World Case 1 (continued)

Why does Intuit dominate its small-business

software market segment?

What software products and services does Intuit

have that might support Bennetts strategy to appeal

to larger small businesses?

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Real World Case 1 (continued)

Do you agree with CEO Bennetts strategy to have

Intuit compete with Microsoft in the software market

for larger small businesses?

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Real World Case 2 Amazon, Orbitz, and Others

The Business Case for Linux
What are the business and technical benefits of

switching from proprietary systems to Linux on

Intel-based servers?

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Real World Case 2 (continued)

Why can Linux make a strategic difference in the

profitability of some companies?

What are the limitations of Linux for business use?

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Real World Case 2 (continued)

Should most companies investigate the use of Linux

for their businesses?

Why or why not?

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Real World Case 3 Burlington Coat Factory and Others

Evaluating Software Suite Alternatives
What is the business case for switching from

Microsoft Office to alternatives like Sun StarOffice or

gobeProductive?

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Real World Case 3 (continued)

What is the business case against such a switch?

What are the weaknesses of the Office

competitors?

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Real World Case 3 (continued)

What are several business or technical

improvements the developers of Sun StarOffice or

gobeProductive could make to better compete with
Microsoft Office?

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Real World Case 4 Clark Retail & Others

Evaluating Operating System Upgrades
Why do many companies have no plans to switch to

Windows XP?

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Real World Case 4 (continued)

What is a business case for switching to Windows

XP?
What is a business case against switching?

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Real World Case 4 (continued)

What are several improvements you would like to

see Microsoft make in the next version of Windows?

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Real World Case 5 Dollar Rent A Car & Imperial Sugar

Pioneering Web Services
What are Web services?
How are they used?

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Real World Case 5 (continued)

What is the purpose and business value of Web

services?

What is delaying the implementation of Web services

at many companies?

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Real World Case 5 (continued)

What can companies do now to prepare to

implement Web services?

What do you see as the future for Web services?

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