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Software
• The programs that run on a computer are called software.
• Programs are instructions that are carried out or executed by the
computer’s processor, which provides other instructions for the rest of the
computer.
• Some computers can only run one program at a time, while others can run
multiple programs at the same time.
• Some computers are single purpose, which means that they are only able
to run one piece of software (for example, the software used to control a
microwave).
• Other computers are general purpose, which means that they can carry out
a range of tasks (for example, the software used in a tablet computer).
• There are two basic groups of software: system software and application
software.

Software
 System Software
• Programs that are designed to maintain or operate the computer
system are known as system software.
System software consists of :
1. Utility Software
2. Operating System
3. Language Translators

• Failure in any part of system software would cause the computer to

NOT function.
 Utility Software
• Is one form of system software, which carries out configuration and
maintenance tasks.
• Utility software consists of:
1. Backup
2. Defragmentation
3. Compression
4. Formatting
Backup
• Creating a copy of your files is known as Backup.
• Backups can be set to run automatically (usually at a time when the
system is not in use) or can be started by a user.

Factors to be considered
The following factors must be considered when doing a backup
1. The frequency of the backup
2. The media devices which would used to store the backup.
3. The size of the backup.
4. The physical location of the backup.
5. To backup on cloud storage or not.
6. Who has access to the backup.
7. What software will be used to carry out the backup
8. When to run the backup
Defragmentation
• Defragmentation means arranging all the fragmented files of a software together
in an organized manner so that they can easily be collected by the RAM and sent
to the processor for processing.
• As data is stored to hard disk, some systems spread it across the disk wherever
there is free space. This means that sometimes data is f ragmented and stored
out of order or out of sequence.
• When this happens, software files have to be loaded on to the RAM from multiple
locations, this takes extra time and slows down the process of loading a software.
• To avoid this and to speed up the system, disk defragmentation utilities reorder
the fragments of data so that they are stored as close to each other as possible.
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Defragmentation
Compression
• Compression utilities reduce the original size of a file or set of files.
• Where there are repeated patterns of data, rather than storing every
repeated instance, only the first instance of the data is stored,
alongside how many times
it is repeated.
•.
Formatting
• Disk formatting prepares storage media such as hard disk drive or
USB flash drive for its first use.
• Formatting a disk will make all of the data on the disk unreadable by
normal applications.
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2020 Past Paper Question
Operating System
• The operating system (OS) Controls the hardware and prepares it to
run other software

Types of Operating systems:

Operating System
1. Single-user operating system – only allow for a general user and
may not provide the option to customize the user interface for
different users. They are often found in household appliances.
2. Network operating system – An OS which is used to control many
computers on a network. The OS would be used to provide security
to the network by assigning usernames and passwords to each of
the users and would allow certain peripheral devices to be shared.
Functions of the Operating System are:
Operating System
1. Memory Management – The OS allocates the required amount of
memory (RAM) to one or more applications. When the application no
longer requires the memory space, the OS makes the space available for
other applications to use.
2. Resource Management – System resources include internal
components, such as the processor and graphics card and external
devices such as printers. As well as allocating memory, the OS ensures
that system resources are made available to applications when they are
required.
3. Controlling Input and Output of Data in the Computer
Operating System
4. Error Handling – Any error that takes place in the computer is informed
to the user by the operating system.
Operating System
Security
• Operating system can give users secure access to a computer’s
storage and other hardware through usernames and password,
biometric scanning or personal access cards.
• Operating systems can provide software firewalls to authorize or
prevent network data from remotely accessing a service or
application.
Print Spooling
• During large print jobs, the computer will have the pages ready for
the printer faster than the printer can produce them.
• The operating system keeps each page in a queue ready for printing.
This process is called print spooling.

Language Translators
• The function of language translators are to convert the user’s
language to a language the computer can understand.
• Language translators convert high level language to machine
language (binary form).
• There are 3 types of translators present in the computer:
1. Assemblers
2. Compilers
3. Interpreters
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2021 Past Paper Question
Application Software
• Software applications help the user carry out specific tasks that are
not related to the operating system.
• Apps are usually downloaded from servers on the internet or can be
purchased off-the shelf.
Categories of Application Software:

Word Processing
• Word processing software lets users create documents that mostly include words,
but also some images.
• They can also include tables, hyperlinks, equations, simple drawings and shapes
and charts.
• Word processors are a good choice of application for creating:
1. Letters
2. Reports
3. Essays 4. Books.
• Examples of word processing software are:
1. Microsoft Word by Microsoft Office
2. Writer by Libre Office

Desktop Publishing (DTP)

• DTP software has main features similar to those in word processing
software.
• The main difference is the way in which the software allows the users
to work with complicated page layouts.
• DTP is mostly used to create magazine, newspapers and booklets
• Examples of DTP are:
1. Adobe Indesign by Adobe
2. Microsoft Publisher by Microsoft Office

Spreadsheet
• Spreadsheet applications are used to do calculations.
• Users can use and create formulae and functions to perform
automatic calculations on values that can be entered and changed
later.
• Examples of Spreadsheet software is:
1. Calc by Open Office
2. Microsoft Excel by Microsoft Office
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Database
• Database management systems (DBMS) are used to enter, edit and
search data.
• Some systems can also produce reports that dynamically display real
time changes to the data as it updates.
• Examples of DBMS are:
1. Base by OpenOffice
2. Oracle by MySQL

Web Authoring
• Web authoring software lets users create web pages that includes
text, images and videos.
• Web pages are constructed using Hypertext Markup Language
(HTML).
• Web browsers are used to view web pages. (Examples: Google
Chrome, Mozilla Firefox)
• A website is a collection of web pages.
• Examples of web authoring software are:
1. Adobe Dreamweaver by Adobe
2. EditPlus by ES-Computing

Graphic Editors
• Graphics editing applications allow users to create or edit vector
graphics.
• Examples of Graphics Editors are:
1. Serif Affinity Designer

2. Adobe Illustrator

Photo Editors
• These allow users to edit and enhance digital photographs and
images.
• Examples of photo editors are:
1. GIMP by OpenOffice
2. Adobe Photoshop by Adobe

Sound Editing
• Sound editing software allows
users to edit audio files or to join together different audio files in
order to create multitrack music or soundtracks for video.
• Examples of sound editing software are:
1. Audacity
2. Adobe Audition

Presentation Software
• This software allows users to
create engaging multimedia content including images, text,
animation and video.
• This content can be placed on slides or pathways that are used to
illustrate and support the spoken content of a talk given to an
audience.
• Examples of presentation software
are:
1. Prezi
2. OpenOffice Impress
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Control Applications
• Control Applications are used to make something happen in the
physical environment.
• This type of software is often used to automate the movement of
control devices or actuators, such as motors.
• Control software takes input from one or more sensors, makes a
decision based on the input value and then outputs something, such
as a command, as a result.
Control Applications
Project Management
• Project management applications are used to help plan and track the
individual tasks in a project, so that project managers can make the
most efficient use of the available resources.
• Project management applications can be used to allocate tasks to
individual people or groups of people. They often provide the option
for individuals or groups of people to be allocated to more than one
task.
• Some project management applications also provide tools for
tracking the costs and arranging for resources to be delivered on
time.
Communication Software
• Communication software provides remote access to system and allows users to
contact people using the internet. It can be used to send files and messages as
text, images, audio and video.
• Categories of Communication software are:
1. Web browsers
2. Email
3. Social media
4. SMS
5. MMS
6. Instant messaging
7. Video conferencing
8. Online Gaming
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Software Licensing
• Sometimes, users require a software license to be able to install and
use software on a computer.
• There are many types of software license and the details of
software licensing are complicated. The main three types of
software license available are:

1. Free
2. Open-source
3. Proprietary
Software Licensing
• Free Software – Licenses give users the right to study, modify, copy or
distribute a program. The software can be distributed free of charge or for
a fee. The word ‘free’ refers to the user’s freedom to change whatever they
want because there are no restrictions on the use of the software.
• Open-source software – This license makes the source code available to
users so that they can modify how the software works or distribute the
modified or unmodified software. Ex: VLC Media Player, Open Office
• Proprietary software – is software that is marketed and distributed by its
owner under a brand name. The software owner can decide the fee for the
software and whether or not the software should be distributed.
Ex: Microsoft Office, Adobe Photoshop
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2020 Past Paper Question
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Software Updates
Updates to software are released by
software developers for the following
reasons:
1. Fixing security vulnerabilities or bugs
2. Increasing compatibility with newer operating systems
3. Improving performance and efficiency

4.
Introducing new features
5.
Improving usability
General Purpose Software and Specific
Purpose Software
• General purpose software also referred to as Off-the-Shelf, is software
which is developed keeping in mind the requirements of the general
public.
• General Purpose software can be downloaded off the internet or
purchased from a store.
• Examples: Microsoft Office, Adobe Photoshop, VLC Media Player
• Specific Purpose Software also referred to as Bespoke Software, is
software which is developed to the needs of an organization or an
individual.
• This type of software is not available for any user to purchase.
• Example: Banking Systems, Supermarket billing system
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2020 Past Paper Question
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