Hardware And Software || B Tech , BCA , BSc || #ddu #Computer

 

Hardware And Software || B Tech , BCA , BSc || #ddu #Computer

Relationship between Hardware and Software

Hardware and software are two basic elements of a computer system complementary to each other that work together to produce useful output. Entire computer hardware is driven by software. Software is responsible for optimum utilisation of hardware resources. Different software are used with the same hardware to make a computer system perform different types of jobs. For example, same cassette player (hardware) is used to play different songs (software). Software makes use of hardware resources like printer, scanner, VDU, processor and memory. Job scheduling for each and every hardware is done by the software.

Categories of Software

There are two types of software:

• System Software
• Application Software

System Software

System Software are programs used to control the operation of the computer system and assist the programmer in doing his/her work efficiently. Some of them are stored permanently in the computer memory and relieve the programmer form some mundane tasks; in turn improve his/her productivity. In general, a computer’s system software perform one or more of the following functions:

1.  Supports the development of their application software.
2.  Supports the execution of other application software.
3.  Monitors the effective use of various hardware resources such as CPU, memory, peripherals etc.
4.  Communicates with and controls the operations of peripheral devices such as printer, disk, tape, etc.

The programs included in a system software package are called system programs and the programmers who prepare system software are referred to as system programmers.

They make very efficient use of hardware resources. System softwares can be further categorised as operating system, language translators, system utility and device drivers.

Operating System

An operating system is an essential component of a computer system, which manages the resources of the system. It is a set of large and complex programs that act as an interface between computer hardware and its users. It not only serves the purpose of interpreting the user program instructions to the hardware, but also provides coordination services necessary to enable a group of users to share computer system resources efficiently.

The operating system complements the hardware by providing a layer of services which manage the resources of the hardware and allow the users to drive the system. It keeps track of the status of each resource such as, memory, processor, and I/O devices and decides which job will have control over computer resources for how long and when.

Operating System – Need and Usage

It is the OS through which the user interacts with the machine, to accomplish any task. Thus, the OS is the primary interface for the user to interact with the machine. It helps the user to interact with the machine very closely and most of the concepts and techniques found in an OS have general applicability in other applications.

The operating system is used for:

•  Easy interaction between humans and computers.
• Starting computer operation automatically when power is turned on.
• Loading and scheduling user’s programs.
• Controlling input and output.
• Controlling program execution.
• Managing use of the main memory.
• Providing security to users’ jobs and files.
• Account resource usage.

Functions of Operating System

The functions of an operating system can be outlined as follows:

• Process Management
  • Schedules the user processes.
  • Controls the execution of user processes.
  • Maintains status of the individual process.
  • Coordinates with other components of the OS
• Device Management/ Input/ Output Management
  • Controls functioning of I/O devices.
  • Controls allocation, access and deallocation of devices.
• Memory Management
  • Decides which process must reside in main memory.
  • Monitors the amount of primary memory available.
  • Allocates memory to each process.
  • Ensures that memory space of one process is protected from the other processes.
  • Frees the memory when process execution is complete.
• Information/File Management
  • Controls the reading and writing of information on the physical media.
  • Usually implemented through an elaborate file system.
• Job Control / Security
  • When the user wants to run an application program, he must communicate with the OS, telling it what to do.
  • He does this using OS’s job control language or JCL. JCL consist of a number of OS commands, called system commands that control the functioning of the operating system.
• House Keeping / Command  Interpretation
  • Includes all the support services necessary to ensure smooth operation of the computer system, namely, security, protection, and resource accounting backup and restoration.

Application Software

Application software is a collection of programs developed to solve a specific probelm aur do a specific task ratehr than just managing a computer system. For instance, an application software for order processing produces invoices as the major output and an application software for processing examination results produces marksheet as the major output. Application softwares are dependent on system softwares. They can be broadly classified into two groups:

• Customized application software
• Standard application software

Customized Application Software

Customized application software are programs written by the user or programmer in order to perform specific jobs for the user. They are written in a variety of programming languages depending on the task at hand. Normally these are sets of program used in conjunction with one another, such as a payroll systems or customized accounting packages for a company.

Standard Application Software

These are generalized set of programs used to deal with particular application. These softwares are normally developed by specialist software developers to solve common problems faced by many users. Some of the most commonly known application softwares are briefly described below:

• Word Processor – Word processors a software that is generally use to create, edit, view, format, store, retrieve, and print documents. The word processor application software also allows us to perform different operations, such as cut-paste for moving the text within the document, copy-paste for copying the text. It also check the spelling and grammar of text and arrange it correctly on the page. Microsoft Word and WordPerfect are the most common examples of a word processor.
• Spreadsheet – Spreadsheets are used for tasks that require number crunching, such as financial analysis, budget preparation, and grade calculation. Spreadsheets can sort and analyze data, create charts, graphs and figures, and perform “what-if” analysis to assess the impacts of changes to input variables. Microsoft Excel is a popular spreadsheet software.
• Database Management System – A database management software is a set of one or more programs that enable users to create a database, maintain it, organize its data in desired fashion, and to selectively retrieve useful information from it. Database software is widely used today by both large and small organizations to maintain employee data, customer data, assets data, accounting data, etc. Some of the examples of the database management programsa are MS-Access, Oracle, and FoxPro.
•  Image Editors – Image Editor software enables us to use a computer system for creating, editing, viewing, storing, retrieving and printing designs, pictures, graphs, etc. These computer programs enables the user to adjust an image to improve its appearance. Examples of these programs are Adobe Phtoshop, CorelDraw, and Adobe Illustrator.
• Multimedia Software – Multimedia software packages are the latest craze in the users. A user can very easily create animations and modify them using such programs. Using these programs, one can create 3D objects, move objects on a definite or a random path, and can animate objects in a number of  ways. Some of the examples of multimedia programs are Flash, Director, Maya and Sound Forge.

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