Hardware & Software

1. Hardware & Software • A computer’s hardware is a computer item you can physically see or touch. E.g. Key Board, Mouse, Monitor, etc. • The software is a computer program that tells the computer hardware how to operate. e.g. Windows XP, Linux, Unix, Server 2003, various drivers, etc. 3.1.1

2. Operating System Loads automatically when you switch on the computer and controls just about everything on your computer An operating system (OS) is a set of software that manages computer hardware resources and provides common services for computer programs. The operating system is a vital component of the system software in a computer system. Application programs require an operating system to function. Time-sharing operating systems schedule tasks for efficient use of the system and may also include accounting for cost allocation of processor time, mass storage, printing, and other resources. 3.1.2.

3. Operating System For hardware functions such as input and output and memory allocation, the operating system acts as an intermediary between programs and the computer hardware,[1][2] although the application code is usually executed directly by the hardware and will frequently make a system call to an OS function or be interrupted by it. Operating systems can be found on almost any device that contains a computer—from cellular phones and video game consoles to supercomputers and web servers. Examples of popular modern operating systems include Android, BSD, iOS, GNU/Linux, Mac OS X, Microsoft Windows,[3]Windows Phone, and IBM z/OS. All these, except Windows and z/OS, share roots in UNIX. 3.1.3

4. Application Software • Helps you perform certain specific tasks such as preparing a document, playing game, browsing internet or performing any office specific task • Application software, also known as an application or an app, is computer software designed to help the user to perform specific tasks. Examples include enterprise software, accounting software, office suites, graphics software and media players. Many application programs deal principally with documents. Apps may be bundled with the computer and its system software, or may be published separately. Some users are satisfied with the bundled apps and need never install one. • Application software is contrasted with system software and middleware, which manage and integrate a computer's capabilities, but typically do not directly apply in the performance of tasks that benefit the user. The system software serves the application, which in turn serves the user. 3.1.4

5. . • Similar relationships apply in other fields. For example, a shopping mall does not provide the merchandise a shopper is seeking, but provides space and services for retailers that serve the shopper. A bridge may similarly support rail tracks which support trains, allowing the trains to transport passengers. • Application software applies the power of a particular computing platform or system software to a particular purpose. Some applications are available in versions for several different platforms; others have narrower requirements and are thus called, for example, a Geography application for Windows or an Android application for education or Linux gaming. Sometimes a new and popular application arises which only runs on one platform, increasing the desirability of that platform. This is called a killer application. 3.1.5

6. Advantages of Windows OS • Windows OS - Can do multiple tasks at a time in very less time. • The Windows operating system is designed to be compatible with the largest combination of PC hardware. • Vast compatibility, motherboards, processors, memory chips, expansion cards and USB devices, internal disk drives of the PATA and SATA variety and no doubt other devices and standards yet to be designed can all be configured to run under Windows thanks to device drivers. 3.1.6

7. . • Large degree of compatibility. • Windows OS - One operating system for the majority of computing tasks. • Hardware Support – • While basic standards are in place for motherboards and CPUs that go all the way back to the first PCs from IBM, it wouldn’t be possible to home build a computer without this hardware support – one of the key advantages of the Windows OS. 3.1.7

8. Software Support • Windows offers a huge user base to any manufacturer of software – as such the vast majority of software available to purchase is designed to run primarily with Windows. • While some applications and software can be installed on both Windows and Apple OS X (for instance Football Manager 2010, or any of the Adobe Air applications), the majority of releases are designed for one operating system. • The Windows brand is so recognized that now games and software alike prominently feature the Windows logo on all packaging in order avoid confusion and to reinforce that the product is safe to use. 3.1.8

9. . • User Familiarity • The OS are user friendly • Although the early Apple computers pioneered the concept of a mouse driven user interface in office and home computers, the standard was popularized by Microsoft Windows in the 1990s. With the arrival of the Internet and email in the same decade and the subsequent proliferation of home PCs, Windows became the brand associated with home computing. • As a result of this, the Windows desktop and its simple user interface has become synonymous with computing; while the various Linux operating systems offer a similar mouse driven interface and the Apple Mac continues to pioneer with its single button mouse, Windows remains the most popular and the most recognizable simply by virtue of its earlier successes and the work done by each release of the operating system to maintain this user familiarity. 3.1.9