System Software & Application Software (Edexcel IGCSE Ict)

Purpose of application & system software

Spec point — 1.3.1

What is software?

• Software is the set of programs that control the hardware; they live on the computer system but cannot be physically touched

• Software can be broken down in to two categories:

  • Application software
  • System software

What is application software?

• Application software (abbreviated 'apps') is software chosen by a user to help them carry out a specific task

• Application software is installed on top of system software and is user-chosen to best suit industry requirements

• Common categories of application software include:

  • Word processing: creating and editing text documents
  • Spreadsheet: organising and analysing data in a grid format
  • Database management systems: storing, retrieving and managing data in databases
  • Control/measurement: uses sensors to measure and control a system
  • Video editing: creating and modifying video files
  • Graphics editing: creating and modifying images
  • Audio editing: creating and modifying sound files
  • Computer-Aided Design (CAD): designing and modelling objects in 2D or 3D

Exam Hint When writing about application software, ensure you refer to it by its type and not a brand name. For example, 'word processing' and not Microsoft Word

What is system software?

• System software is software essential for the operation of a computer system

• Without system software, a user has no starting point for giving a computer instructions

• System software gives users a platform to run applications and carry out tasks

• Essential services carried out by system software include:

  • Compilers: translating high-level programming languages into machine code
  • Linkers: combining object files into a single executable program
  • Device drivers: controlling hardware components and peripherals
  • Operating systems: managing the computer's resources and providing a user interface
  • Utilities: tools for maintaining and optimising the computer's performance

Utility software

Spec point — 1.3.1

What is utility software?

• Utility software is software designed to help maintain, **enhance **and troubleshoot/repair a computer system
• Utility software is designed to perform a limited number of tasks
• Utility software** interacts with the computers hardware**, for example, secondary storage devices
• Some utility software comes installed with the operating system
• Examples of utility software and their function are:

Defragmentation (maintain)

• Defragmentation software groups fragmented files back together in order to improve access speed
• As programs and data are added to a new hard disk drive, it is added in order,over time as files are deleted this leaves gaps
• As programs and data are added over time, these gaps get filled and data becomes fragmented
• Defragmentation can only used on magnetic storage

Exam Hint If the concept of defragmentation still seems a little difficult then hopefully this analogy will help

• In a tidy bedroom you can find your things faster because they are in the right place (in order)
• Over time you move things, forget to put them back and/or add new things
• The time taken to find your things increases, until...
• You tidy your room and finding things becomes quicker again (defragmentation!)

Compression (enhance)

• Compression reduces the amount of secondary storage required by performing an algorithm on the original data
• Lossy compression physically removes data from the original data to reduce its size, the original file can not be re-created
• Lossless compression uses mathematics to order data more efficiently reducing its size, the original files can be re-created as no data is lost

Encryption (enhance)

• Encryption is the process of scrambling data using an algorithm from plain-text into cipher-text in order to make it unreadable to users without the master key
• Encryption software enhances the security of the computer system and keeps data safe

Task manager (troubleshoot/repair)

• Task manager is software that is built into the operating system to allow users to monitor system resources in order to help troubleshoot potential problems

• Task manager gives system information such as:

  • Processes
  • Performance
  • App history
  • Start-up apps
  • Users
  • Services

Worked Example Describe how utility software can reduce access times for large files stored on magnetic media

[2]

Answer

• By defragmenting file data [1]...
• ...that has been allocated randomly to free space [1]
• By placing file data in adjacent sectors [1]...
• ...to reduce the need to spin the disc / seek across the platter surface [1]