Chapter 5
The Director
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Ch 5
• System software
• Applications software
• System software components
• Platforms
• Web and Java
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Ch 5
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• Works behind the scene
– starts up computer
– provides interface between the machine language the computer understands and hardware and applications
– system software must be loaded into RAM at start up
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Ch 5
• Designed for user’s requirements
– word processing
– spreadsheets
– database management
– graphics
– multimedia
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• Productivity software
– word processing, spreadsheet, financial management, database management, communications, suites, browsers
• Business/specialty software
• Education reference software
• Home/personal software
• Entertainment software
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• What functions does system software perform?
Ch 5
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Ch 5
• Interprets data and instructions
• Communicates with peripherals
• Manages files
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• Operating system
• Utilities
• Language translators
Ch 5
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• Master programs
– supervisor in RAM
– auto loads during boot routine using the master boot record on the primary hard disk
– POST performed
• Software interfaces to hardware frequently remain resident
• BIOS manages keyboard, screen, drives, ports, time, and date
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• BIOS stored on one or more ROM chips
• Later editions of BIOS may be flash updated according to motherboard manufacturer’s instructions
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Ch 5
• Multitasking (single user)
– concurrent program running
– foreground and background running
• Multiprogramming
(multi-user)
– concurrent use by different users
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• Time-sharing
– time slicing tasks
• Multiprocessing
– simultaneous processing of two or more programs by multiple processors
• coprocessing
• parallel processing, sharing memory
– called fault-tolerant systems
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Ch 5
• Virtual memory
– hard disk space
– when processor needs more
RAM space, swaps data onto designated hard drive space
– improves flexibility but is slower than RAM which has direct access to the processor
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• Handle I/O for specific hardware
Ch 5
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• Utilities better than those that are native to an operating system can be purchased
Ch 5
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• Types
– backup: system, registry, e-mail, files
– data recovery
– virus protection
– data compression
– defragmentation
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Ch 5
• Lossy
– loss of accuracy, high degree of compression
• Lossless
– retained accuracy but lower compression ratios
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• JPEG
– Joint Photographers Experts Group
– video storage and editing but not for transmission
• MPEG
– Motion Pictures Experts Group
– storage, editing, and transmission of video
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• PC
– PKZIP, WINZIP
– ARC
– PAK
• Mac
– StuffIt
– PackIt
.ZIP
.ARC
.PAK
.SIT
.PIT
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Ch 5
• Fragmentation refers to the storage of a file in fragments in many areas on a disk
• Defragmentation is a utility process that endeavors to bring each file into one whole area within the disk, contiguously
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• These are the compilers and interpreters used to connect programs into machine language to communicate with the processor
Ch 5
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• Command driven
• Unix, Linux
• Graphical User Interface (GUI)
• Microsoft:Windows 9x, Millennium/Neptune, NT, and 2000
• MacOS
• GNOME interface to Linux
• use of icons, windows (little “w”), high use of keyboard and mouse
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• Generally, GUI runs on top of operating system to assist users
• Some memory is used to provide the GUI
Ch 5
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Ch 5
• How does
Windows
9x/Millennium/
Neptune compare to other operating systems?
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• Mainframe
– IBM MVS, VM, DEC VAX/VMS
• Midframe
– IBM OS-400, Linux, Sun Solaris
• Network
– Novell NetWare, Lotus Dominoes, Microsoft
Windows NT
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Ch 5
• Microcomputer
– Microsoft Windows
9x/Millennium/Neptune
– Microsoft Windows NT/2000
– Linux
– Apple MacOS
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• The first customer 32-bit operating system
• Windows 98 and 98 SE provide support for printers, video cards, DVD, and USB
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• Network system
• Scalable to large local area network
• Multitasking, multiprocessing, multiuser
• Windows NT Workstation
– 1-2 processors
• Windows NT Server
– up to 32 processors
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• Windows CE provides support for palmtop computers
• Windows Millenium, due third quarter
2000, could be the last stand-alone consumer version of Windows 9x, with
Windows 2000 in various capabilities coming to the forefront
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• OS/ 2 never established an installed base large enough to attract application developers
• Poor marketing, but still supported
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• Portable and scalable
• Can handle large volumes, such as needed on large
Web sites
• Strong in medium-to-large businesses
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• Linux emulates UNIX
• Many UNIX programs have been ported to
Linux
• Open development
– can recompile source code
• Single user and small to medium Web server support
• Since code written for 386, can rehabilitate older systems out of use
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• Established network operating system with strong printer and application server functions
• Small business edition for up to 25 users priced under NT
• Can sustain e-mail traffic through IPX protocol
• NT gain in ground, but NetWare a strong base
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• What is a network computer, and how does it involve the
Internet and Java?
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Ch 5
• Isolation of customer and corporate needs
• Software versions by operating systems
• Emergence of accessing applications and systems online not just web pages
– idea of renting applications only for time used
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• Large percentage of applications have features not used
• Network PC
– approximates mainframe terminal
– sometimes with limited additional capabilities
– also called thin client
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• Sun’s control of Java Virtual
Machine diminishing as computer companies provide optimized VM
• Bandwidth increasing substantially through cable, digital subscriber service (DSL) on telephone lines, and the potential of more low-level satellites
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Ch 5
• Developed by James Gosling’s group at Sun
• Promise of compile-once, run everywhere not totally realized
• Becoming more universal as run times decrease
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• UNIX and Windows NT on high-end workstations
• Mac still used for intensive graphics and desktop publishing
• While Linux will not run Microsoft Office, such programs as ApplixWare provides filters to Office 2000 files, so the incompatability is disappearing
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