Management information system ralp 7e ch04

• When selecting an operating system, you must consider the
current and future requirements for application software to
meet the needs of the organization. In addition, your choice
of a particular operating system must be consistent with
your choice of hardware.

• Identify and briefly describe the functions of the two basic
kinds of software
• Outline the role of the operating system and identify the
features of several popular operating systems
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• Do not develop proprietary application software unless
doing so will meet a compelling business need that can
provide a competitive advantage

• Discuss how application software can support personal,
workgroup, and enterprise business objectives
• Identify three basic approaches to developing application
software and discuss the pros and cons of each

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• Choose a programming language whose functional

characteristics are appropriate for the task at hand,
taking into consideration the skills and experience of
the programming staff

• Outline the overall evolution of programming
languages and clearly differentiate among the five
generations of programming languages
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• The software industry continues to undergo constant
change; users need to be aware of recent trends and
issues to be effective in their business and personal
life

• Identify several key issues and trends that have an
impact on organizations and individuals

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An Overview of Software
• Computer programs: sequences of instructions for the
computer
• Documentation: describes program functions to help
user operate computer system

• Systems software: set of programs that coordinates the
activities of hardware and programs
• Application software: programs that help users solve
particular problems
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Table 4.1: Classifying Software by Type
and Sphere of Influence

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Systems Software: Operating Systems
• Operating system (OS): a set of computer programs that
controls the computer hardware and acts as an interface
with application programs
• Kernel: ties all of the components of the OS together and
regulates other programs; controls the most critical
processes

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Operating Systems (continued)
• Activities performed by the operating system:
• Perform common computer hardware functions
• Provide a user interface and input/output management
• Provide a degree of hardware independence
• Manage system memory

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Operating Systems (continued)
• Activities performed by the operating system:
• Manage processing tasks
• Provide networking capability
• Control access to system resources
• Manage files

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Figure 4.2:
Operating system as interface between
application software and hardware

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Operating Systems (continued)
• Common hardware functions
• Get input from the keyboard or some other input device
• Retrieve data from disks
• Store data on disks
• Display information on a monitor or printer

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Operating Systems (continued)
• User interface and input/output management
• User interface: allows individuals to access and command
the computer system
• Command-based user interface: requires that text
commands be given to the computer to perform basic
activities
• Graphical user interface (GUI): uses icons and menus
displayed on screen to send commands to computer system

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Operating Systems (continued)
• Application program interface (API): allows
applications to make use of the operating system
• Memory management: control how memory is accessed
and maximize available memory and storage

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Figure 4.3: Application Program Interface
Links Application Software to the
Operating System

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Operating Systems (continued)
• Processing tasks
• Multitasking: capability allowing more than one program
to run at the same time
• Time-sharing: allows more than one person to use a
computer system at the same time
• Scalability: ability of the computer to handle an increasing
number of concurrent users smoothly

• Networking capability: features and capabilities of the OS

that aid users in connecting to a computer network

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Operating Systems (continued)
• Access to system resources
• Protection against unauthorized access
• Logins and passwords

• File management: ensures that files in secondary storage
are available when needed and that they are protected
from access by unauthorized users

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Table 4.3: Popular Operating Systems
Cross All Three Spheres of Influence

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Current Operating Systems

• Microsoft PC operating systems
• Apple computer operating systems
• Linux

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Workgroup Operating Systems
• Windows Server
• UNIX
• NetWare
• RedHat Linux
• Mac OS X Server

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Enterprise Operating Systems
• z/OS
• MPE/iX and HP-UX
• Linux

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Operating Systems for Small Computers
and Special-Purpose Devices
• Palm OS
• Windows Embedded
• Windows Mobile

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Utility Programs
• Utility programs are used to:
• Merge and sort sets of data
• Keep track of computer jobs being run
• Compress data files before they are stored or transmitted
over a network
• Perform other important tasks

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Utility Programs (continued)
• Hardware utilities
• Virus-detection and virus-recovery utilities
• File-compression utilities
• Spam and pop-up blocker utilities

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Utility Programs (continued)
• Network and Internet utilities
• Server and mainframe utilities
• Other utilities

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