Download KDM Year 9 Revision The physical parts of a computer as known as

The physical parts of a computer as known as hardware but the programs that run on
the computer are known as software. The two types of software that are used are
applications software and systems software.
Systems Software
The Operating System is the software that is used by your computer to manage
everything that goes on inside the computer. There are a number of well known
Operating Systems such as Windows XP, Apple OS, Windows Vista, Apple OS X Lion,
Linux & Windows CE.
The operating system, also known as the OS, performs a number of really important
tasks. It enables you to communicate with your PC by providing a User Interface –
this is the program that turns all the Binary that the computer uses into pictures and
text that you understand. The OS manages hardware that is attached to the PC –
enabling information to be passed to and from devices such as printers and
keyboards. The OS decides where to store all of the information that you need when
you are using the computer and it decides what applications to run. On most
computer systems, you are able to run a number of programs at one time – this is
made possible by the computer switching between lots of tasks. The OS decides
what tasks should be given priority so that they can be completed more efficiently.
For example, if you are printing a document and watching a video, priority would
normally be given to the video so that it doesn’t pause randomly, spoiling your viewing.
If you wanted the printout quickly, you could pause the video; then the OS could
divert more attention to the printer.
KDM
Year 9 Revision
Applications Software
Applications software is any program that runs on your computer enabling you to do a
task. The OS normally works in the background, doing what is necessary without you
really noticing. Applications software, on the other hand, gives you direct control
over what you want to happen.
Examples of Applications software
Type
Word Processors
DeskTop Publishers
Examples
Microsoft Word, OpenOffice Writer, iWork Pages
Microsoft Publisher, Serif PagePlus
Video Editing
Windows Movie Maker, iMovie, Vegas Movie Studio
Spreadsheets
Microsoft Excel, OpenOffice Calc, iWork Numbers
Databases
Presentations
Graphics Packages
Microsoft Access, OpenOffice Base
Microsoft PowerPoint, OpenOffice Impress, iWork Keynote
Microsoft Paint, Open Office Draw, Adobe Fireworks,
Google drawings
Web Authoring
Microsoft Frontpage, Adobe Dreamweaver
Web Browsers
Opera, Firefox, Internet Explorer, Google Chrome
Most modern applications software packages have a WYSIWYG interface. This
means What You See Is What You Get. In the olden days, the page that you printed
might not have looked like the one displayed on your screen because the graphics on
your computer weren’t powerful/complicated enough to show them accurately. These
days, our WYSIWYG displays should help us to save paper as we can view documents
on the screen and ensure they look as they are supposed to, before we print them.
KDM
Year 9 Revision