Unit 1Computer Basics Lesson 6 Operating Systems and

Unit 1—Computer Basics Lesson 6 Operating Systems and Software Computer Concepts BASICS -

Objectives Distinguish between software and hardware. l Describe the difference between applications software and systems software. l Describe three categories of system programs. l 2

Objectives (cont. ) Describe operating systems for microcomputers. l Describe network operating systems. l Computer Concepts BASICS - 3

Hardware vs. Software Computer systems consist of both hardware and software. l Hardware refers to anything you can physically touch. l l Keyboards, mice, monitors, and motherboards are all hardware. Computer Concepts BASICS - 4

Hardware vs. Software (cont. ) l Software consists of the instructions issued to the computer to perform specific tasks. l The software on a computer system refers to the programs that make the computer run. Computer Concepts BASICS - 5

Types of Software l Two types of software applications software and systems software. Applications software consists of programs to perform a specific task. l Systems software consists of the operating system and all utility programs that are used to manage computer system resources. l Computer Concepts BASICS - 6

Applications Software l Applications software is also called productivity software. l It allows an end user to perform some task. Computer Concepts BASICS - 7

Applications Software (cont. ) l The most commonly used categories of applications software Word-processing programs l Spreadsheet software l Database software l Presentation software l Desktop publishing programs l Games l Computer Concepts BASICS - 8

Systems Software Systems software consists of programs that coordinate and control the resources and operations of the computer itself. l The three categories of systems software l Operating systems l Utility programs l Language translators l Computer Concepts BASICS - 9

Systems Software—Operating Systems Operating systems provide an interface between the user and the computer. l Many brands and versions of operating systems exist. l Computer Concepts BASICS 10 -

Systems Software—Operating Systems (cont. ) l Operating systems are designed to work with a specific processor chip. l For example, Windows operating systems are designed to work with an Intel processor (or clone) and usually will not work on a Macintosh computer. Computer Concepts BASICS 11 -

Illustration of an Operating System This figure shows how an operating system acts as an interface between the user, the application programs, and the computer. Computer Concepts BASICS 12 -

Systems Software—Utilities Utility programs are designed to help perform housekeeping chores for the computer. l They can be designed to l Manage the computer’s resources l Do file management l Format disks l Copy files from one disk to another l Back up data to disk or tape l Computer Concepts BASICS 13 -

Common Utility Programs Computer Concepts BASICS 14 -

Systems Software—Language Translators Computers cannot read program statements in programming language format, such as Visual Basic or Java program statements. l Language translator programs convert English-like software programs into machine code that can be understood by the computer. l Computer Concepts BASICS 15 -

Systems Software—Language Translators (cont. ) Each converted English-like instruction may be translated into many machine code instructions. l Once converted to machine code, the program can be run and executed by the computer. l Computer Concepts BASICS 16 -

Microcomputer Operating System Interfaces l The operating system user interface l l It is the part of the operating system with which you interact when using your computer. The two most commonly used types of operating system interfaces are commandline interfaces and graphical user interfaces. Computer Concepts BASICS 17 -

Microcomputer Operating System Interfaces (cont. ) l Command-line interface: With this interface, you must type exact commands into the computer from a command prompt. l l This is not a user-friendly interface, and you must memorize commands and keywords. Graphical user interface: Users manipulate on-screen icons to perform functions, usually with a mouse or other pointing device. Computer Concepts BASICS 18 -

User Interface Comparison The figure on the left shows a command-line interface, where commands are typed at the prompt. The figure on the right is a graphical user interface (GUI), where users perform actions by clicking and manipulating icons. Computer Concepts BASICS 19 -

Microcomputer Operating Systems l If your computer is a Macintosh, you most likely are using a Mac OS. l Macintosh computers used one of the first GUI operating systems ever developed. Computer Concepts BASICS 20 -

Microcomputer Operating Systems (cont. ) l If your computer is a PC or is PCcompatible, you most likely are using one of these operating systems: DOS l A combination of DOS and Windows l A stand-alone version of Windows l Computer Concepts BASICS 21 -

The Mac OS Macintosh computers were developed by Apple Computer. l Macintosh had one of the first GUI operating systems in which icons were used to represent programs and files. l To activate an icon, the user clicked it with the mouse. l This was also the first operating system to provide an on-screen help system. l Computer Concepts BASICS 22 -

The DOS Operating System l IBM introduced its first PC in 1981. Its operating system was called DOS, which stands for Disk Operating System. IBM called it PC-DOS. l The operating system was licensed from its creator, Microsoft, who sold it under the name MS-DOS. l Computer Concepts BASICS 23 -

The DOS Operating System (cont. ) DOS was a command-line interface operating system in which the user had to enter commands at a screen prompt. l It was a single-tasking operating system, which meant that only one program at a time could be executed. l Computer Concepts BASICS 24 -

The Windows Operating System Windows was Microsoft’s first GUI operating system, released in 1987. l The first versions were called operating environments because they acted as a shell around the DOS operating system and worked in combination with DOS. l Computer Concepts BASICS 25 -

The Windows Operating System (cont. ) l Applications installed on a Windows system appeared as icons. l As with the Mac OS, the user activated a Windows program by clicking the icon. Computer Concepts BASICS 26 -

Windows Versions The earliest versions of Windows were labeled Windows 3. 0, 3. 1, and so forth. l The first true multitasking version of Windows was Windows 95. l l l This version also included support for networking computers. Windows 98 improved on Windows 95 and offered Internet integration and support for the USB bus. Computer Concepts BASICS 27 -

Windows Versions (cont. ) Windows 2000 was an update to Windows 98 and Windows NT. It included tools for Web site creation. l The latest version is Windows XP, which provides increased stability and device recognition. l Computer Concepts BASICS 28 -

Macintosh vs. Windows User Interface The image on the left is an example of a Macintosh interface. The image on the right is the Windows XP interface. Computer Concepts BASICS 29 -

Embedded Operating Systems Used on handheld and wireless devices l Three most popular systems are l Windows CE l Windows Mobile l Palm OS l Computer Concepts BASICS 30 -

The UNIX Operating System l UNIX is another early operating system that is still widely used today. It was developed by AT&T as part of their phone-switching system. l It was developed to be a portable operating system. l l That means it was meant to run on any hardware platform. Computer Concepts BASICS 31 -

The Unix Operating System (cont. ) l It is a command-line interface system, although there are now several GUI interface products available for UNIX and Linux. Computer Concepts BASICS 32 -

A UNIX System Linux offers a graphical user interface shell for a UNIX operating system, as shown here. This provides greater ease of use while taking full advantage of UNIX’s speed and reliability. Computer Concepts BASICS 33 -

Loading the Operating System l Booting is the process of starting your computer. The BIOS is activated. l BIOS searches for the boot record. l The boot record is loaded into RAM. l The software drivers are loaded. l The operating system (GUI) is loaded. l Computer Concepts BASICS 34 -

Network Operating Systems A network operating system (NOS) is designed to allow multiple computers to be connected and talk to each other. l Networks can consist of anywhere from two to many thousands of computers. l Computer Concepts BASICS 35 -

Network Operating Systems (cont. ) l While there are many network operating systems available, the most popular are Microsoft Windows NT and Windows 2003 l Novell’s Netware l UNIX and Linux l Computer Concepts BASICS 36 -

Summary Hardware refers to the tangible, physical computer equipment that can be seen and touched. l Software is instructions that tell the computer what to do; software also is called a program. l The two basic types of computer software applications software and systems software. l Computer Concepts BASICS 37 -

Summary (cont. ) Applications software also is known as productivity software. l Systems software coordinates and controls the resources and operations of a computer system. l Three major categories of systems software operating systems, utilities, and language translators. l Computer Concepts BASICS 38 -

Summary (cont. ) Operating systems provide an interface between the user and application program and the computer hardware. l Utility programs help users complete specialized tasks, such as file management. l Language translators convert English-like software programs into machine language. l Computer Concepts BASICS 39 -

Summary (cont. ) l. A programmer uses a programming language to write program statements. l All computers have operating systems. l The user interface is the part of the operating system with which we are most familiar. Computer Concepts BASICS 40 -

Summary (cont. ) The two most common user interfaces are command-line interfaces and graphical user interfaces. l The Mac operating system is used with Apple’s Macintosh computers and Macintosh clones. l Icons are symbols that represent documents, software programs, disks, and so forth. l Computer Concepts BASICS 41 -

Summary (cont. ) DOS was introduced with the IBM PC in 1981 and is a character-based operating system. l Microsoft introduced the first version of Windows in 1987; this was an operating environment. l Windows 95 was Microsoft’s first true multitasking operating system. l Computer Concepts BASICS 42 -

Summary (cont. ) Windows CE is a scaled-down Windows operating system used for small handheld computers. l UNIX is a portable operating system. l Network operating systems allow a group of two or more microcomputers to be connected. l There are several methods for sharing files on different operating systems. l Computer Concepts BASICS 43 -