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Slide 1
Tomorrow’s Technology
and You
8 th^ Edition
© 2008 Prentice-Hall, Inc. Slide 2
Tomorrow’s Technology
and You 8/e
Chapter 4
Software Basics: The Ghost
in the Machine
© 2008 Prentice-Hall, Inc. Slide 3
Tomorrow’s Technology and You 8/e
Chapter 4
Objectives
Describe three fundamental categories of software and their
relationship.
Explain the relationship of algorithms to software.
Discuss the factors that make a computer application a useful
tool.
Describe the role of the operating system in a modern computer
system.
© 2008 Prentice-Hall, Inc.
Slide 4 Chapter 4 Objectives
Describe how file systems are organized.
Outline the evolution of user interfaces from early machine-
language programming to futuristic virtual-reality interfaces.
Explain why unauthorized copying of software is against
the law.
© 2008 Prentice-Hall, Inc. Slide 5
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Chapter 4 Linus Torvalds and the Software Nobody Owns
Linus Torvalds
Best known as the Linux creator
The Linux operating system is the best- known example of open source software. Today Linux powers Web servers, film and animation workstations, scientific supercomputers, and a handful of handhelds. © 2008 Prentice-Hall, Inc. Slide 6
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Chapter 4 Linus Torvalds and the Software Nobody Owns
The three major categories of software:
Compilers and other translator programs: enable programmers to create other software Software applications: serve as productivity tools to help computer users solve problems System software: coordinates hardware operations and does behind-the-scenes work the computer user seldom sees
OS vs. Application software
© 2008 Prentice-Hall, Inc.
Slide 10 Chapter 4 Software Applications: Tools for Users
Consumer Applications
Many software companies have replaced their printed documentation with: Tutorials Reference materials Help files On-line help Upgrading: Users can upgrade a program to the new version by paying an upgrade fee to the software manufacturer. Newer releases often have additional features and fewer bugs. © 2008 Prentice-Hall, Inc. Slide 11
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Chapter 4 Software Applications: Tools for Users
Compatibility
It allows software to function properly with the hardware, operating system, and peripherals. Programs written for one type of computer system may not work on another.
Disclaimers
Software manufacturers limit their liability for software problems by selling software “as is.” © 2008 Prentice-Hall, Inc. Slide 12
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Chapter 4 Software Applications: Tools for Users Licensing: Commercial software is copyrighted so it can’t be legally duplicated for distribution to others. Software license Volume licenses Distribution: Software is distributed via: Direct sale Retail stores Mail-order catalogs Web sites Not all software is copyrighted. Public domain software Shareware © 2008 Prentice-Hall, Inc.
Slide 13 Chapter 4 Web Applications Web applications fall into several categories: Some simple Web applications perform simple data-processing tasks that could also be performed by traditional programs running on stand-alone PCs. Most Web applications take advantage of the Web’s connectivity. Many Web applications leverage the Web’s strength as a huge repository of information. Some Web applications support online business transactions. News-oriented Web applications provide up-to-the-minute reports on a myriad of subjects. Other Web applications support a more traditional form of information broadcasting. © 2008 Prentice-Hall, Inc. Slide 14
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Chapter 4 Integrated Applications and Suites: Software Bundles
Vertical-Market and Custom Software
Tends to cost far more than mass-market applications Job-specific software: Medical billings Library cataloging Legal reference software Restaurant management Single-client software needs © 2008 Prentice-Hall, Inc. Slide 15
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Chapter 4 System Software: The Hardware-Software Connection
What the Operating System Does
System software
A class of software that includes the handles these details, and hundreds of other tasks behind the scenes. operating system and utility programs , © 2008 Prentice-Hall, Inc. Originally, operating systems were envisioned as a way to handle one of the most complex input/output operations: communicating with a variety of disk drives. But, the operating system quickly evolved into an all-encompassing bridge between your PC and the software you run on it. —Ron White, in How Computers Work
Slide 19 Chapter 4 System Software: The Hardware-Software Connection
Device drivers
Small programs that enable I/O devices—keyboard, mouse, printer, and others—to communicate with the computer Included with the operating system or bundled with peripherals © 2008 Prentice-Hall, Inc. Slide 20
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Chapter 4 System Software: The Hardware-Software Connection © 2008 Prentice-Hall, Inc.
Where the Operating System Lives
Some computers store their operating system in ROM. Others include only part of it in ROM. The remainder of the operating system is loaded into memory in a process called booting , which occurs when you turn on the computer. Slide 21
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Chapter 4 System Software: The Hardware-Software Connection © 2008 Prentice-Hall, Inc. Most of the time the operating system works behind the scenes. Interacting with the operating system, like interacting with an application, can be intuitive or challenging and it depends on something called the user interface.
Slide 22 Chapter 4 The User Interface: The Human–Machine Connection
User Interface
The interface defines the look and feel of the computing
experience from a human point of view.
Desktop Operating Systems
MS-DOS is a disk operating system in which the user interacts using characters: Letters Numbers Symbols © 2008 Prentice-Hall, Inc. Slide 23
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Chapter 4 The User Interface: The Human–Machine Connection Features include: Command-line interface (commands are typed) Menu-driven interface (commands are chosen from on-screen lists) © 2008 Prentice-Hall, Inc. Slide 24
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Chapter 4 The User Interface: The Human–Machine Connection
Graphical User Interfaces (GUI)
Mac OS was developed by Macintosh in 1984 using GUI. Microsoft Windows is now the most popular operating system. © 2008 Prentice-Hall, Inc.
Slide 28 Chapter 4 The User Interface: The Human–Machine Connection Cross-platform applications, such as Microsoft Office and Adobe Photoshop, are programs that are available in similar versions for multiple platforms. Mac users can buy software emulation programs that: Create a simulated Windows machine in the Mac Translate all Windows-related instructions Mac equivalents Future applications may be more tied to networks than to desktop computer platforms Microsoft .NET strategy Java, a platform-neutral computer language developed by Sun Microsystems for use on multiplatform networks © 2008 Prentice-Hall, Inc. Slide 29
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Chapter 4 The User Interface: The Human–Machine Connection
Tomorrow’s User Interfaces
Future user interfaces will be built around emerging development
technologies such as:
The end of applications Natural-language interfaces Agents Virtual realities © 2008 Prentice-Hall, Inc. Slide 30 Tomorrow’s Technology and You 8/e Chapter 4 File Management: Where’s My Stuff?
Files can be scattered all over the system, which
often makes data management difficult.
One solution to this problem is to organize data files
logically.
Both Windows and the Mac support the notion of common
system folders with self-explanatory names:
My Documents (Documents) My Pictures (Pictures) My Music (Music) © 2008 Prentice-Hall, Inc.
Slide 31 Chapter 4 File Management: Where’s My Stuff
File-Management Utilities
View, rename, copy, move, and delete files and folders Hierarchies help with organization Help with locating a file Get size, file type, and last modification date
Managing Files from Applications
Operations: Open, Save As, Save and Close
Defragmentation
© 2008 Prentice-Hall, Inc. Slide 32
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Chapter 4 Software Piracy and Intellectual Property Laws
Software Piracy—illegal duplication of copyrighted
software
The software industry is a $50 billion a year business sector. Billions of dollars are lost each year to software pirates. One-third of all software is illegally copied.
Intellectual Property and the Law
Intellectual property includes the results of intellectual activities in the arts, science, and industry. Laws ensure that mental labor is justly rewarded and encourage innovation. The information age requires the outdated and inconsistent intellectual property laws to be changed and adapted. © 2008 Prentice-Hall, Inc. Slide 33
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Chapter 4 Inventing the Future Tomorrow’s Evolving Applications and Interfaces
The WIMP (windows, icons, menus, and pointing
devices) interface is easier to learn and use than
earlier character-based interfaces.
The SILK interface incorporates many important
emerging user interface software technologies:
Speech and language
Image
Knowledge
© 2008 Prentice-Hall, Inc. Our goal was new goal is bug-free resiliency. The. —Bob Frankston, in Calculation Beyond
