comp sci

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  • Created by: harrypass
  • Created on: 03-03-22 14:07

Software and hardware

A computer system is made up of hardware and software:

  • hardware is the physical parts of the computer
  • software is a general term for programs that control and make use of the hardware

Software is translated into machine code for the hardware to understand. Software types are in a hierarchy of their position in relation to the hardware.

Types of software

Firmware is a program embedded onto a hardware device. All hardware components in a computer have firmware. Firmware is usually coded into a hardware device when it is created in a factory. The user of the computer does not usually interact with the firmware directly. A typical example of firmware is the BIOS program written into the ROM of a computer. The BIOS runs when a system starts up before the operating system starts.

An operating system (OS) is a platform that gives the user an interface to the hardware. The OS uses device drivers to communicate with the firmware. The OS provides a user-friendly interface and performs basic tasks such as controlling and allocating memory, controlling the execution of software applications, controlling peripherals, networking, and managing files.

Software applications - also called an application or 'app' - is not essential for the basic function of the computer. Examples include games, word processors and web browsers. Programming environments are a type of software application used to write code and create programs.

Operating systems

An operating system (or 'OS') controls the general operation of a computer, and provides an easy way for us to interact with computers and run applications

On some computers it is possible to run a choice of operating systems. Games consoles have their own unique operating systems.

There are a few common operating systems available:

  • Mac OS X
  • Linux
  • Windows
  • Android (based on Linux)
  • iOS

Functions of the operating system

The operating system performs several key functions:

  • interface - provides a user interface so it is easy to interact with the computer
  • manages the CPU - runs applications and executes and cancels processes
  • multi-tasks - allows multiple applications to run at the same time
  • managesmemory - transfers programs into and out of memory, allocates free space between programs, and keeps track of memory usage
  • managesperipherals -

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