System Software & Application Software (Edexcel IGCSE ICT)
Revision Note
Written by: Robert Hampton
Reviewed by: James Woodhouse
Purpose of application & system software
What is software?
Software is the set of programs that control the hardware; they live on the computer system but cannot be physically touched
Software can be broken down in to two categories:
Application software
System software
What is application software?
Application software (abbreviated 'apps') is software chosen by a user to help them carry out a specific task
Application software is installed on top of system software and is user-chosen to best suit industry requirements
Common categories of application software include:
Word processing: creating and editing text documents
Spreadsheet: organising and analysing data in a grid format
Database management systems: storing, retrieving and managing data in databases
Control/measurement: uses sensors to measure and control a system
Video editing: creating and modifying video files
Graphics editing: creating and modifying images
Audio editing: creating and modifying sound files
Computer-Aided Design (CAD): designing and modelling objects in 2D or 3D
Examiner Tips and Tricks
When writing about application software, ensure you refer to it by its type and not a brand name. For example, 'word processing' and not Microsoft Word
What is system software?
System software is software essential for the operation of a computer system
Without system software, a user has no starting point for giving a computer instructions
System software gives users a platform to run applications and carry out tasks
Essential services carried out by system software include:
Compilers: translating high-level programming languages into machine code
Linkers: combining object files into a single executable program
Device drivers: controlling hardware components and peripherals
Operating systems: managing the computer's resources and providing a user interface
Utilities: tools for maintaining and optimising the computer's performance
Utility software
What is utility software?
Utility software is software designed to help maintain, enhance and troubleshoot/repair a computer system
Utility software is designed to perform a limited number of tasks
Utility software interacts with the computers hardware, for example, secondary storage devices
Some utility software comes installed with the operating system
Examples of utility software and their function are:
Defragmentation (maintain)
Defragmentation software groups fragmented files back together in order to improve access speed
As programs and data are added to a new hard disk drive, it is added in order, over time as files are deleted this leaves gaps
As programs and data are added over time, these gaps get filled and data becomes fragmented
Defragmentation can only used on magnetic storage
Examiner Tips and Tricks
If the concept of defragmentation still seems a little difficult then hopefully this analogy will help
In a tidy bedroom you can find your things faster because they are in the right place (in order)
Over time you move things, forget to put them back and/or add new things
The time taken to find your things increases, until...
You tidy your room and finding things becomes quicker again (defragmentation!)
Compression (enhance)
Compression reduces the amount of secondary storage required by performing an algorithm on the original data
Lossy compression physically removes data from the original data to reduce its size, the original file can not be re-created
Lossless compression uses mathematics to order data more efficiently reducing its size, the original files can be re-created as no data is lost
Encryption (enhance)
Encryption is the process of scrambling data using an algorithm from plain-text into cipher-text in order to make it unreadable to users without the master key
Encryption software enhances the security of the computer system and keeps data safe
Task manager (troubleshoot/repair)
Task manager is software that is built into the operating system to allow users to monitor system resources in order to help troubleshoot potential problems
Task manager gives system information such as:
Processes
Performance
App history
Start-up apps
Users
Services
Worked Example
Describe how utility software can reduce access times for large files stored on magnetic media
[2]
Answer
By defragmenting file data [1]...
...that has been allocated randomly to free space [1]
By placing file data in adjacent sectors [1]...
...to reduce the need to spin the disc / seek across the platter surface [1]
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