BCE Unit – I : System & Application Software

SOFTWARE

Software is defined as a computer program or collection of programs which is designed to solve any task.

TYPES OF SOFTWARE :-

1. System software
2. Application software

SYSTEM SOFTWARE: – System software refers to a computer program that manages and control hardware component of a computer system. The system software is responsible for handling the function of computer hardware. It is also responsible for proper function of application software on a computer.

EXAMPLE:-

1. OPERATING SYSTEM SOFTWARE:-An operating system is a program which acts as an interface between user and hardware.
2. LANGUAGE PROCESSOR:-These are system software which is used to translate the instruction of any programmable language in the form that can be executed by computer system, Example:- Computer, Interpreter, Assembler.

APPLICATION SOFTWARE: –    Application software is a computer program that executes on system software it is design and develop for performing specific task for specific application.

IT CAN BE OF TWO TYPES

1. Special purpose Application Software

2. General purpose Application Software

The application software may be used for painting, making presentations(MS Power Point), making documents and reports(MS Word), playing songs or videos( WinAmp), for managing the payroll, for managing the accounts(Tally), for image processing, for compressing the file (WinZip), for searching the location on the globe(Google Earth), for creating architectural design( CAD/CAM), etc. For application software to work smoothly, the system software are also required to be preloaded. Software may be a single program (MS Paint, Notepad) or a collection of programs (MS office) known as software package. Application program don’t necessarily come with the computer, rather the user has to purchase them or freely download them to use.

Computing Ethics:

Ethics deals with placing a “value” on acts according to whether they are “good” or “bad”. Every society has its rules about whether certain acts are ethical or not. These rules have been established as a result of consensus in society and are often written into laws.

The Ten Commandments of computer ethics have been defined by the Computer Ethics Institute. Here is our interpretation of them:

• Thou shalt not use a computer to harm other people: If it is unethical to harm people by making a bomb, for example, it is equally bad to write a program that handles the timing of the bomb. Or, to put it more simply, if it is bad to steal and destroy other people’s books and notebooks, it is equally bad to access and destroy their
• Thou shalt not interfere with other people’s computer work: Computer viruses are small programs that disrupt other people’s computer work by destroying their files, taking huge amounts of computer time or memory, or by simply displaying annoying messages. Generating and consciously spreading computer viruses are unethical.
• Thou shalt not snoop around in other people’s files: Reading other people’s e-mail messages is as bad as opening and reading their letters: This is invading their privacy. Obtaining other people’s non-public files should be judged the same way as breaking into their rooms and stealing their Text documents on the Internet may be protected by encryption.
• Thou shalt not use a computer to steal: Using a computer to break into the accounts of a company or a bank and transferring money should be judged the same way as robbery. It is illegal and there are strict laws against it.
• Thou shalt not use a computer to bear false witness: The Internet can spread untruth as fast as it can spread truth. Putting out false “information” to the world is For instance, spreading false rumours about a person or false propaganda about historical events is wrong.
• Thou shalt not use or copy software for which you have not paid: Software is an intellectual product. In that way, it is like a book: Obtaining illegal copies of copyrighted software is as bad as photocopying a copyrighted There are laws against both. Information about the copyright owner can be embedded by a process called watermarking into pictures in the digital format.
• Thou shalt not use other people’s computer resources without authorization: Multiuser systems use user id’s and passwords to enforce their memory and time allocations, and to safeguard You should not try to bypass this authorization system. Hacking a system to break and bypass the authorization is unethical.
• Thou shalt not appropriate other people’s intellectual output: For example, the programs you write for the projects assigned in this course are your own intellectual Copying somebody else’s program without proper authorization is software piracy and is unethical. Intellectual property is a form of ownership, and may be protected by copyright laws.
• Thou shalt think about the social consequences of the program you write: You have to think about computer issues in a more general social framework: Can the program you write be used in a way that is harmful to society? For example, if you are working for an animation house, and are producing animated films for children, you are responsible for their contents. Do the animations include scenes that can be harmful to children? In the United States, the Communications Decency Act was an attempt by lawmakers to ban certain types of content from Internet websites to protect young children from harmful That law was struck down because it violated the free speech principles in that country’s constitution. The discussion, of course, is going on.
• Thou shalt use a computer in ways that show consideration and respect: Just like public buses or banks, people using computer communications systems may find themselves in situations where there is some form of queuing and you have to wait for your turn and generally be nice to other people in the environment. The fact that you cannot see the people you are interacting with does not mean that you can be rude to them.

Computer Application in e-Business:

eBusiness (e-Business), or Electronic Business, is the administration of conducting business via the internet. This would include the buying and selling of goods and services, along with providing technical or customer support through the Internet. E-Business is a term often used in conjunction with e-commerce but includes services in addition to the sale of goods.

Electronic business commonly referred to as “eBusiness” or “e-business“, or an internet business, may be defined as the application of information and communication technologies (ICT) in support of all the activities of business. Commerce constitutes the exchange of products and services between businesses, groups and individuals and can be seen as one of the essential activities of any business. Electronic commerce focuses on the use of ICT to enable the external activities and relationships of the business with individuals, groups and other businesses.

Bio-Informatics:

Bioinformatics is the field of science which applies computer-based tools and technologies on biological research and development. It primarily involves collection and storage of biological and genetic data on which statistical techniques are applied to arrive at the required solution.

Bioinformatics has become an important part of many areas of biology. In experimental molecular biology, bioinformatics techniques such as image and signal processing allow extraction of useful results from large amounts of raw data. In the field of genetics and genomics, it aids in sequencing and annotating genomes and their observed mutations. It plays a role in the textual mining of biological literature and the development of biological and gene ontologies to organize and query biological data. It plays a role in the analysis of gene and protein expression and regulation. Bioinformatics tools aid in the comparison of genetic and genomic data and more generally in the understanding of evolutionary aspects of molecular biology. At a more integrative level, it helps analyze and catalogue the biological pathways and networks that are an important part of systems biology. In structural biology, it aids in the simulation and modelling of DNA, RNA, and protein structures as well as molecular interactions.

Health Care:

Now a day, computers are being used to cater to several different aspects of healthcare. The use of computer is evident right from the beginning when a patient approaches healthcare facilities. The health care staffs log the patient’s details in an organized manner in a computer system. The same system is used for finding and allocating a vacant bed to patient if required.

The most significant use of computers within healthcare has been its amalgamation with medical equipment. A majority of medical equipment are now computer based, thus enabling accurate capture of date in digital form. Further, a device like CT scanner helps the physicians to view a 3-D imaginary of body organs.

Health care (or healthcare) is the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in humans. Health care is delivered by practitioners in medicine, chiropractic, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, allied health, and other care providers. It refers to the work done in providing primary care, secondary care and tertiary care, as well as in public health.

Access to health care varies across countries, groups and individuals, largely influenced by social and economic conditions as well as the health policies in place. Countries and jurisdictions have different policies and plans in relation to the personal and population- based health care goals within their societies. Health care systems are organizations established to meet the health needs of target populations. Their exact configuration varies from country to country. In some countries and jurisdictions, health care planning is distributed among market participants, whereas in others planning is made more centrally among governments or other coordinating bodies. In all cases, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), a well-functioning health care system requires a robust financing mechanism; a well-trained and adequately-paid workforce; reliable information on which to base decisions and policies; and well maintained facilities and logistics to deliver quality medicines and technologies.

Remote Sensing:

Remote sensing is the technique of acquiring information about a subject (material or spatial) without coming in direct contact with it. Since, there is no direct contact involved, wireless devices are used for performing remote sensing task. Such devices are typically real time systems that continuously gather and store data related to subject under observation. A RADAR system can be considered as a good example of remote sensing device that measure the time delay between sending and receiving of signals to detect information related to the objects.

Remote sensing is the acquisition of information about an object or phenomenon without making physical contact with the object. In modern usage, the term generally refers to the use of aerial sensor technologies to detect and classify objects on Earth (both on the surface, and in the atmosphere and oceans) by means of propagated signals (e.g. electromagnetic radiation emitted from aircraft or satellites).

GIS (Geographic information system):

Geographic information system (GIS) is a system that gathers location-specifics data present it is various meaningful forms. It is basically a computer- based information system that captures and stores location-specific data against different parameters.

A geographic information system (GIS) lets us visualize, question, analyze, interpret, and understand data to reveal relationships, patterns, and trends.

Geographic information system (GIS) is a system designed to capture, store, manipulate, analyze, manage, and present all types of geographical. The acronym GIS is sometimes used for geographical information science or geospatial information studies to refer to the academic discipline or career of working with geographic information systems. In the simplest terms, GIS is the merging of cartography, statistical analysis, and database technology.

Meteorology and Climatology:

Metrology is the study of atmosphere and the related weather condition over short time intervals aims at making routine weather forecasts.

Meteorology is the interdisciplinary scientific study of the atmosphere. Studies in the field stretch back millennia, though significant progress in meteorology did not occur until the 18th century. The 19th century saw breakthroughs occur after observing networks developed across several countries. After the development of the computer in the latter half of the 20th century, breakthroughs in weather forecasting were achieved.

Climatology, on the other hand is the study of weather conditions over a long period of time (in years), so as to expand the climate of a region in totality. Both these process use computers for collection, storage and processing of data. Climatology in particular requires extensive data analysis to study the weather trends over longs periods of time. The results are the analysis are displayed using graphics, animation so that accurate forecasts can be predicted the weather experts.

Climatology is the study of climate, scientifically defined as weather conditions averaged over a period of time. Traditionally it is regarded as a branch of the atmospheric sciences and a subfield of physical geography, which is one of the Earth sciences. Climatology now includes aspects of oceanography and biogeochemistry. Basic knowledge of climate can be used within shorter term weather forecasting using analog techniques such as the El Niño – Southern Oscillation (ENSO), the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO), the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), the Northern Annualar Mode (NAM) which is also known as the Arctic oscillation (AO), the Northern Pacific (NP) Index, the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO), and the Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation (IPO). Climate models are used for a variety of purposes from study of the dynamics of the weather and climate system to projections of future climate.

Computer Gaming:

Computers are widely used for playing games that are similar to video or console- based games. A computer must process graphics and animations support for ensuring rich gaming experience to the user. The computer gaming industry has evolved tremendously over the experience over the past decade.

Computer and video games are a maturing medium and industry and have caught the attention of scholars across a variety of disciplines. By and large, computer and video games have been ignored by educators. When educators have discussed games, they have focused on the social consequences of game play, ignoring important educational potentials of gaming. This paper examines the history of games in educational research, and argues that the cognitive potential of games have been largely ignored by educators. Contemporary developments in gaming, particularly interactive stories, digital authoring tools, and collaborative worlds, suggest powerful new opportunities for educational media.