WEEK 4 QUESTIONS

1. What are main differences/distinction between system software and application software


System software is a set of instructions that serves primarily as an intermediary between computer hardware and application programs. Systems software provides important self-regulatory functions for computer systems, such as loading itself when the computer is first turned on and providing commonly used sets of instructions for all applications.
Application software on the other hand is a set of computer instructions that provide more specific functionality to a user. Essentially, the application program applies a computer to a certain need.








2. What are the two main types of system software? Provide some examples of their functions.


The two main types of system software are system control programs and support programs. System control programs control the use of the hardware, software and data resources of a computer system. It also includes the operating system, and the operating system serves functions such as start up; time management; file management and file recovery. On the other hand, the system support programs supports the operations, management and users of a computer system by providing a variety of support services. These include handling user logins; shared directories and file permissions






3. What is the difference between proprietary and open source software? What considerations should be made when a business selects either software.


Propritary software is software that is generally controlled by a single company and it is usually protected by both copy right licenses and sold commercially for profit.


Open source software on the other hand is freely available to enable the further development of the software. Users can usually change, improve and re-distribute the software to others.


There are a number of factors and considerations in regards to selecting software. Some of these factors and considerations include:


- does the proposed software support a few users in a single location?


- can it accommodate large numbers of geographically dispersed users?


- does the software offer tools that monitor system usage?


- does it maintain a list of authorised users and provide the level of security needed






4. What are some of the legal issues involved in acquiring and using software in most businesses/organizations?


The main legal issue in regards to acquiring and using software in most businesses and organisations is software licensing. Businesses must understand, that although many people do it, copying software is illegal. A company can copyright its software so that it is granted exclusive legal rights to reproduce, publish and sell the software






5. Choose an Operating System, provide some details on it's developer, it license type and key benefits.

An operating system is Microsoft Windows. Microsoft Windows is a series of software operating systems and graphical user interfaces produced by Microsoft. Microsoft first introduced an operating environment named Windows in November 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces (GUIs). Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal computer market, overtaking Mac OS, which had been introduced previously. As of July 2009, Windows had approximately 93% of the market share of the client operating systems for usage on the Internet. The most recent client version of Windows is Windows Vista; the most recent server version is Windows Server 2008. Vista's successor, Windows 7 (currently at release to manufacturing), is scheduled to be released on October 22, 2009. The key benefits of Windows are that it is fast, secure and is used world wide. Its licence type is MS-EULA.