• When selecting an operating system, you must consider the

current and future requirements for application software to

meet the needs of the organization. In addition, your choice
of a particular operating system must be consistent with
your choice of hardware.

• Identify and briefly describe the functions of the two basic

kinds of software
• Outline the role of the operating system and identify the
features of several popular operating systems

Principles of Information Systems, Seventh Edition 2

• Do not develop proprietary application software unless
doing so will meet a compelling business need that can
provide a competitive advantage

• Discuss how application software can support personal,

workgroup, and enterprise business objectives
• Identify three basic approaches to developing application
software and discuss the pros and cons of each

Principles of Information Systems, Seventh Edition 3

 • Choose a programming language whose functional
characteristics are appropriate for the task at hand,
taking into consideration the skills and experience of
the programming staff

• Outline the overall evolution of programming

languages and clearly differentiate among the five
generations of programming languages

Principles of Information Systems, Seventh Edition 4

 • The software industry continues to undergo constant
change; users need to be aware of recent trends and
issues to be effective in their business and personal
life

• Identify several key issues and trends that have an

impact on organizations and individuals

Principles of Information Systems, Seventh Edition 5

 An Overview of Software
• Computer programs: sequences of instructions for the
computer

• Documentation: describes program functions to help user

operate computer system

• Systems software: set of programs that coordinates the

activities of hardware and programs

• Application software: programs that help users solve

particular problems

Principles of Information Systems, Seventh Edition 6

 Table 4.1: Classifying Software by
Type and Sphere of Influence

Principles of Information Systems, Seventh Edition 7

Systems Software: Operating Systems

• Operating system (OS): a set of computer programs that

controls the computer hardware and acts as an interface
with application programs

• Kernel: ties all of the components of the OS together and

regulates other programs; controls the most critical
processes

Principles of Information Systems, Seventh Edition 8

 Operating Systems (continued)

• Activities performed by the operating system:

• Perform common computer hardware functions

• Provide a user interface and input/output management

• Provide a degree of hardware independence

• Manage system memory

Principles of Information Systems, Seventh Edition 9

 Operating Systems (continued)

• Activities performed by the operating system:

• Manage processing tasks

• Provide networking capability

• Control access to system resources

• Manage files

Principles of Information Systems, Seventh Edition 10

 Figure 4.2:
Operating system as interface between
application software and hardware

Principles of Information Systems, Seventh Edition 11

 Operating Systems (continued)
• Common hardware functions

• Get input from the keyboard or some other input device

• Retrieve data from disks

• Store data on disks

• Display information on a monitor or printer

Principles of Information Systems, Seventh Edition 12

 Operating Systems (continued)
• User interface and input/output management

• User interface: allows individuals to access and command

the computer system

• Command-based user interface: requires that text

commands be given to the computer to perform basic
activities

• Graphical user interface (GUI): uses icons and menus

displayed on screen to send commands to computer system

Principles of Information Systems, Seventh Edition 13

 Operating Systems (continued)
• Application program interface (API): allows
applications to make use of the operating system

• Memory management: control how memory is accessed

and maximize available memory and storage

Principles of Information Systems, Seventh Edition 14

Figure 4.3: Application Program Interface
Links Application Software to the
Operating System

Principles of Information Systems, Seventh Edition 15

 Operating Systems (continued)
• Processing tasks
• Multitasking: capability allowing more than one program
to run at the same time
• Time-sharing: allows more than one person to use a
computer system at the same time
• Scalability: ability of the computer to handle an increasing
number of concurrent users smoothly
• Networking capability: features and capabilities of the OS
that aid users in connecting to a computer network

Principles of Information Systems, Seventh Edition 16

 Operating Systems (continued)
• Access to system resources

• Protection against unauthorized access

• Logins and passwords

• File management: ensures that files in secondary storage

are available when needed and that they are protected
from access by unauthorized users

Principles of Information Systems, Seventh Edition 17

Table 4.3: Popular Operating Systems
Cross All Three Spheres of Influence

Principles of Information Systems, Seventh Edition 18

 Current Operating Systems
• Microsoft PC operating systems

• Apple computer operating systems

• Linux

Principles of Information Systems, Seventh Edition 19

 Workgroup Operating Systems
• Windows Server

• UNIX

• NetWare

• RedHat Linux

• Mac OS X Server

Principles of Information Systems, Seventh Edition 20

 Enterprise Operating Systems
• z/OS

• MPE/iX and HP-UX

• Linux

Principles of Information Systems, Seventh Edition 21

Operating Systems for Small Computers
and Special-Purpose Devices
• Palm OS

• Windows Embedded

• Windows Mobile

Principles of Information Systems, Seventh Edition 22

 Utility Programs
• Utility programs are used to:

• Merge and sort sets of data

• Keep track of computer jobs being run

• Compress data files before they are stored or transmitted

over a network

• Perform other important tasks

Principles of Information Systems, Seventh Edition 23

 Utility Programs (continued)
• Hardware utilities

• Virus-detection and virus-recovery utilities

• File-compression utilities

• Spam and pop-up blocker utilities

Principles of Information Systems, Seventh Edition 24

 Utility Programs (continued)
• Network and Internet utilities

• Server and mainframe utilities

• Other utilities

Principles of Information Systems, Seventh Edition 25

Table 4.4: Examples of Utility Programs

Principles of Information Systems, Seventh Edition 26

 Application Software
• Primary function is to apply the power of the computer to
give individuals, workgroups, and the entire enterprise the
ability to solve problems and perform specific tasks

• Application programs interact with systems software;

systems software then directs the computer hardware to
perform the necessary tasks

Principles of Information Systems, Seventh Edition 27

 Types and Functions of Application
Software

• Proprietary software: a one-of-a-kind program for a

specific application, usually developed and owned by a
single company

• Off-the-shelf software: existing software programs that

are purchased

Principles of Information Systems, Seventh Edition 28

Table 4.5: A Comparison of Proprietary
and Off-the-Shelf Software

Principles of Information Systems, Seventh Edition 29

Table 4.5: A Comparison of Proprietary
and Off-the-Shelf Software (continued)

Principles of Information Systems, Seventh Edition 30

 Personal Application Software
• Serve the needs of an individual user

• Include personal productivity software, which enable

users to improve their personal effectiveness

Principles of Information Systems, Seventh Edition 31

 Table 4.6: Examples of Personal
Productivity Software

Principles of Information Systems, Seventh Edition 32

 Table 4.6: Examples of Personal
Productivity Software (continued)

Principles of Information Systems, Seventh Edition 33

 Workgroup Application Software

• Workgroup application software: designed to support

teamwork, whether people are in the same location or
dispersed around the world

• Groupware: software that helps groups of people work

together more efficiently and effectively

Principles of Information Systems, Seventh Edition 34

Table 4.8: Ernst & Young’s “Three Cs”
Rule for Groupware

Principles of Information Systems, Seventh Edition 35

 Enterprise Application Software
• Software that benefits an entire organization

• Enterprise resource planning (ERP) software: a set of

integrated programs that manage a company’s vital
business operations for an entire multisite, global
organization

Principles of Information Systems, Seventh Edition 36

 Table 4.9: Examples of Enterprise
Application Software

Principles of Information Systems, Seventh Edition 37

 Programming Languages

• Programming languages: sets of keywords, symbols,

and a system of rules for constructing statements

• Allow humans to communicate instructions to be

executed by a computer

• Different languages have different characteristics

• Syntax: a set of rules associated with a programming

language

Principles of Information Systems, Seventh Edition 38

 Table 4.11: The Evolution of
Programming Languages

Principles of Information Systems, Seventh Edition 39

 First Generation
• Machine language

• Required use of binary symbols (0s and 1s)

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 Second Generation

• Assembly languages

• Use symbols rather than binary digits

• Assemblers: programs that translate assembly languages

into machine code

Principles of Information Systems, Seventh Edition 41

 Third Generation
• Greater use of symbolic code

• Examples: BASIC, COBOL, C, and FORTRAN

• Compiler: a software program that converts the

programmer’s source code into the machine-language
instructions consisting of binary digits

Principles of Information Systems, Seventh Edition 42

 Figure 4.18: How a Compiler Works

Principles of Information Systems, Seventh Edition 43

 Fourth Generation
• 4GLs: fourth-generation languages

• Easier to use, and more English-like, than third

generation languages

• Programs tell the CPU the desired results, not how to get
them

• Examples: SQL, SAS

Principles of Information Systems, Seventh Edition 44

 Languages Beyond the Fourth
Generation
• Artificial intelligence, visual, and object-oriented languages
• Easier for nonprogrammers to use
• Programming languages used to create artificial intelligence
or expert systems applications are called fifth-generation
languages (5GLs)
• Visual languages use a graphical or visual interface for
program development
• Object-oriented programming languages are based on
objects (data and the actions that can be performed on it)

Principles of Information Systems, Seventh Edition 45

 Software Issues and Trends
• Software bugs: defects in a computer program that keep
it from performing in the manner intended

• Copyrights and licenses

• Open-source software: software that is freely available

to anyone in a form that can be easily modified

Principles of Information Systems, Seventh Edition 46

 Software Issues and Trends
(continued)
• Shareware and freeware: software that is very
inexpensive or free, but whose source code cannot be
modified

• Multiorganizational software development

• Software upgrades

• Global software support

Principles of Information Systems, Seventh Edition 47

 Summary
• Computer programs: sequences of instructions for the
computer
• Systems software: coordinates the activities of hardware
and programs
• Applications software: helps users solve particular
problems
• Operating system (OS): a set of computer programs that
controls the computer hardware and acts as an interface
with application programs

Principles of Information Systems, Seventh Edition 48

 Summary (continued)
• Graphical user interface (GUI): a user interface that uses
icons and menus displayed on screen to send commands to
the computer system
• Time-sharing allows more than one person to use a
computer system at the same time
• Proprietary software: a one-of-a-kind program designed
for a specific application, usually developed and owned by
a single company
• Off-the-shelf software: existing software program that is
purchased

Principles of Information Systems, Seventh Edition 49

 Summary (continued)
• Enterprise resource planning (ERP) software:
manages a company’s vital business operations for an
entire multisite, global organization
• Programming languages allow humans to communicate
instructions to be executed by a computer
• Programming languages can be classified as first
generation, second generation, third generation, fourth
generation, and languages beyond the fourth generation

Principles of Information Systems, Seventh Edition 50