73 Form 4 Lesson Notes Part 2 Computer Systems

LESSON FIFTY-THREE : APPLICATION SOFTWARE ADVANCED FEATURES OF GRAPHIC EDITING

APPLICATION SOFTWARE : GRAPHIC EDITING SOFTWARE

o Graphics Software or graphics editing software is a program that enab es a

person to manipu ate !isua images on a computer"

o #$amp es of graphics software are %S Paint& 'dobe ( ustrator&

PhotoFi tre& 'dobe Photoshop& %acromedia Firewor)s& %acromedia Freehand and #a*y+raw" CROP

o (n graphics software& the crop too is used for cropping or cutting pictures
down to si*e"

o ,he re-uired area is se ected using the crop too & then the crop is app ied to
ea!e .ust the se ected area" PHOTO ENHANCE

o #nhancing pictures a ows you to add new and e$citing effects to your
pictures to ma)e them better"

o Photo enhancements inc ude/

a" b" c" d" e" f" Cropping Changing bac)ground Combining e ements from two or more pictures 'dding or remo!ing co our 'd.usting or modifying co ours and si*e 'dding other specia effects i)e borders or spot ights

COMPARISON BETWEEN ADOBE PHOTOSHOP AND THE GIMP

o 'dobe Photoshop and GN0 (mage %anipu ation Program 1G(%P2 are
e$amp es of graphics software which a ow users to enhance and retouch graphics"

o ,he former is proprietary software and is -uite e$pensi!e"

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74 Form 4 Lesson Notes Part 2 Computer Systems

o #ach copy or icense for 'dobe Photoshop CS that is purchased from

'dobe can on y be insta ed on one primary computer and one secondary computer"

o 0n i)e Photoshop& the G(%P can be insta ed on as many machines as you

i)e as it is a free open source software"

o Photoshop has an easy to use des)top and user interface" o ,he oo) of the G(%P is simi ar to Photoshop" o 4oth emp oy too bo$es with understandab e symbo s" o 'nd thus& the G(%P is as easy to use as Photoshop" o ,he G(%P is comparab e to Photoshop with actua photo editing and
image manipu ation too s"

o For e$amp e/
a" c" e" g" +rawing too s Co our correction too s Layers Gradient editor b" Cropping too s d" (mage enhancement too s f" Channe s

o 5owe!er& the G(%P does not ha!e a the features i)e 6path7 and
6actions7 that Photoshop has" SUMMARY

o %ost graphics software ha!e features to crop and enhance you images o Cropping is a process of cutting pictures down to si*e o #nhancing pictures a ows you to add new and e$citing effects to your
picture to ma)e them better

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78 Form 4 Lesson Notes Part 2 Computer Systems

LESSON FIFTY-FOUR : TYPES AND USAGES OF UTILITY PROGRAMS

UTILITY PROGRAMS

o ' utility p !" #$ a so )nown as ser!ice program& is a type of system

software that a ows a user to perform maintenance9type tas)& usua y re ated to the managing of a computer& its de!ices& or its programs"

o ,hey enhance e$isting functions or pro!ide ser!ices not supp ied by other
system software programs"

o %ost computers come with bui t9in uti ities as part of the system software" o 5owe!er they may a so be bought separate y as e$terna uti ity programs
such as Norton System:or)s and %c'fee 0ti ities"

o 0ti ity programs inc uded with most operating system pro!ide the
fo owing functions / managing fi es& !iewing images& securing a computer from unauthori*ed access& uninsta ing programs& scanning dis)& defragmenting dis)& diagnosing prob em& bac)ing up fi es and dis)& and setting up screen sa!er" FILE MANAGER

o Fi e manager is the software used to manage fi es on a dis)" o (t pro!ides functions to de ete& copy& mo!e& rename and !iew fi es as we
as create and manage fo ders 1directories2"

o Fi e manager performs the tas)s of formatting and copying dis)s&

disp aying a ist of fi es on a storage medium& chec)ing the amount of used or free space on a storage medium& organising& copying& renaming& de eting& mo!ing and sorting fi es and a so creating shortcuts" DIAGNOSTIC UTILITY

o ' diagnostic uti ity compi es technica information about a computer;s

hardware and certain system software programs and then prepares a report out ining any identified prob ems"

o (nformation in the report assists technica support staff in remedying any

prob ems"

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7< Form 4 Lesson Notes Part 2 Computer Systems

DIS% DEFRAGMENTER

o :hen an operating system stores data on a dis)& it p aces the data in the
first a!ai ab e sector on the dis)"

o (t attempts to p ace data in sectors that are contiguous but this is not
a ways possib e"

o :hen the contents of a fi e are scattered across two or more non9

contiguous sectors& the fi e is fragmented"

o ,he process of defragmentation is the reorgani*ing of the dis) so the fi es

are store in contiguous sectors"

o ' fragmented dis) has many fi es stored in non9contiguous sectors" o +efragmenting reorgani*es the fi es so they are ocated in contiguous
sectors& which speeds access time" SMALL UTILITY PROGRAMS

o 'n i$#"& 'i&(& disp ays& copies& and prints the contents of a graphics
fi e"

o ' p& )!*#l +i &(#ll detects and protects a computer form unauthori*ed
intrusions"

o 'n u*i*)t#ll& remo!es a program and any associated entries in the

system fi es"

o ' ), &&* )#'& disp ays a mo!ing image or b an) screen if no )eyboard or
mouse acti!ity occurs for a specified time"

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77 Form 4 Lesson Notes Part 2 Computer Systems

LESSON FIFTY-FIVE : MORE TYPES AND USAGES OF UTILITY PROGRAMS o ' uti ity program is a type of system software that a ows a user to
perform maintenance9type tas)s"

o :e wi
a" b" c" d" e" f"

oo) at more uti ity programs that users common y use"

o ,hey are the/

bac)up uti ity data disco!ery program !irus protection program 1anti!irus2 data compressor dis) scanner dis) c eanup uti ity

BAC%UP UTILITY

o 4ac)up uti ity a ows users to copy or bac) up& se ected fi es or an entire
hard dis) to another storage medium"

o (t is important because the program a ows user to retrie!e data if the hard
dri!e fai s and there are no more programs or fi es that can function"

o #$amp e / Norton Ghost from Symantec

DATA RECOVERY

o ' data reco!ery uti ity is used to restore the data that has been physica y
damaged or corrupted"

o +ata can be damaged by !iruses& bad software& hardware fai ure& power
f uctuations that occur whi e data is being written or recorded" ANTIVIRUS PROTECTION

o (t is essentia that you insta anti!irus software" 'nti!irus software is a

uti ity program that scans the hard dis)s& f oppy dis) and memory to detect !iruses"

o Some uti ities destroy the !irus on the spot" =thers notify you of a possib e
!ira beha!iour"

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7> Form 4 Lesson Notes Part 2 Computer Systems

o #$amp e/ Norton 'nti!irus& %c'fee;s ?irusScan"

VIRUS PROTECTION

o 'nti!irus uti ities norma y oo) for !irus signatures to identify a !irus" o 0sers of anti!irus uti ities must update the !irus definition fi es as often as
possib e to ensure that such fi es contain patterns for new y disco!ered !iruses"

o (f an anti!irus uti ity cannot remo!e the !irus& it often -uarantines the
infected fi e in a separate area of a hard dis) unti the !irus can be remo!ed"

o %ost anti!irus uti ities can create a reco!ery dis) to remo!e or repair
infected programs and fi es"

o (n e$treme cases& a hard dis) may need to be reformatted to remo!e a

!irus" DATA COMPRESSION

o +ata compression uti ity is a uti ity that remo!es redundant e ements& gaps
and unnecessary data from a computer;s storage space so that ess space is re-uired to store or transmit data"

o :ith the increasing use of arge graphics& sound& and !ideo fi es& data
compression is necessary both to reduce the storage space re-uired and to reduce the time re-uired to transmit such arge fi es o!er a networ)"

o Compressed fi es are sometimes ca ed *ipped fi es because they usua y

ha!e a "@(P e$tension"

o ' compressed fi e must be un*ipped or restored to its origina form before

being used"

o ,wo popu ar fi e compression uti ities are PA@(P and :in@ip"

DIS% SCANNER AND DIS% CLEANUP

o ,hese uti ities detect and correct certain types of common prob ems on
hard dis) and f oppies and search for and remo!e unnecessary fi es& such as temporary fi es or7 temp fi es7"

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7B Form 4 Lesson Notes Part 2 Computer Systems

o 4oth windows and the app ications you run create temp fi es needed on y
for short tas)s and system restore after certain types of system prob ems" ,hese fi es are stored in the ,emp fo der"

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>C Form 4 Lesson Notes Part 2 Computer Systems

LESSON FIFTY-SI- : PROPRIETARY AND OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE o :hat is a Linu$D o :hat is an %S9+=SD o Linu$ and %S9+=S are operating systems but what is the difference
between themD PROPRIETARY SOFTWARE

o Proprietary software is a so ca ed c osed source software" o ,he c osed source software or proprietary software offers a stab e system
with support if the software fai s or ma function"

o #$amp es of proprietary software are

a" %S9+=S b" %ac =S c" 0N(E d" So aris

o (t is usua y contro ed by a sing e company& on which you are dependent

for upgrades and fi$es" OPEN-SOURCE SOFTWARE

o Software whose icense permits anyone to use it for any reason& as we as

access& modify& copy& and distribute modified copies of the source code"

o =pen source software pro!ided is for use& modification and redistribution" o Software that any programmer can down oad from the (nternet for free and
modify with suggested impro!ements"

o ,he on y -ua ification is that changes can;t be copyrighted" o ,his software is !ery popu ar because this software is not c osed softwareF
any programmer can ma)e impro!ements which can resu t in better -ua ity software"

o #$amp es of open source software/ a" Linu$ is the popu ar mu ti9tas)ing 0N(E type operating system"
Some !ersions of Linu$ are command ine" =thers are G0("

b" Linu$ is a free !ersion of 0N(E and its continua impro!ements resu t
from the efforts of tens or thousands of !o unteer programmers" (t is origina y bui t for use on the (nternet"

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>G Form 4 Lesson Notes Part 2 Computer Systems

c" ,he two most popu ar G0(s a!ai ab e for Linu$ are GN=%# and
A+#"

d" %any app ication programs& uti ities and p ugins ha!e Linu$ !ersions
inc uding =pen=ffice"org& P5P9Nu)e& %o*i a& ,he G(%P& C am'?& =penL+'P& 'udacity and Hed5at"

e" 0sers can obtain Linu$ in a !ariety of ways" Some down oad it for
free from the web" =thers purchase it from !endors" COMPARING THREE MA.OR OPERATING SYSTEMS

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>2 Form 4 Lesson Notes Part 2 Computer Systems

LESSON FIFTY-SEVEN : ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF PROPRIETARY SOFTWARE o ?endors of proprietary software say 6)eeping the source code c osed ma)e
their product more secured7"

o Aeeping the source code c osed might deter some hac)ers& but the arge
number of successfu attac)s against :indows and other proprietary software pro!es that it certain y does not pro!ide any )ind of high e!e security"

o ,here are ad!antages and disad!antages of proprietary software from the

perspecti!es of both the manufacturer and the user" ADVANTAGES OF PRODUCING PROPRIETARY SOFTWARE 5ere are some ad!antages to the company that produces proprietary software"

o ,he producing company creates software that must be purchased in order

to be insta ed and used& thus gi!ing room for profit"

o ,he company can set imit to the icense of use" ,his wi a ow the
company to contro and monitor the insta ation and distribution of the software so d" ADVANTAGES OF USING PROPRIETARY SOFTWARE ,he ad!antages of using proprietary software are/

o ,he software offers a stab e system support it if fai s or ma functions"

,his is usua y a!ai ab e on ine and off ine"

o ,he software is safe and guaranteed to be safe from dubious threats i)e
programming bugs and !iruses thus pro!iding ease of mind for the user"

o ,he software is easier to insta and used as the production is p anned and
e$tensi!e research is carried out to ensure users purchase on y the best"

o Free updates and atest information on the software are usua y pro!ided to
the users"

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>3 Form 4 Lesson Notes Part 2 Computer Systems

DISADVANTAGES OF PRODUCING PROPRIETARY SOFTWARE +isad!antages of producing proprietary software are/

o %anufacturers are often under massi!e amounts of pressure to re ease the

software before it is ready& causing ma.or prob ems ater" ,his is because the re ease of software wou d affect the profit"

o Security is a ma.or issue" %anufacturers wi ha!e to in!est in an ongoing

research against threats from hac)ers" DISADVANGES OF USING PROPRIETARY SOFTWARE +isad!antages to users using proprietary software are/

o 0sers need to spend a ong time down oading and insta ing security
patches to fi$ bugs announced by the manufacturer"

o 'ny impro!ements wou d usua y re-uire fees& which is often e$pensi!e" o 0sers are not a owed to distribute and share the software as they are
icensed"

o Customi*ing the software is near y impossib e as users do not ha!e access

to the programming codes because when users buy proprietary software they wi recei!e a binary !ersion of the program& not the code& as the code is the manufacturer;s trade secret"

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>4 Form 4 Lesson Notes Part 2 Computer Systems

LESSON FIFTY-EIGHT : ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE o 5a!e you heard about Linu$D o Linu$ is one of the fastest growing operating system" o Linu$ is an e$amp e of open source software& which means& its code is
pro!ided for use& modification and redistribution"

o ,here are other open source software& such as Firefo$ and G(%P" o (n addition to the basic operating system& Linu$ a so inc udes many free
uti ity programs"

o 0sers obtain Linu$ in a

!ariety of ways" Some down oad it free from the web" =thers purchase it from !endors for a minima fee"

o ,here are a so open

source browsers such as Firefo$ and open source image editor I the G(%P"

o ,he G(%P is !ery

re iab e and cost effecti!e for norma users who do not need the e$tra features offered in other graphics software such as 'dobe Photoshop" ADVANTAGES OF OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE Some ad!antages of open source software/ o ,he source codes are a!ai ab e to users and they ha!e the rights to modify them o ,his wi a ow impro!ements to the software without ha!ing to in!est arge sums of money in research and de!e opment o ,he modified and impro!ed source codes can be free y redistributed

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>8 Form 4 Lesson Notes Part 2 Computer Systems

MORE ADVANTAGES OF OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE

o ,he open source software is created according to industry demands but

a ows for upgrades to ta)e p ace free y when the need arises"

o ,herefore& if bugs in the codes are found& they can be fi$ed by anyone
interested and capab e"

o Fi$es and patches to rectify the bugs are rapid y de!e oped" o ,he software can be used in any way and for any ega purposes" o ,here is no restriction in a uni atera way on how the software cou d be
used" DISADVANTAGES OF OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE

o Since nobody in particu ar is responsib e for the codes& there is no e$act

)now edge and assurance on when the codes are going to be fi$ed if there are bugs in it"

o ,hus& users wi ha!e to use the prob ematic software unti someone
rectifies the prob em" MORE DISADVANTAGES OF OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE =ther disad!antages of open source software are/

o ,he codes are too comp icated for no!ice users to understand" o ,here is no particu ar officia monitoring the wor)s of a programmer
impro!ing the codes"

o ,his is because anyone is free to use& modify or e!en distribute the codes" o =pen source software usua y comes without warranty and after sa es
support shou d the software fai or ma function"

o ,his is because the software is usua y distributed free of charge or so d

for !ery minima fees"

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>7 Form 4 Lesson Notes Part 2 Computer Systems

LESSON SI-TY-SI- : PERVASIVE COMPUTING o ,here are many techno ogica y ad!anced
de!ices in!ented to he p in our dai y chores" o %any of these techno ogica y ad!anced de!ices ha!e begun to be a part of our dai y i!es" WHAT IS PERVASIVE COMPUTING o Per!asi!e computing means the techno ogy that is gracefu y integrated in our e!ery day ife" ,he user is no onger aware of this embedded techno ogy" o Per!asi!e computing uses web techno ogy& portab e de!ices& wire ess communications and nomadic or ubi-uitous computing systems" o =ther terms for per!asi!e computing are 0bi-uitous Computing& Ca m ,echno ogy& and ,hings that ,hin)" o Per!asi!e computing de!ices are not persona computers& but !ery tiny I e!en in!isib e9 de!ices& either mobi e or embedded in a most any type of ob.ect imaginab e& inc uding cars& too s& app iances& c othing and !arious consumer goods 9 a communicating through interconnected networ)s" o #$pert predict per!asi!e computing in year 2CGC wi become so natura i*ed within the en!ironment that peop e wi not e!en rea i*e

that they are using computers"

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>> Form 4 Lesson Notes Part 2 Computer Systems

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>B Form 4 Lesson Notes Part 2 Computer Systems

E-AMPLES OF PERVASIVE COMPUTING

o 'n e$amp e of per!asi!e computing in our dai y i!es is the automatic

,ouch Jn Go Smart,ag to gate"

o 'nother e$amp e of per!asi!e computing in dai y i!es is the 3G

techno ogy !ideo phone"

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BC Form 4 Lesson Notes Part 2 Computer Systems

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