CTCC0113-Course-Packet-06.pdf

CTCC0113 Introduction to Computing Learning Module 02 Principles and Concepts of Computing System Course Packet 06 Computer Software 102  CTCC0113 In...

CTCC0113 Introduction to Computing Learning Module 02 Principles and Concepts of Computing System Course Packet 06 Computer Software 102  CTCC0113 Introduction to Computing Course Packet 06 Computer Software Introduction A computer system consists of hardware, the electronic devices that are capable of computing and manipulating information, and software, a set of instructions that carries out predefined tasks to complete a given job. As we know, a computer cannot think or perform on its own. It performs operations like addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division only when the user instructs it to do so. The user issues instructions and the CPU acts in accordance with the instructions. The sets of instructions, which control the sequence of operations, are known as programs, and collectively programs are called software that tells computer what to do. Software comprises the entire set of programs, procedures, and routines associated with the operation of a computer system. This learning packet or topic on computer software covers the fundamental knowledge of software, a brief history, the different types of software with relevant examples and uses, and the key differences of each. Assessment of the student regarding the topic will be done before and after the discussion. Objectives Upon successful completion of this chapter, the students should will be able to: define the term software and tell its origin; describe the two primary categories of software and their subcategories; differentiate the two types of software interfaces; and understand malware and identify its different forms. Learning Management System The University LMS will be used for asynchronous learning and assessment. The link and class code for LMS were provided at the start of class through the class’ official Facebook Group. Duration Topic 04: Computer Software = 10 hours (6 hours of self-directed learning with practical exercises and 4 hours of assessment) Delivery Mode An online delivery of instruction will be used, a combination of a synchronous and asynchronous learning. Assessment with Rubrics A scoring guide will be used in assessing the students through the activity given at the end of the discussion. It provides well-defined criteria from which students can improve their performance. 103  CTCC0113 Introduction to Computing Requirement with Rubrics The assignment will be graded using the same criteria. Students, on the other hand, should present proof or evidence that demonstrates their effort in answering the questions. Readings Computer Fundamentals by Priti Sinha Pradeep K.Sinha Computer Fundamentals: Concepts, Systems & Applications by Sinha, P. K. BPB Computer Today by Basandra, S. K. rev ed Galgotia Fundamental of Computers by Rajaraman, V. Introduction to Computers by Norton, Peter Introduction To Computer Security by Bishop, M., Venkatramanayya, S. Pearson PRE-ASSESSMENT Direction. Provide a brief overview of the student’s current knowledge and understanding regarding Computer Software. 104  CTCC0113 Introduction to Computing INTRODUCTION KEY POINTS: The functioning of the computer is not dependent on Software is the hardware alone. It requires a set of instructions that tells the soul of the computer what is to be done with the input data. In computer computer. terminology, this set of instructions is called a program and Without it, the one or more programs are termed as a software. Some of the computer will most commonly used computer software are can be shown in never be useful. Figure 1. Ada Lovelace Definitions for computer software has been called "the first “Software, in its most general sense, is a set of instructions computer or programs instructing a computer to do specific tasks. programmer" for Software is a generic term used to describe computer writing an algorithm for a programs that run on PCs, mobile phones, tablets, or other computing smart devices” - (Techopedia , 2021). machine. “Software is a generic term for organized collections of Anyone computer data and instructions, often broken into two major interested in categories: system software that provides the basic non-task- developing specific functions of the computer, and application software software or an which is used by users to accomplish specific tasks”- application must (OpenProjects, n.d.) start by learning a programming language. Figure 38. Example of computer software 105  CTCC0113 Introduction to Computing History of Software An outline (algorithm) for what would have been the DEFINITION OF first piece of program, was written by Ada Lovelace in TERMS: 1843, for the planned Analytical Engine, designed by Algorithm. A process Charles Babbage in 1827, but it never came into operation. or set of rules to be The term software was not used until the late 1950s. During followed by a this time, although different types of programming software computer. were being created, they were typically not commercially available. Consequently, users -- mostly scientists and large Floppy Disk. A disk enterprises -- often had to write their own software. The storage medium composed of a disk of following is a brief timeline of the history of software: thin and flexible magnetic storage June 21, 1948. Tom Kilburn, a computer scientist, medium encased in a writes the world's first piece of software for the rectangular plastic Manchester Baby computer at the University of carrier. Manchester in England. Hardware. The Early 1950s. General Motors creates the first OS, for tangible parts of a the IBM 701 Electronic Data Processing Machine. computer system. It is called General Motors Operating System, or GM OS. Program. A collection 1958. Statistician John Tukey coins the word of instructions that software in an article about computer programming. can be executed by a computer to perform a Late 1960s. Floppy disks are introduced and are specific task. used in the 1980s and 1990s to distribute software. Nov. 3, 1971. AT&T releases the first edition of the Unix OS. 1977. Apple releases the Apple II and consumer software takes off. 1979. VisiCorp releases VisiCalc for the Apple II, the first spreadsheet software for personal computers. 1981. Microsoft releases MS-DOS, the OS on which many of the early IBM computers ran. IBM begins selling software, and commercial software becomes available to the average consumer. 1980s. Hard drives become standard on PCs, and manufacturers start bundling software in computers. 1983. The free software movement is launched with Richard Stallman's GNU (GNU is not Unix) Linux project to create a Unix-like OS with source code that can be freely copied, modified and distributed. 1984. Mac OS is released to run Apple's Macintosh line. Mid-1980s. Key software applications, including AutoDesk AutoCAD, Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel, are released. 1985. Microsoft Windows 1.0 is released. 106  CTCC0113 Introduction to Computing 1989. CD-ROMs become standard and hold much more data than floppy disks. Large software KEY POINTS: programs can be distributed quickly, easily and An operating relatively inexpensively. system is the 1991. The Linux kernel, the basis for the open most important source Linux OS, is released. software that 1997. DVDs are introduced and able to hold more runs on a data than CDs, making it possible to put bundles of computer. programs, such as the Microsoft Office Suite, onto one disk. A device driver is 1999. Salesforce.com uses cloud computing to needed for the pioneer software delivery over the internet. operating system to interact with 2000. The term software as a service (SaaS) comes the peripheral into vogue. devices. 2007. IPhone is launched and mobile applications begin to take hold. Each applications 2010 to the present. DVDs are becoming obsolete as software is users buy and download software from the internet designed to and the cloud. Vendors move to subscription-based assist the user models and SaaS has become common. with a particular process, which may be related to TWO MAJOR SOFTWARE TYPES productivity, creativity, and/or System Software communication. System software helps the user, hardware, and application software to interact and function together. These types of computer software allow an environment or platform for other software and applications to work in. This is why system software is essential in managing the whole computer system. System software helps the user, hardware, and application software to interact and function together. These types of computer software allow an environment or platform for other software and applications to work in. This is why system software is essential in managing the whole computer system. When the computer is powered up, it is the system software that is initially loaded into memory. Unlike application software, the System software is not used by end-users. It only runs in the background of the device, at the most basic level while you use other application software. This is why system software is also called “low- level software”. 107  CTCC0113 Introduction to Computing System software includes: DEFINITION OF Operating Systems. These are programs that TERMS: manages the computer's memory and processes, as Antivirus. A well as all of its software and hardware. It software designed to coordinates computer resources, provide an detect and destroy interface between users and the computer, and run computer viruses. applications. The three most common operating systems for personal computers are Microsoft Linux. An open- Windows, MacOS, and Linux as shown in Figure 2. source operating Aside from IOS, Android becomes the most system modelled on commonly known and used mobile operating UNIX. system. MacOS. The operating system for Apple Computer's Macintosh line of personal computers and workstations. Figure 39. Example of operating systems Registry. A database of settings Utilities. These are the programs that perform used by Microsoft specific tasks related to managing computer Windows that stores configurations for resources. It is designed to help analyze, configure, hardware devices, optimize or maintain a computer. Utility software installed usually focuses on how the computer infrastructure applications, and the (including the computer hardware, operating operating system. system, software and data storage) operates. As shown in Figure 3, commonly known and used utility software are anti-virus, disk and registry checkers, file managers, and system monitors. Figure 40. Utility software 108  CTCC0113 Introduction to Computing Device drivers. These are specialized programs designed to allow particular input or output devices to communicate with the rest of the computer system. More commonly known as a driver, it is a group of files that enable one or more hardware devices to communicate with the operating system. Without drivers, the computer would not be able to send and receive data correctly to hardware devices, such as a printer. Driver programs are typically stored in a disc or it could be a third party software such as the Driver Pack Solution as shown in Figure 4. Figure 41. Device drivers Application Software As a user of technology, application software or ‘apps’ are what the user engages with the most. These types of computer software are productive end-user programs that help you perform tasks. Software applications are also referred to as non- essential software. They are installed and operated on a computer-based on the user’s requirement. There is plenty of application software that you can use to perform different tasks. The number of such apps keeps increasing with technological advances and the evolving needs of the users. Applications software could be categorized as basic or specialized. Basic Applications. These are software that are widely used in all career areas. Examples of these applications are shown in Figure 5. Mostly of these applications are pre-installed together with the operating system. Figure ???. Commonly used applications 109  CTCC0113 Introduction to Computing Specialized Applications. These programs are more narrowly focused on specific disciplines and KEY POINTS: occupations. Specialized applications include User Interface graphics programs, audio and video editing allows the user to software, multimedia and programming as shown in interact with the Figure 6. computer system. A command-line interface (CLI) processes commands to a Figure 42. Example of specialized applications computer program in the SOFTWARE INTERFACES form of lines of text. Software interfaces are the languages, codes and messages that programs use to communicate with each other A graphical user and to the hardware. Commonly termed as User Interfaces, interface (GUI) these are the keyboards, mice, commands and menus used enables a person for communication between the user and the computer. to communicate with a computer through the use User interface could also be defined as the design of of symbols, visual the interaction between the user and the computer. The metaphors, and rules, formats and functions between components in a pointing devices. communications system or network are called "protocols." The language and message formats between routines within a program or between software components is called an "application programming interface" (API). The specification for an operating system working in a specific machine environment has been known as an "application binary interface" (ABI), but this term is not widely used. All the above interactions are interfaces. Regardless of what they are called, they all create rules that must be precisely followed in a digital world as shown in Figure 7. User interface could be categorized into two major types, the Command Line and the Graphical. 110  CTCC0113 Introduction to Computing DEFINITION OF TERMS: Commands. A specific instruction given to a computer application to perform some kind of task or function. Icon. An image that represents an application, a capability, or some other concept or specific entity with meaning for the user. MS-DOS. Short for Microsoft Disk Operating System, a non-graphical command line operating system created for IBM Figure 43. Different User Interface Interactions compatible computers. Command Line Interface. A text-based user interface used to view and manage computer files. Abbreviated as CLI, a Command Line Interface connects a user to a computer program or operating system. Through the CLI, users interact with a system or application by typing in text (commands) as shown in Figure 8. The command is typed on a specific line following a visual prompt from the computer. The system responds to the text, and the user may then type on the next command line that appears. Through this command and response interaction, the user is able to issue a series of commands, which are executed by the system or program. 111  CTCC0113 Introduction to Computing Figure 44. Command line interface Graphical User Interface. A graphical user interface (pronounced as Gooey or G-U-I) is a type of user interface through which users interact with electronic devices via visual indicator representations. The GUI was designed as a response to the problem of inefficient usability in early, text-based command-line interfaces for the average user. As shown in Figure 9, graphical user interfaces become the standard of user-centered design in software application programming, providing users the capability to intuitively operate computers and other electronic devices through the direct manipulation of graphical icons such as buttons, scroll bars, windows, tabs, menus, cursors, and the mouse pointing device. Many modern graphical user interfaces feature touchscreen and voice-command interaction capabilities. Figure 45. Graphical user interface 112  CTCC0113 Introduction to Computing MALICIOUS SOFTWARE KEY POINTS: Malicious software (often called malware for short) is any type of software that is intended to harm or hack the Malware are programs user. They might be attempting to steal someone’s designed to information, or they might simply do it for malicious cause extensive reasons. It’s very hard to pin down a definition for malware damage to data because it can work in so many different ways. Anything and systems or to that is intended to cause harm or gain unauthorized access gain would fall under this broad heading. unauthorized access to a network. The term Trojan is derived from the Ancient Greek story of the deceptive Trojan Horse that led to the fall of the city of Troy. Most people are only vulnerable to malware because they don’t take the threat seriously. Figure 46. Common types of malware Ransomware. The malware version of a kidnapper’s ransom note. It typically works by locking or denying access to your device and your files until you pay a ransom to the hacker. Any individuals or groups storing critical information on their devices are at risk from the threat of ransomware. Spyware. It collects information about a device or network, then relays this data back to the attacker. Hackers typically use spyware to monitor a person’s internet activity and harvest personal data, including login credentials, credit card numbers or financial information, for the purposes of fraud or identity theft. 113  CTCC0113 Introduction to Computing Worms. These are designed with one goal in mind: proliferation. A worm infects a computer, then DEFINITION OF TERMS: replicates itself, spreading to additional devices while remaining active on all infected machines. Hacker. Someone Some worms act as delivery agents to install that is actively additional malware. Other types are designed only working to disable to spread, without intentionally causing harm to security systems with their host machines – but these still clog up networks the intent of either with bandwidth demands. taking down a system or stealing Adware. Its job is to create revenue for the information. developer by subjecting the victim to unwanted Networks. A advertisements. Common types of adware include network consists of free games or browser toolbars. They collect two or more personal data about the victim, then use it to computers that are personalize the ads they display. Though most linked in order to adware is legally installed, it’s certainly no less share resources, annoying than other types of malware. exchange files, or allow electronic Trojans. A Trojan Horse is a vehicle for hidden communications. attackers. Trojan malware infiltrates a victim’s device by presenting itself as legitimate software. Virus. A malicious piece of computer Once installed, the Trojan activates, sometimes code designed to going so far as to download additional malware. spread from one device to another. Botnets. A botnet isn’t a type of malware, but a network of computers or computer code that can carry out or execute malware. Attackers infect a group of computers with malicious software known as “bots,” which are capable of receiving commands from their controller. These computers then form a network, providing the controller access to a substantial degree of collective processing power, which can be used to coordinate attacks, send spam, steal data, and create fake ads on your browser. 114