Software part two

1.       Describe the following types of common utility programs.

(a)    Antivirus (2)

An antivirus is used to prevent or remove Viruses on your computer.

(b)   Disk derangement (2)

Disk derangement is a tool that rearranges the data on your volume and reunites fragmented data so your computer can run more efficiently.

2. (a) Explain what is meant by ‘off-the-shelf’ software.

Software you can buy online and download to your computer.

(b)List some of the advantages and disadvantages of using off-the-shelf-software.

Advantage:  They are reasonably priced, they are easy to access and you are able to get support if needed.

Disadvantages:  You may have to pay for certain features.

3. (a) Explain what is meant by ‘custom-written’ or ‘bespoke’ software.
Software which can be customized for you.

 (b) List some of the advantages and disadvantages of using custom-written software.

Advantages: That it has the features that you want and no-one else has it

Disadvantages: It cost a lot of money and there may not be any support. 

4. (a)Explain what is meant by ‘open-source’ software.

Users can see how the program works and they are able to change it if they want.

(b)   List some of the advantages and disadvantages of using open-source software.

Advantages: It is usually free and people can modify it to make it their own and also to fix bugs. 
Disadvantages: It is very unlikely to get any support.

3. (a) Explain what is meant by ‘proprietary’ software.
Where computer software is licensed under exclusive legal right of the copyright holder with the intent that the licensee is given the right to use the software only under certain conditions. 

(b) List some of the advantages and disadvantages of using proprietary software.

Advantage : If there is a problem you can quickly fix it.
Disadvantage:

5. A person running a small business has decided to use off-the-shelf software to help with providing invoices and letters.

 Describe two advantages to the owner of using off-the-shelf software rather than having it custom made for their business. (4)

Advantage 1: They don't need all of the features if they only need it for letters and invoice.

Advantage 2: Its cheaper. 

6. A school has decided to install an open-source software suite on all of the computers rather than commercial, proprietary software.

 Describe two advantages for the school in using open-source software. (4)

Advantage 1: Its free

Advantage 2: They can get all the features needed. 

Utility Software

1.      What is Utility Software?

- Utility software is system software designed to help analyse, configure, optimize or maintain a computer. Utility software usually focuses on how the computer infrastructure operates.

2.      What is Anti-virus Software and how does it work?

- Antivirus software is used to safeguard a computer from malware, including viruses, computer worms, and Trojan horses. Antivirus software may also remove or prevent spyware and adware, along with other forms of malicious programs.

3.      Viruses, Trojan horses, and worms

-  Viruses, worms and Trojan Horses are all malicious programs that can cause damage to your computer, but there are differences among the three, and knowing those differences can help you better protect your computer from their often damaging effects.

4.      What is a firewall and why would we use one?

 - If your PC is connected to the Internet, you are a potential target to an array of cyber threats, such as hackers, key loggers, and Trojans that attack through unpatched security holes, a firewall can prevent this from happening.

5.      What is encryption and why would we use it?

- Encryption is the most effective way to achieve data security. To read an encrypted file, you must have access to a secret key or password that enables you to decrypt it.

6.      What is disc management software and why do we need it?

- Disk Management is an extension of the Microsoft Management Console that allows full management of the disk-based hardware recognized by Windows. Disk Management is used to manage the drives installed in a computer - like hard disk drives (internal and external),optical disk drives, and flash drives.

7.      What is disc defragmentation and how does it work?

- Disk Defragmenter is a tool that rearranges the data on your volume and reunites fragmented data so your computer can run more efficiently. In this version of Windows, Disk Defragmenter runs on a schedule so you don't have to remember to run it, although you can still run it manually or change the schedule it uses.

8.      What is system maintenance software and why do we need it?

9.      What are development or dev tools and why do we use them?

 - The Dev Tools application, you can enable a number of settings on your device that will make it easier to test and debug your applications. The Dev Tools application relies on a number of permissions that are not available for third party applications. If you'd like to install the Dev Tools application on a real development device, you'd have to build a system image for that device and sign the Dev Tools application with the same key as used for the system image

10.  Explain what an assembly language is and what we use an assembler for.

 - A low-level symbolic code converted by an assembler.

Functions of an operating system

1) Explain what is meant by an ‘operating system’.

 - It is necessary to run all computing devices.

2) When is the operating system loaded?

- When one of the computers is loaded up 

3) List some commonly used operating systems.

- Commonly used operating systems are, Mac, Windows and Linux

4) Explain how the operating system controls the software and hardware on the computer.

-  It uses device driver to translate the specific instruction to save that hardware.

5) Describe two types of user interfaces provided by the operating system.

- Command Line Interface - It used to be the only way to operate the computer. Also it is fast to get things done and does not need a powerful computer. 

- Menu Driven Interface - It is often seen on computers which have limited input device. simple to navigate and you cannot edit the menu. 

6) Explain what is meant by a ‘multitasking operating system’.

-The OS controls multi-tasking making it look like the computer is running two programs at once. It does this by switching the programs very quickly. The CPU is so fast there are times when the ram can’t keep up (video buffering) so the CPU is instructed by the OS to do something this time.