Wednesday, December 9, 2015
SIWES SOFTWARE ACTIVITIES FOR SCIENCE & ENGINEERING
CHAPTER FOUR
SOFTWARE ACTIVITIES
4.1 SOFTWARE
Software is a collection of computer programs and related data that provide the instruction for telling a computer what to do and how to do it, literarily they are parts of the computer that cannot be touched like hardware hence they are programs. Software as a whole can be divided into a number of categories based on the types of work done by programs.
4.1.1 SOFTWARE CATEGORIES:
Software is categorized into two;
1. System software (Operating system)
2. Application software.
1. System Software: These provides the basic functions for computer usage and help the computer hardware and system, it includes the combination of the following: device drivers, Operating systems, Server, Utilities, etc.
Examples of Operating System:
i. Windows
ii. Unix
iii. Macintosh
iv. Linux
Examples of drivers;
i. sound drivers
ii. printer drivers
iii. camera drivers
Examples of utilities
i. disk cleaners and defragmenter
ii. . Disk space analyzer
iii. Tune up utilities
· Application Software: These are software developed to aid in any task that benefits from computation designed with programming software like java++. Application software performs word processing, database management, image editing, simulation software, spread sheets etc
Two additional categories that are neither system nor application software, although they contain elements of both, are network software, which enables groups of computers to communicate, and language(programming) software, which provides programmers with the tools they need to write programs.
4.1.1.1 Duties under System Software
In the office we worked mainly with three types of Windows Operating Systems.
i. Windows Xp
ii. Windows Vista.
iii. Windows 7
iv. Windows 8
I worked with the Windows vista operating system with the desktop in my office. During my training experience I performed some system software activities with operating systems, drivers and utilities, and they are:
1. I formatted the hard drive of a computer, to format a disk means preparing the disk for use. It usually involves the total erasure of data on the disk leaving it empty and ready for use to install a new operating system on.
2. I Re-installed a genuine Operating System with the cd rom on a system that has windows activation failure problem this can be done either by Recovery or by using an operating system disc to install. When the operating system experiences an error, this is one of the methods of rectifying
3. I restored a System, which means booting the system’s settings from a previous back-up by creating restore points. This is most times called back dating the system. This is mostly used to correct minor system errors caused mostly due to recently installed programs with bugs and errors.
4. I did a system recovery, this is a process of returning the system back to its original factory settings and this is mostly done in HP systems.
5. I installed system drivers back to the system after installation and formatting of a laptop system and I noticed that the track pad and network card was not working properly.
6. I used utility software called tune up to repair a system and perform other utility related functions i.e. back up, restore, defragment, and encryption.
7. I repaired an already existing operating system
i. You can use the operating system disk to repair; this is done by replacing the system files,
ii. By over writing the already existing OS. Here a new OS is installed but the former OS documents are saved in a folder called windows old
iii. And complete installation. Here the HDD is formatted totally using the OS disc and re-installing a new OS to the system. Here there are no windows old.
8. I installed antivirus and deleted viruses in some systems; this is security software that helps protect the system from harmful software such as Viruses, spyware such as Trojan horse. In the office, the general antivirus used was AVG antivirus. Examples of Antivirus programs are;
a. AVG
b. Avira
c. Avast
d. Quick heal
e. Norton
4.1.1.2 Duties under Application Software
In the office I worked with the following application software:
Livestream procaster
i. MICROSOFT WORD: This is an office environment used for the preparation of word documents. In the office this was used to prepare Company letter headed paper and continuation sheets, Bidding documents, Company profile, Contract letters, Boat repair requests and also used to document my IT report.
A few versions of Microsoft word are;
a. Office 2005
b. Office 2007
c. Office 2010
ii. ADOBE READER: This is an important application software that can be used to open files with a pdf (portable document format) extension format, this format was created by adobe systems in 1993 and is used for representing in a manner independent of application software and operating systems
iii. MICROSOFT POWER POINT: This is a database environment used in the design of database. A database is a collection of data for storage in a computer memory and designed for easy access by an authorized user. In the office, this was used in the Administrative department to design database for Staff Details. Example of a database designed for FotoSkill studio.
iv. MICROSOFT ENCARTA: This is a digital multimedia encyclopedia published by Microsoft Corporation in 1993, which contains over 62,000 articles, numerous photos and illustrations, music clip, videos, interactive content, maps, atlas, which can be used as a reference point to virtually all popular sectors of education.
V. INTERNET EXPLORER: This is an environment that allows the user to have access and surf the internet
