description of application software categories

#Description of application software categories windows

When Microsoft introduced Windows, Apple sued Microsoft, claiming that they copied the “look and feel” of the Macintosh operating system. It is also an example of open-source software, a topic we will cover later in this chapter.Īre you a Mac? Are you a PC? Ever since its introduction in 1984, users of the Apple Macintosh have been quite biased about their preference for the Macintosh operating system (now called OS X) over Microsoft’s.

Linux was the result. Linux has many variations and now powers a large percentage of web servers in the world. These are very expensive computers, and software developer Linus Torvalds wanted to find a way to make Unix run on less expensive personal computers. Unix is an operating system used primarily by scientists and engineers on larger minicomputers. Linux is a version of the Unix operating system that runs on the personal computer. Linux logo (Copyright: Larry Ewing)Ī third personal-computer operating system family that is gaining in popularity is Linux (pronounced “linn-ex”). Features such as multitasking, virtual memory, and voice input have become standard features of both operating systems.

#Description of application software categories windows

It was not until the 1990 release of Windows 3.0 that Microsoft found success with a graphical user interface. Because of the hold of IBM and IBM-compatible personal computers on business, it was not until Windows 3.0 was released that business users began using a graphical user interface, ushering us into the graphical-computing era. Since 1990, both Apple and Microsoft have released many new versions of their operating systems, with each release adding the ability to process more data at once and access more memory. It was quite limited and had little commercial success. This version of Windows was not an operating system, but instead was an application that ran on top of the DOS operating system, providing a graphical environment. In 1985, Microsoft released the first version of Windows. Though not the first graphical operating system, it was the first one to find commercial success. In 1984, Apple introduced the Macintosh computer, featuring an operating system with a graphical user interface. The most popular of the early operating systems was IBM’s Disk Operating System, or DOS, which was actually developed for them by Microsoft. The amount of memory that early operating systems could handle was limited as well, making large programs impractical to run. Smartphones and tablets run operating systems as well, such as Apple’s iOS, Google’s Android, Microsoft’s Windows Mobile, and Blackberry.Įarly personal-computer operating systems were simple by today’s standards they did not provide multitasking and required the user to type commands to initiate an action. For personal computers, the most popular operating systems are Microsoft’s Windows, Apple’s OS X, and different versions of Linux. providing a platform for software developers to write applications.Īll computing devices run an operating system.providing the user-interface components.managing the hardware resources of the computer.The operating system provides several essential functions, including:

Application software is the category of programs that do something useful for the user. Operating systems manage the hardware and create the interface between the hardware and the user. Software can be broadly divided into two categories: operating systems and application software. Without software, the hardware would not be functional. Software is created through the process of programming (we will cover the creation of software in more detail in chapter 10). Simply put: Software is the set of instructions that tell the hardware what to do. The second component of an information system is software. If you are not required to use this edition for a course, you may want to check it out. Please note, there is an updated edition of this book available at. define the term open-source and identify its primary characteristics.describe cloud computing and its advantages and disadvantages for use in an organization and.describe the role ERP software plays in an organization.describe the two primary categories of software.Upon successful completion of this chapter, you will be able to: