Utility Software

5 Key excerpts on "Utility Software"

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  eBook - PDF

  Understanding Computers

  Today and Tomorrow: Comprehensive

  • Deborah Morley, Charles Parker(Authors)
  • 2016(Publication Date)
  • Cengage Learning EMEA

    (Publisher)

  UTILITY PROGRAMS A utility program is a type of system software written to perform specific tasks usually related to maintaining or managing the computer system. File management programs enable users to perform file management tasks, such as copying, moving, and deleting files. The file management system built into Windows is File Explorer . Search tools are designed to help users find files on their hard drives; diagnostic and disk management programs are used mainly to diagnose and repair computer problems, such as hard drive errors and files deleted accidentally, as well as maintenance tasks, such as performing disk defragmentation . Uninstall utilities remove programs from a hard drive without leaving annoying remnants behind, file compression programs reduce the stored size of files so they can be more easily archived or sent over the Internet, and backup programs make it easier for users to back up the contents of their hard drive. There are also a number of security-oriented utility programs, such as antivirus, antispyware, and firewall programs. THE FUTURE OF OPERATING SYSTEMS In the future, operating systems will likely become even more user-friendly, voice-driven, and stable, repairing themselves when needed and causing errors and conflicts much less frequently. They will also likely continue to include improved security features, support for new technologies, and assistance for coordinating data and activities among a user’s various computing devices. Operating systems for various devices will likely continue to converge and they may also more often be designed primarily for accessing cloud applications. Chapter Objective 5: Name today’s most widely used operating systems for smartphones and other mobile devices. Chapter Objective 7: Discuss the role of util-ity programs and outline several tasks that these programs perform. Chapter Objective 8: Describe what the operat-ing systems of the future might be like.

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  eBook - ePub

  Inside the World of Computing

  Technologies, Uses, Challenges

  • Jean-Loic Delhaye(Author)
  • 2021(Publication Date)
  • Wiley-ISTE

    (Publisher)

  3.5. Software development

  3.5.1. Software categories

  Software is commonly classified into two categories: system software and application software.

  System software includes, in addition to the operating system, Utility Software. While closely related to the operating system, it is not part of it. These utilities include file managers (backup, compression, archiving, version management, etc.), disk managers (de-fragmentation, cleaning, etc.), security software (antivirus), communication software (browser, search engine, e-mail), PDF or audio file reading software, etc.

  Although the Utility Software that comes with operating systems is becoming increasingly comprehensive and sophisticated, users often install third-party Utility Software as a replacement for or in addition to the Utility Software that comes with the operating system.

  Unlike system software, application software (often referred to as apps) is chosen by the user to meet his or her own needs or to perform special processing. Included among these apps are the following:

  • – office software: word processing, spreadsheets, etc.;
  • – database management systems (we will come back to this in Chapter 4 );
  • – applications related to business management: accounting, personnel management, inventory, etc.;
  • – computer-aided design applications: industry, architecture, electronics, etc.;
  • – applications in the pedagogical field: computer-assisted teaching, MOOC, etc.;
  • – gaming software;
  • – software that you or I have developed for our specific needs or just for pleasure.

  3.5.2. Software quality

  The development of software often represents a significant investment involving many people, from project managers to IT specialists and to users. The aim is therefore to produce software with a high level of quality. For their part, software companies are looking for a standard to guarantee the quality of the products they offer to potential customers. But what are the criteria for defining quality? Organizations developing large software products have been working on this subject for a long time.

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  eBook - ePub

  Computer Fundamentals - 8th Edition

  Concepts, Systems & Applications

  • Pradeep K.Sinha, Pradeep K.Sinha, Priti Sinha(Authors)
  • 2004(Publication Date)
  • BPB Publications

    (Publisher)

  system programmers .

  Some commonly known types of system software are:

  1. Operating systems. Operating system software takes care of effective and efficient utilization of all hardware and software components of a computer system. Operating system is described in Chapter 14 .
  2. Programming language translators. Programming language translators transform the instructions prepared by programmers in a programming language into a form that a computer system can interpret and execute. Programming language translators are described in Chapter 12 .
  3. Communications software. In a computer network (which interconnects multiple computers) communications software enables transfer of data and programs from one computer system to another. Communications software is described in Chapters 17 and 18 .
  4. Utility programs. Utility programs (also known as utilities ) are a set of programs that help users in system maintenance tasks, and in performing tasks of routine nature. Some tasks commonly performed by utility programs include formatting of hard disks or floppy disks, taking backup of files stored on hard disk on to a tape or floppy disk, sorting of the records stored in a file based on some key field(s), etc. Utility programs are described in Chapter 14 .

  Application Software

  Application software is a set of one or more programs, which solves a specific problem, or does a specific task. For example, payroll processing software, examination results processing software, railway/airline reservation software, and computer games software are application software. Similarly, a program written by a scientist to solve a research problem is also application software. Programs included in an application software package are called application programs , and programmers who prepare application software are referred to as application programmers

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  Computing Fundamentals

  Digital Literacy Edition

  • Faithe Wempen, Rosemary Hattersley, Richard Millett, Kate Shoup(Authors)
  • 2014(Publication Date)
  • Wiley

    (Publisher)

  Figure 4.3 shows the Norton Security Suite, which provides secu-rity, identity protection, a backup utility, and a PC tune-up utility. Figure.4 3 A third-party application such as Norton Security Suite provides several different utilities. Utility Software Software that performs some useful service to the operating system, such as optimizing or correcting the file storage system, backing up files, or ensuring security or privacy. 91 Chapter 4: Operating System Basics There are many types of utilities that protect the computer from attack by malware (harmful or maliciously created software). Antivirus programs find and remove viruses , for example; anti-spyware software finds and removes spyware and adware ; firewall software blocks hackers from invading your system; and anti-spam software detects and segregates junk email. Some all-in-one protection suites such as Norton Security Suite protect against many types of threats at once. You will learn more about the different types of malware and their detection and removal in Chapter 11, “Network and Internet Privacy and Security.” Other utilities detect problems with the computer’s operation. For example, a disk checking program can find and fix errors in the file system on a volume, and a registry cleanup program can find and fix inconsistent or unneeded entries in the registry , which is the system configuration database that Microsoft Windows uses. An uninstaller utility removes installed software along with any associated files and registry entries. Backup software makes backup copies of your important files on a sepa-rate drive, for safekeeping. You can automate and schedule the backup process so it occurs without your intervention at whatever interval you specify. malware Malicious software that consists of programs designed to disrupt the normal operation of computer systems. virus A type of malware that attaches itself to an executable file and spreads to other files when the program is run.

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  Know All About Software (Types, Architecture, Quality, Development & Engineering)

  • (Author)
  • 2014(Publication Date)
  • College Publishing House

    (Publisher)

  An application thus differs from an operating system (which runs a computer), a utility (which performs maintenance or general-purpose chores), and a programming language (with which computer programs are created). Depending on the activity for which it was designed, an application can manipulate text, numbers, graphics, or a combination of these elements. Some application packages offer considerable computing power by focusing on a single task, such as word processing; others, called integrated software, offer somewhat less power but include several applications. User-written software tailors systems to meet the user's specific needs. User-written software include spreadsheet templates, word processor macros, scientific simulations, graphics and animation scripts. Even email filters are a kind of user software. Users create this software themselves and often overlook how important it is. The delineation between system software such as operating systems and application software is not exact, however, and is occasionally the object of controversy. For example, one of the key questions in the United States v. Microsoft antitrust trial was whether Microsoft's Internet Explorer web browser was part of its Windows operating system or a separable piece of application software. As another example, the GNU/Linux naming controversy is, in part, due to disagreement about the relationship between the Linux kernel and the operating systems built over this kernel. In some types of embedded systems, the application software and the operating system software may be indistinguishable to the user, as in the case of software used to control a VCR, DVD player or microwave oven. The above definitions may exclude some applications that may exist on some computers in large organizations. Application software classification Application software falls into two general categories; horizontal applications and verti-cal applications.

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