Unit 2
Software
Systems software manages the computers internal resources and controls the operation of the computer. Two types of system hardware are drivers and operating systems. A driver is a program that controls a peripheral device. The driver lets the computer and the device, such as a mouse or CD-ROM, to communicate and understand information sent between the two of them. Operating systems are programs that control the basic functioning of a computer. The operating system is responsible for running and storing programs and managing all of the input, output, and processes on the computer. Operating systems have four main components: process management, input/output, memory management, and the file system. Process management includes running all of the usable software on a computer and when each one is running. Input/output is just that: the operating system controls where input and output goes to the right place. You wouldn't want the output from the DVD-ROM going to the printer instead the speakers and monitor. The memory managers purpose in the universe is to keep track of what parts of the memory are in use and not in use, as well as allocating the memory to programs that are running and to stop when the program stops. It wouldn't make sense for the game you just turned off to keep using the computers resources. Memory management also handles swapping between the main memory and the hard disk when the main memory is too small for whatever process(es) the computer is running. Finally there are file systems, which manage the various things stored on a computer such as a word document.