SPO is ... Basic system software. System software includes

Computers - our inalienable companions of life for the second decade. With their help, people have fun and work, communicate with friends around the world. Unfortunately, not all users imagine the principles of working with a computer.

In particular, they rarely think about the importance of open source software. This is the system software. What is meant by this concept and what is the importance of these programs? This article is devoted to the discovery of this question. In addition, we will consider the existing classification of system software to date.

It is necessary to know this even for ordinary users, since when reading some information articles, they often can not understand the essence of what is written there. This happens just because of ignorance of the general terminology. It should be noted that even the specialized resources often infringe on its distortion.

Introduction to the topic

Historically, all the programs we use are divided into two classes:

• System applications (OSS is the basis of any operating system).
• Application programs.

There is also a class of deeply specialized application software, but in everyday life with him there are only techniques and developers.

Application programs include office applications, programs for creating and editing images, as well as other means with which each of us deals every day. It is not difficult to guess that this class is the most widespread and numerous.

What is included in the concept of STR? These are programs designed to manage DBMS (databases) created for user and computer interaction (DE - graphic shells), as well as specialized systems for collecting and processing information. The latter are used (including) on board aircraft and combat vehicles.

Drivers and stuff

Very often allocate system libraries and device drivers, which, in their purpose, do not differ in anything from the software itself. This means that there is no point in considering them separately.

Thus, system software (System Software) can be called a set of programs and interfaces that serve to control and interact with a human computer. Their main purpose is to translate the machine means of display and analysis into more textual or graphic forms more familiar to us all. The composition of the ACT (in contrast to the applied utilities) is practically independent of the specific tasks that the user can perform on the computer.

He can design on it at home, and can sit all day in social networks. In each case, the computer software differs drastically, while the composition of system applications does not undergo any changes.

What is system software for?

And now we will learn more about the purpose of programs of this type. So, their main functions are:

• They create an environment in which application utilities (OS) work.
• They simplify and automate the development of new applications.
• Maximize the accuracy and effectiveness of the interaction between computers in local and global networks.
• Diagnose (and repair) various software failures.
• Responsible for performing auxiliary operations (copying, archiving, data transfer).

Accordingly, no computer without an ACT can not work in principle, since even the most primitive operating system is also a set of special applications. Only qualified users can service these programs, and the development is only the best programmers, who in some cases need to know the language of machine programming (there are no such specialists in the world in general). In short, you will not be able to create your OS in proud solitude.

Basic knowledge and skills

Despite the complexity of this kind of programs, even ordinary users need to imagine the essence of their work, since the effectiveness of their interaction with the computer depends on this. For example, without knowing the principles of the programs controlling the recording and reading of information from the surface of the hard disk, you can not format the hard drive based on the type of data that you intend to store there.

As we have already said, their use is of a systemic nature, which does not change almost never. Therefore, especially stringent requirements are imposed on the development of free software.

Classification of system software

Traditionally, the following types of programs are distinguished in this class:

• Control components.
• Components of analysis, processing and transmission of information.

As it is easy to understand, the control programs synchronize the main processes, allowing all the devices of the computer to function correctly. Their main functions are as follows:

• Direct control of all computing powers of the system.
• Work with the data necessary for its functioning.

Most often these utilities are constantly in the computer's RAM. Relate to the resident means that make up the core of the entire OS. If the control programs that are needed to perform an important operation are loaded into memory immediately before the work is done, they are called transitive. In any case, today such utilities are supplied exclusively in the composition of both the operating system itself and in the form of driver libraries.

In contrast, programs for processing information are run separately. Most often, they are delivered as part of the installation packages of application applications. By the way, the installer (Windows installer, for example) also applies to system software.

Another variant of classification

Very often experts say that the computer software should be divided into basic and service. The basic ones are those programs that provide the very operation of the computer. Accordingly, the system software includes:

• The operating systems themselves and the drivers in their composition.
• Graphical shells (DE) and other environments for executing programs.
• File Managers.

OS as a complex of ACS

Continue to consider the system software. Operating systems are an integral part of it.

In general, the OS itself can be represented as a set of system programs that are responsible for receiving, processing, using information and managing all system devices. On the one hand, the OS acts as a "padding" between the user and his computer, on the other hand, is responsible for using the software and hardware stuffing of the latter as efficiently as possible.

In the literature, the OS is also called the basic system software. Why this terminology is accepted, we will consider below.

Managing files is a critical function of ACS

File managers are designed to more easily access the physical data on the disk, to display them in a graphical representation. Thus, they allow you to use only the logical file name, not its immediate coordinates on the hard disk.

Important! File systems and file managers do not exist by themselves, as they were developed for specific operating systems and for solving specific tasks. Thus, a number of specialists agree that these applications belong to the system software.

But there are several facts that predetermine the attitude to such programs in terms of independent information management tools:

• Many operating systems (and for a long time and practically all) can simultaneously (!) Work with almost all file systems.
• Some primitive (but still OS) systems can do without such applications at all.

What is service ACT

This category includes programs that greatly expand the capabilities of the software, making it more convenient for the end user. They can also be classified, with lots of points:

• Device drivers that are not included in the OS at the time of its creation.
• Programs for self-diagnosis of the computer, which relieve the user of the need to find the cause of errors and failures.
• Strangely enough, but antivirus software also fits the definition of "service". Note that this was not always the case.
• Applications for servicing hard drives allow you to copy and archive information, permanently delete or restore data, optimize the process of writing files to disk.
• Built-in archiving programs, allowing you to significantly reduce the space occupied by information.
• Utilities for managing network resources and the network itself.

Often this class of programs is called system utilities. Just note that anti-virus programs are not called. Today, the funds from Symantec, Touch Stone, and other large companies that supply software are widely known. We examined some types of software for some cases, but some issues remain unsolved.

SPO for working with network protocols

As the name suggests, these system applications are responsible for accessing the Web. Note that all of the following is more relevant to those systems that are designed to perform some specific actions (file server, mail server). To update the software of this order, it is often necessary to develop new versions of operating systems.

The key to understanding the operation of the whole algorithm is a special server program that accepts requests from the network and sends responses to them. Utilities that are designed to send requests are called clients. Note that the request is sent in the form of a standardized format, which is often called a protocol. The answer is also sent as a file of a certain format, which contains all the necessary information (package).

By the way, IE and Firefox, Opera and Google Chrome are also clients, whose work is based on the just stated principle.

Programming and Execution Environment

These programs are specific tools, but a general understanding of them is also necessary, since without this it is impossible to understand the operating principles of the OS and the computer as a whole. They are needed not only for creating, but also for debugging and launching applications.

Experts say that for this case the system software includes:

• Tools for typing and editing text.
• Translator or interpreter (for the simplest languages).
• The linker editor, also called the linker.
• Debuggers.
• Complete application libraries for program execution.

Note that an application is created (with rare exceptions) under some specific OS. But the system tools that are designed for their development can work in a completely different system (for this, separate system libraries are needed). This is very important, as it does not limit the developers themselves in choosing the preferred system for operation.

What are translators

Since this definition is understandable by far not all, let us consider this issue in more detail.

This most important term denotes a program that translates a programming language that people understand to machine language. Of course, machine language can be understood by a person, but there are no such specialists in the whole world. The program itself, written in some programming language, is called the source module. The object module is the source information compiled for further use by the machine. The structure of this module includes the text of the program already translated into the machine language, as well as other information necessary for its correct operation and debugging.

All applications of this class are divided into compilers and interpreters. The first immediately translate the source module into machine text. The interpreter not only carries out the transfer, but also immediately tries to test the program. Proceeding from this, he has one huge drawback: slow execution of the program. That's why such tools are used only in the environment of the simplest and primitive languages, which are used for teaching the basics of programming.

The linker, or linker, handles the processing of object modules in boot elements. Each of them can already be moved to the main memory and executed.

Debugger and other components

The debugger performs the most important function, since it allows you to control the execution of the program, along the way searching for errors in it. Its basic set of functions includes:

• The ability to step-by-step execution of the loaded object module, with constant output of results.
• Stop at the points specified by the developer.
• If there is such a need, the debugger can completely stop the program at a predetermined point.
• Display all the variables used.

conclusions

So, let's sum up. It turns out that the system software includes the following components:

• Directly OS (operating systems).
• Graphical shells (DE) and runtime programs.
• File managers and other file management tools.
• Means for developers.
• All network utilities.
• Some application programs.

So we reviewed the composition of the system software.