4

Computer
Software
CATOLICO, DHANZEL MHAR O.

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Objectives:
1. Identify the three categories of software and their functions.

2. Describe four important analytic themes in Information Science.

3. Explain five types of programming languages and their general capabilities.

4. Discuss smartphone applications that can be used as part of physical assessment.

5. Explain the differences among LANs, WANs, and MANs.

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What is a computer software?
It is the general term applied to the instructions that direct the computer’s hardware to
perform work.

Software is needed for two purposes:

1. Computers do not directly understand human language, and software is needed to
translate instructions created in human language into machine language.
2. Packaged or stored software is needed to make the computer an economical work tool.

Software is supplied as organized instruction sets called programs, or more typically as a set
of related programs called a package. (e.g. Microsoft Office).

Programs translate operations the user needs into language and instructions that the
computer can understand. By itself, computer hardware is merely a collection of printed
circuits, plastic, metal, and wires.

Without software, hardware performs no functions.

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CATEGORIES OF SOFTWARE
There are three basic types of software:
System software - “Boots up” (starts up and initializes the computer system; controls
input, output, and storage; and controls the operations of the application software.
Utility software - Consists of programs designed to support and optimize the functioning
of the computer system itself.
Applications software - Includes the various programs that users require to perform day-
to-day tasks. They are the programs that support the actual work of the user.

Some users claim a third type of software called utility programs. These are used to help
maintain the system, clean uo unwanted programs, protect the system against virus attacks,
access the World Wide Web (WWW), and the like.

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SYSTEM SOFTWARE
It consists of a variety of programs that control the individual computer and make the user’s
application programs work well with the hardware.

It also helps speed up the computer’s processing, expands the power of the computer by
creating cache memory, reduces the amount of confusion when multiple programs are
running together, “cleans up” the hard drive so that storage is managed efficiently, and
performs other such system management tasks.

Operating systems (e.g. Windows, MacOS, Linux)

Device drivers (e.g. graphics drivers, printer drivers)
Firmware (e.g. BIOS, UEFI)
Utilities (e.g. antivirus software, disk defragmenter)
File managers (e.g. Finder on Mac, Explorer on Windows)

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SYSTEM SOFTWARE
Basic Input/Output System

The first level of system control is handled by the basic input/output system (BIOS) stored
on a ROM (Read-Only Memory) chip on the motherboard. The software on the BIOS chip is
the first part of the computer to function when the system is turned on.

Operating System

It is the overall controller of the work of the computer. The OS is software loaded from the
hard drive into RAM (Random-Access Memory) as soon as the computer is turned on. It
manages computer hardware, software resources, and provides various services for
computer programs.

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UTILITY SOFTWARE
Utility programs include programs designed to keep the computer system operating
efficiently. It refers to a category of system software designed to perform specific tasks
related to the management and maintenance of computer hardware, software, and data.
These utilities help optimize the performance of the computer system and enhance user
productivity. Utility software is often considered a subset of system software, alongside
operating systems.

Six types of utility software:

Security software
Disk management utilities
Backup utilities
Screen savers
Archival software
Programming environment support programs

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UTILITY SOFTWARE
Security Software

Security software is designed to protect computer systems and data from various types of
security threats and malicious activities. The primary focus of security software is to
safeguard the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information. It aims keep the
device protected from malware, data encryption, phishing, etc.

Disk management utilities

These are designed to help the user keep hard disk space clean and efficient. They do this by
analyzing use of disk space, defragmenting the drive, and deleting duplicate files if the user
so commands.

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UTILITY SOFTWARE
Backup utilities

Serves to help the users back up their data. It is designed to create copies of data, files, and
systems to ensure that important information is preserved and can be restored in the event
of data loss, system failure, or other unforeseen incidents.

Screen savers

Screen savers are programs or features designed to prevent screen burn-in and prolong the
life of computer monitors. While modern display technologies have largely mitigated the risk
of burn-in, screen savers are still used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes.

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UTILITY SOFTWARE
Archival software

Usually performs at least two functions. Compresses information in files to be archived, and
then stores them in a compressed form in some long-term storage device. When the files are
retrieved, software must be used to unpack (or decompress) the data so that it can be read.

Programming environment support programs

Used by program developers to support their programming work or to run their programs.
Computers cannot read or understand English or any other human language. Programs must
change the language in which developers write programs into a machine language that the
computer can understand.

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APPLICATION SOFTWARE
Often simply referred to as "applications" or "apps," is a type of computer program designed
to perform specific tasks or functions for end-users. This includes all the various programs
people use to do work, process data, play games, communicate with others, and watch
videos and multimedia programs on a computer.

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INFORMATION SCIENCE
It is an interdisciplinary field primarily concerned with the analysis, collection, classification,
manipulation, storage, retrieval, movement, dissemination, and use of information.

In nursing, some key issues include ways nurses use information to make better nursing
diagnosis and care decisions.

Nursing information science is very concerned with measuring patient care outcomes and
what nursing protocols produce the best outcomes.

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PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES
It is a means of communicating with the computer.

It is a set of instructions written by a programmer to deliver instructions to the computer to

perform and accomplish a task.

While it is certainly possible for programmers to learn to use binary language -some highly
sensitive defense applications are still written in machine language -the language is painfully
tedious and inefficient use of human resources, and its programs are virtually impossible to
update and debug.

Programming languages are divided into five generations, or sometime into three levels. The
first two level includes the first two generations of programming languages: machine
language and assembly language. Second level includes the next two generations: high-level
procedural and nonprocedural languages. The third level (and fifth generation) is natural
language.

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Generating and Levels of Programming Languages

Machine Language

It is the true language of the computer also known as machine code. It is read by the
computer's central processing unit (CPU), is composed of digital binary numbers and looks
like a very long sequence of zeros and ones.
Traditionally, machine languages are machine dependent, which means that each model of
computer has its own unique machine language.

Assembler Language

Is a low-level programming language that is closely related to the architecture of a

computer's central processing unit (CPU). It is a symbolic representation of the machine
code instructions that a specific CPU architecture understands.

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Generating and Levels of Programming Languages

Third-Generation Languages

Third-generation languages include the procedural languages and were the beginning of the
second level in programming languages. These languages are designed to be more user-
friendly, making it easier for programmers to write code without having to worry about the
low-level details of the computer's architecture.

Visual Programming Languages

Is a programming language that uses graphical elements and symbols to represent

programming concepts and structures, rather than using text-based code. In a visual
programming language, users typically create programs by manipulating visual elements,
such as icons, blocks, or nodes, and connecting them together in a visual interface.

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Generating and Levels of Programming Languages

Concurrent and Distributed Languages

Concurrent and distributed programming involve dealing with multiple tasks or processes
that may run simultaneously on a single system (concurrent) or across multiple
interconnected systems (distributed). Languages designed for concurrent and distributed
programming aim to facilitate the development of applications that can efficiently utilize
parallelism and handle communication between different parts of a system.

Fourth-Generation Languages

Fourth-generation languages (4GLs) are programming languages that aim to provide a higher
level of abstraction and simplicity compared to traditional programming languages like
assembly language or third-generation languages (3GLs) such as C, Fortran, and Pascal. The
goal of 4GLs is to enable non-programmers or those with limited programming experience to
develop software more easily and efficiently.
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Generating and Levels of Programming Languages

Fifth-Generation Languages

The term "Fifth Generation Languages" (5GLs) refers to a category of programming languages
that extends beyond the characteristics of earlier generations. 5GLs represent an evolution
toward languages that are highly expressive, rule-based, and geared towards addressing
complex problems, particularly those in the realm of artificial intelligence and expert
systems. Their development aligns with the ever-growing complexity of computational tasks
and the desire to make programming more accessible to a broader audience.

Text Formatting Language

A text formatting language is a type of programming or markup language specifically

designed for specifying the visual presentation of text. It provides a set of instructions or
tags that define how the text should appear when rendered on a display or printed on a page.

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COMMON SOFTWARE PACKAGES FOR MICROCOMPUTERS

The most common package sold with computers is a standard office package. It includes a
word processing program, a spreadsheet program, and a presentation graphics program. The
upgraded or professional versions usually add some form of database management system,
an e-mail system, a “publisher” program for preparing flyers, brochures, and other column-
format documents. The two most commonly used programs are the e-mail system and the
word processor. Another very common is a desktop publisher.

Most of these common programs have to be written in two versions: one for the IBM PC
platform and one for the Mac.

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SOFTWARE PACKAGE OWNERSHIP RIGHTS

Protecting ownership rights in software has presented a challenge to the computer software
industry. A program sold to one customer can be installed on a very large number of
machines.

Software ownership refers to the rights and control an entity or individual holds over a
software product. It is determined by intellectual property laws, encompassing copyrights,
patents, and licensing agreements. But software ownership should not be confused with
software license.

When a software developer writes any code they retain the ownership or copyright of the
software. The owner of the copyright can then: Licence the copyright to others for use under
certain terms and conditions. Transfer ownership to another person or company, as agreed
under contract.

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COMMON SOFTWARE USEFUL TO NURSES

In most hospitals, most software systems used by nurses are bases in a Hospital Information
System (HIS). The HIS is a multipurpose program, designed to support many applications in
hospitals and their associated clinics. The components nurses use most include the
electronic medical record, admission-discharge-transfer (ADT) system, medication
administration record (MAR) software, supplies inventory system, and laboratory systems.

Some nursing applications include a handy “dashboard“, which is an application that

provides a sort of a menu of options from which the nurses can choose. Typically,
dashboards provide the nurse a quick way to order common output from certain (or all)
screens, or may provide some kind of alert that a task is due to be performed.

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COMPUTER SYSTEMS

Every functioning computer is a system; that is, it is a complex entity, consisting of an

organized set of interconnected components or factors that function together as a unit to
accomplish results that one part alone could not.

Computer system may refer to a single machine that is unconnected to any other computer.
However, most healthcare professionals use computer systems consisting of multiple,
interconnected computer that function to facilitate the work of groups of providers and their
support people in a system called network.

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COMPUTER SYSTEMS

Common types of computer networks are point-to-point, local area network (LAN), wide area
network (WAN), and metropolitan area network.

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Thank you!

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