The Architecture of Computer Hardware, Systems Software, & Networking: An Information Technology Approach, 5th Edition

PART FIVE

THE SOFTWARE COMPONENT

Returning to the individual computer-based system, we note that the bare bones hardware described in Chapters 6 through 11 cannot, by itself, meet the needs of today's users. Since the job of the hardware is simply to execute the instructions given to it in the form of programs, the ultimate task is the responsibility of software.

Without software, there is no easy way to load programs into memory, no user interface, no means for controlling the various peripheral devices connected to the system, no means for storing, retrieving, or manipulating files, and no way to manage concurrent multiple programs or multiple users.

Of course, we could insist that each application program provides its own tools and facilities, but this would be inconvenient and inefficient. It would also severely limit use of the system. It is obviously useful to provide a set of programs that perform basic functions as an integral part of the computer system.

These programs control the hardware, load and start application programs, provide file services, implement communication between systems, and support a user interface to the computer. This system software provides a complete environment in which the user can concentrate on the task at hand, rather than deal with the nuances of the computer device itself. The user interface allows system access to users of different skill levels, and the file and hardware control modules effectively isolate the user from internal computer ...