Text A: Software basics

Computer software consists of computer programs and data files that work together to provide a computer with the instructions and data necessary for carrying out specific type of task, such as document production, video editing, graphic design, or Web browsing. It is important to remember that computer software consists of many files that contain user-executable programs, support programs and data files. Computer programmers write the programs that become the components of a computer software product. To understand how software is installed and uninstalled, it is important for computer owners to recognize that today’s software typically consists of many files.

To create a computer environment, a programmer must define the propertiesfor each element in the environment, such as where an object appears, its shape, its color, and its behavior. A computer programming language provides the tools a programmer uses to create software. Most programmers today prefer to use high-level languages, such as C++, Java, Visual Basic. A computer microprocessor understands only machine language, however, so a program that is written in a high-level language must be compiled or interpreted before it can be processed. A compiler translates all the instructions in a program as a single batch, and the resulting machine language instructions, called object code, areplaced in a new file. An alternative method of translation uses an interpreter to translate instructions one at a time while the program runs.

Software is categorized as application software and system software. The primary purpose of application software is to help people carry out tasks using a computer. In contrast, the primary purpose of system software – your computer’s operating system, device drivers, programming languages, and utilities – is to help the computer carry out its basic operating functions.

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